The Daily state journal. [volume] (Alexandria, Va.) 1868-1874, 1873-01-14

ties, or by changing the mode of its admin
| istration, as suggested in my annual message
of December 9th, 1871, with modification
of the law so as to authorize the hiring out
| of conycts to labor upon public works
whose terms of service are more than ten
years. BY the adoption of either of these
plans, though, perhaps, the former would
be preferable, the penitentiary would cease
to be any tax whatever upon the state
treasury. Criminal charges, including the
transportation Of convicts to the peniten-
tiary, should be borne by the counties and
corporations respectively. These charges
during the last fiscal year, according to the
auditors report, amounted to the enormous
sum of $3.50, 737.19, which it is more than
probable, is fully twice the sum they
| would have been had they been betrayed
by the counties and corporations. Our
| judicial system should be recognized, and,
as far as practicable, made self-sustaining.
| Suitors should be made to defray the
| expenses they occasion. | have already,
| in my last annual message, suggested plan
to the General Assembly by which our
county courts may cease to be any-coDside-
| rable burthen upon the state treasury. A
| further examination of the constitution
| satisfies me that it is within the
power of the legislature to free the state
treasury from any tax whatever upon it
on account of these courts, and cordially
recommend the exercise of that power.
A system of fees should be adopted which
will defray all the expenses of all the courts,
except, perhaps, the salaries OF the judges
of the circuit and supreme court of appeals
and twenty-one circuit judges, the entire
expenses of our judicial system would not
exceed $50, 900 and even this sum might,
by a judicious system of fees. be materi-
ally reduced.
[ would also recommend an entire
change in our system for the levy and col
lection of taxes. Instead of the cumber-
some and expensive machinery we now en-
ploy, let all the taxes be levied and col
lected by the counties and corporations.
The assessments or valuation of property
in all cases should be made by the State,
but why's not mako use Of the county and
municipal authorities for the collection of
taxes? Require the auditor to submit to
the General Assembly at the beginning of
each session, an estimate of the amounts
necessary to be raised by taxation for state
purposes, and When these amounts shall
! have been determined by legislative action,
|
| counties and municipalities of the State on
| the basis OF the assessed valuation of each,
| and transmit to the proper authorities of
each county and municipality, on or before
| LIST Of February of each year the several
amounts and total of all taxes required to
be levied and collected therefrom. Au-
thorize the counties and municipalities to
levy and collect along with their local levy,
| o,,d hy fbo;. Local off.caro tha oSoo,,,t "a
state taxes thus required, and hold each
responsible for the amount thereof, to be
paid into the state treasury at such time or
times as may be required by law. BY the
adoption of this system you would avoid
siderable machinery and many officers, and
state. [See message of December @, 1871. /
In brief, | would remit to the counties
and corporations to be borne by them, all
criminal charges, the levy and collection of
taxes and the expense thereof, all expenses
voters, and all other matters Of local adj
| among other) reasons that they will be far
| bly, executed by the local than by the state
|
| be brought home to the attention of the
and reap the benefits of them, the more
more thoroughly will they be administered.
By the adoption of the foregoing sugges-
tious the annual expenses of the state gov
eminent may be reduced to the following
amounts: Judiciary, 100000; charitable
institutions - Eastern Lunatic Asylum,
60,00o; Western, 500, 900; Central, $45,-
900, and Institute for Deaf, Dumb and
Blind, $40,0 00-total, 100000. Rich
mond Medical College, 81, 800; University
of Virginia, $4,000; Virginia Military In
stitute, sl5, 000-total. $31 500. Civil
contingent fund, $40, 900; military, 81 900;
auditors, second auditors and treasurer's
contingent fund, $1,000; expenses attorney
generals office, 81 ,000-total, s25, 900.
| Offices of government, 100000; public
| printing ,$25 900; registration of births, &c.,
| SO, 500-total, sSs, 500. Add for other and
special expenses, $4,000. Grand total.
! $3.50, 900.
And this sum will be ample to meet all
| the ordinary current expenses of the gov
eminent, except legislative expenses.
| These amounted last year to $1G7 $50 SO,
but the extraordinary circumstances which
necessitated the call Of a special session of
the General Assembly by the governor
are not likely to again occur, and hence
the expenses of future sessions will be
much less. 1t appears to me that no future
session of the General Assembly
under our ipresent constitution ought to
cost more than $3.50, 900. Add this to
the amount above named, and it makes
the sum of 100000 as the total amount
necessary to be annually raised to defray
the current expenses of the state govern
ment-executive, legislative and judicial.
And it is probable that even this sum might
be reduced fully $4,000. But taking it as
u basis, and adding to it the 81 100000
required to meet the interest on the public
debt, and we find that the total sum neces-
sary to beraised by taxation for both the
purposes named in the resolution will be
| So, 100000.
In the estimates already given, no men,
ton has been made of the amount neces-
sary to be raised for the support and main
tenance of schools, for prefer to treat of
that subject separately. For the current
year the amount required by the constitu-
ton must be levied and collected, but if
the amendment to the constitution recon-
mended in my two last messages be adopt
ed--yiz: capitation tax of two dollars,