Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1862-01-17

Of every 35.66 paid BY tho people of the
State as taxes, but one dollar reaches the
State Treasury, or is used for State purposes,
while the other a IS are retained in the coun.
ties and used for county and other purposes
l would not desire our people to relax their
vigilant supervision Of State expenses, but
am of opinion this information may lead them
to give Us vigilant supervision to the expendi.
lures Of their respective Counties, where
equal vigilance is, in my Judgment, equally
nueded. It is evident from an inspection o
the table, showing the amount of taxes paid
and the purpose for which paid, that if it BE-
deemed desiI able to decrease our present OK.
penditures by an amount equal or approx
mating to the amount of taxes required by
the General Government, much the greater
amount Of such reduction must be made in
the taxes levied for other than State pur.
poses,
In some particulars the expenses of the
State may be materially less for the next thar
for the last two years. The appropriation Of
$40, 500, for the Revised Statues, was ten
porary and will not be again required The
amount appropriated for past Indebtedness o.
the Penitt ntiary, $38,5O0, has nearly paid
that Indebtedness, and but nominal sum will
be needed for that purpose. The amount ap
propriated for The general support of the
Prison has been SO well managed that the
amount thereof unexpcnded is deemed by
the Warden sufficient for the next two years
so that the amount Of So, 900, appropriated
at the last regular session. for that purpose
need not be renewed in whole or in part
Of the amount of 5000. appropriated al
tho last Session for finishing and furnishing
the centre and east wing Of the Insane Asy
lum, about $4,000 remain unexpended
which balance with sc, 900 now asked for i.
deemed sufficient to C, mplete the Who'll,
building. So that the app opriatlOn needed
tor construction account in that institut or
may be $50, OU0 less than at the last session
The Blind Asylum at Vinton is now under
cover, and not liable to injury from thu
weather, and if you should deem it advisabl.
not to make any appropriation for its present
completion, $4,000 may be deducted froE
the amount Of the appropriation of the pres
ent session as compared with that of the last
There has been PAID during the last two years
to Agricultural Societies. the sum Of about
$4,000. If you think it advisable to with
hold any appropriation for this purpose, fol
the next two years, this sum may he saved
The foregoing sums amounting in the aggre
gate to $l76,OOO are the expenditures for thu
objects namei for two years, and if withheld,
xill be saving Of $S8 900 per annum from
the amount Of State taxes. This amount,
doubt not, may be increased by careful ex
animation OF our State expenditures and
strict economy to 100000, and if proper
tomato reduction Of county aud township ex
penses can be made. the entire amount of thu
tax required by the General Government car
be raised without increasing our present taxa
ton. commend the matter to your mos
earnest and careful examination.
In order to make he revenue of the State
more certain, l recommend that The County
Treasures be required by law to pay the
State Treasurer, at fixed times, certain pro
portions of the amount Of revenue due to the
State, Until the entire SUN for each year is
paid, whether the County Treasurers have
received the entire am unit Of State tax or
not. At present he State is wholly hope
less as to Its revenue. 1t has to depend
wholly upon the officers Of Counties for its
collection and transmission, and if the county
officers re Inefficient, the State is reIneIi-
less. Each county is row liable by Law to
the State for the amount of State tax assess
ed in it, but this liability. without any
means of making it practically effective. is
useless. If the counties were required to
ply the revenue due the ate, whether col,
lected or not, the county Supervisors would
be stimul lated to require Of the Treasurer a
strict pei formance Of his duties; and if, in
addition, you should 80 change the present
law as to give County Treasurers, in lieu OF
salary, per centum on the amount Of mon.
ey collected and sbursed, or provide for
township collectors, to DE paid m the same
way, cur taxes would, In my opinion, be
more punctually paid.
also recommend that it be made the duty
Of the Board OF Supervisors Of each county
to employ competent accountant once in
each year to examine the accounts of es CT,
county officer, and state an account between
each officer and his county, and between Of
fcer and officer, and also that County Treas
urers and all other persons who receive pub
lie moneys be prohibited, under severe pen
altics, from using them in any way or plac-
ing them with others TO be used for thel
private benefit.
The law Of Congress imposing direct tx
for the support of the General Government
gives to any State the privilege of collecting
the amount Of tag assessed upon it's people,
and allor such State to retain fifteen per
ccnt of the amount, on condition the State
shall assume the payment Of the balance OF
the tax. Thereupon arises the important;
question: What shall the State do in it,
,remises? 1t must be remembered that if
the State assumes the tax tbs entire amount,
less fifteen per cent, must be paid by tn.
State, whether the State collects the tax o.,
not Keeping this IN recollection, let US as
certain as nearly as may be our precise posi-
ton. This State has expended for the Gen.
eral Government about $780, 900, and ha>
been rcpaiL: the sum of $4,000. The State
has sold her bonds to the amount of abou,
100000. The proceeds of said sale 1854,
900, and the $4,000 received from the Gen
cral Government, have been applied TO pay
ing the expenses incurred by the State, leav-
ing unpaid and due wholly, | believe, to our
wn people, about 1856 900, for which they
hold Or can receive warrants drawn On the
War and Defense Fund. II the amount ex
pended by the State, hich is to be reimburs-
cd by the General Government be S45OOO0
there is now due the State $4,000, and if
the Federal tax should b- $3.50. 900, and the
State should assume it, there would be due
the General Government the sum CT 1882,
800, being the entire amount Of the tax less
the amount now due the State, and the fif
teen per cent. for assumption and collection
which must DO assessed upon and paid by
our people.
But we must provide also for the payment
OF the amount due our own citizens. This
must be done by assessing the amount as q
tax, and by either actually collecting the
money and paying it to the holders Of the
warrants or by authorizing those holding
warrants to surrender them to the Auditor
and receive in lieu of them other warrants of
the amount of IS each, which shall be re-
ceivable in payment of the Federal tax. -
These warrants being of small amounts, and
being ali receivable during the present year
L.