The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1864-01-23


I that had previously returned to the Treas
urY, at 95 cents on the dollar. I clipped
the matured coupors from all of the bonds
Of the old issue, before sale, and returned
/ them TO the Treasurer of State cancelled.
/ 1 was led to regard the spirit rather than
. the letter of the law, because, Oh the first
+ sale Of bonds made, l realized So, $50 dol
/ lars more than otherwise could have been re-
/ allied, because in the arrangement made with
/ lheSecretary of the Interior, I secured $4,000
andS234.7l interest accruing between April
25th, and July lst, 1868, more than other
wise could have been secured; and because,
! in the last sale of 81, 600 of the old issue
Of bonds, there we're madeS4OO more than
( otherwise would have been made, thus saw
. ing to the State Sc, 284.7I by the course
| pursued. Another potent reason infu-
enced me. The credit Of the State was es-
/ tablished by it at the very point, where,
above all others. II was most important II
should be established, both for it and its
citizens, namely, in the city Of New York.
/ ask that, if necessary, my acts shall be
,legalzed.
/ The war has largely increased the exPen-
/ ses of every loyal State in the Union. The
small commonwealth of Vermont pays eight
hundred thousand dollars a year for ''extra
/ pay Of seven dollars a month to The sol
/ diers now in the service" The sum ex-
pended by Massachusetts, exceeds two mil
/ lions Of dollars, and tie larger States have
made a still greater outlay for this aud sim
f liar objects. Kansas has spent less for these
purposes than any other State in the Union.
l do not hesitate TO recommend, therefore,
an appropriation sufficient, a. least, to make
I our defences strong enough 10 rePel any at
tack, and make the State secure. Better
/ increase your taxes three-fold, if this must
/ be done, than have another raid such as lev
/ eled Lawrence to the earth. It would be a
saving, aud a large saving to the State; for
I OF all causes which retard its growth By
7 driving of the settler, and frightening away
the immigrant, raids are the most powerful.
+ They tell here; they tell in other States;
{ they tell in Europe against US.
l do not intend to indulge in common
/ places about extravaganza, nor shall l dwell
on the evil Of waste, because it is unneces-
sary before your intelligent body. The
State that husbands its means prudently,
like the individual who lives within his in
come, IS always well off, independent and
strong. ECONOMY, as well in small as large
matters, is the virtue which, with system,
viii secure a permanent prosperity. It is
mine of wealth But true economy is as
far removed from meanness, as 1t is from
textrayagance; it viii employ its means lib
orally when a good object can be secured,
and refuse a dime when bad one is pre-
sented. Il is intelligent, and knows what
IS wanted; It is judicious, and understands
how to obtain il; it is practical, and meas
1 i Il
to practice this ecoHomy-to do it syste-
matically; not only to have the account OF
every public officer, subjected to a close ex
animation, but know how every dollar Of
public money IS spent. If this couI Sc shall
I be steadily pursued, there will be no de-
faults and NJ extravaganza; no waste and
no meanuess. If the public revenue shall
/ be thus properly applied and carefully guard
+ ed; if there shall be retreuchment where
needed and expenditure when necessary, not
only will the credit Of our young State,
now so we'll established, be kept firm, but
/ its growth viii be steady and solid. and it
will be unhurt By the shock of any com
mercial revulsion.
/ II is a curious fact that States aud cities
rarely avail themselves Of each others ex-
I perience Men, for instance, living in In
diana or in Cincinnati, and moving TO auoth-
+ err commonwealth or another city, would be
apt to take the tax systems applied 10 both,
I if called upon TO adopt them in their new
home. I declare the simple truth when
I say, that the first tax system adopted BY
each Western State and by the cities in
in each Western State, was bad-so bad
that its very abuses compelled an entire re-
form. But while these abuses existed, and
were made patent through newspaper crit
icisms, and debates in Legislatures, New
England and New York had other systems,
the machinery of which was simple, and
worked well, ensuring certainty in the col
lection Of taxes, equality in their rates,
steadiness in the credit of counties and cit
les, and Of the States themselves. Now, if
We we're to act in our representative capac-
ity, as individuals do who always adapt
themselves practically to new situations
and new circumstances, we would, instead
of remembering the ways aud customs of
our old homes, thrown by as cast-off clothes,
examine the best systems of taxation, and
adopt one equal to the best. This is the
course l recommend to you, as being alike
practical and wise.
\ The first thing needed IN tax system is
simplicity. Every man holding property
should know what the law requires him to
Go. Indirection of any kind or character
that sort of cloaking which seeks to get
more than is pretended, or to let the prop
erty-holder of with less than he should paw,
is wrong, and invariably leads to difficulty.
Besides, the machinery of tax system
should be equally simple in its workings.
Combine these two qualities together; lei
all protected By the State share equally its
burdens in proportion TO their property,
real aud personal, and tax system will be
established which will be satisfactory to the
people, and just IN itself; which viii en-