The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1872-01-11
THE STATE TREASURY BANK
RUFF.
Whaf are yOm GoInE In do About
IA?

IA?
Gov Powers confesses the crime of
Radical plumber and misrule. Notwith-
standing the high taxes and their frequent
collection, he says in his message, that
the State Indebtedness is S4S7, 9S5.77
greater now than it was at the correspond
ing period last year. In other words, it
has increased nearly half million of
dollars, with nothing to show for it
beyond carrying on the State govern
ment.
The taxpayers have all along been be-
lieving that the present rate Of taxation,
which is five times more than in former
days when warrants were at par with
specie. and the State paid as it went
would be reduced. But their Represen-
tatives are met at the threshold of their
labors, with the appalling announcement
that this enormously increased taxation,
so far from paying the expenses of the
State Mongrel rulers, is not sufficient to
prevent the increase of the debt at the
rate of nearly half million of dollars
yearly This debt the Governor pro-
poses shall be funded at per cent. in
terest, which would create an annual
burden, besides the principal. At the
present rate of taxation and expenditure
and there is no hope that either will be
reduced under Radical misrule-it will be
seen that in few years the State will be
burdened with debt from which there
will be no redemption.
This alleged Indebtedness is fraud
on the people. The bulk of it was not Gre
ated to subserve the legitimate purposes of
| government; and for no other purposes
have their rulers right to impose taxes.
Every office created in excess of what is
necessary to carry on the government is
an additional burthen without cohsidera-
ton Every cent which is expended be-
yond what is absolutely required to per-
form the necessary public service in adj
ministering the laws, is robbery. And
henceSSwe assert, that this alleged in
debtedness is base, unmitigated fraud
on the tax payers; and the proof of the
allegation is gfound by comparison
Of the expense of carrying on the State
government now, with the expense of
former Administrations.
The expenditures in every Department
have been enormously increased since the
Inauguration of the reconstruction era.
In the Legislative department, it has
increased fourfold. In the Executive
Department it has largely increased and
the additional expenditure on account of
the Judiciary, has been in like proper
ton. Hence we assert that sinecures
have been created-offices have been
multiplied-an money coined out Of the
sweat and very life-blood of the impov-
ished taxpayers, has been lavished upon
worthless vagabonds, adventures and
bummers, with the result set forth in the
Executive communication.
The Legislature is informed that the
Treasury is bankrupt. The debt incur
red in discharging what is pretended to
be the ordinary duties of the State gov
eminent, in paying its servants and keep
ing up its benevolent institutions, is more
than a million of dollars. There is not
enough in the Treasury to enable its Gus
todian to collect his own salary. Verify,
the Wreckers have not been idle
And what a wretched pretence of an
economist his Carpet-bag Rxcellency de-
monstrates himself to be. The remedy
he prescribes is to pile on mOreIares This
This is the stupid prescription of a mere
empiric common sense points out the way.
II is to remove the cause of the evil.
Stop the extravaganza which has created
the debt. Diminish the offices. Expel
supernumeraries. Reduce salaries. In
stead of twenty Chancellors at pay of
SO, 500, let there be twelve at a pay of
s., 500. Instead of fourteen Circuit
Judges, let there be ten. The cost of
carrying on the Auditors office is said to
be not less than SIS, 900 under the pres
ent regime. In the days of Swami and
McAlfee, the cost did not exceed $5, 900
if so much. Instead of paying the Gov
ernor $4,000, with perquisites, his
salary should be reduced to SO, 0O0,a sum
that was considered ample in the days of
McNutt and Brown and Mathews when
the people were prosperous. Instead of
an annual average cost on account of
public printing of $50, 600, let it be re
duced from ten to fifteen or twenty thou
sand as in former times. Retrenchment
and Reform are demanded, not higher
taxes.
The Lobby HUItmreS