The Portland daily press., 1873-01-18
The State Debt.

g the L gislature announced that the State
is substantially free from debt" and that it
will shortly be in position to impose only
such burdens as are necessary to pay current
expenses. The Governor Of Wisconsin makes
the staten mt, which Is also extremely graft
tying, that the debt Of that State is reduced
to two millions and quarter. The State OF
illinois has population of two millions and
a half and Wisconsin has over million. The
last report oil our State treasurer shows that,
alter deducting the accumulations Of the
sinking fund and the cash in che treasury, our
debt is still over six million dollars. In other
words our six hundred thousand people owe
three times as much as the thirfy-f1ve nui
dred thousand citizens of Illinois ana WE
colsin. The assumption of the muhieip''
war debt by the State has Of course Sfea"y
increased the general Indebtedness, ana
somewhat lessons the airness OF the Gu 'ipari-
son of orr debt with that OF other States
Rut making due allowance for this irregular
Increase, and assuming that there is nothing
, corresponding toit in the debt of other States.
the f. CT still remains that we owe more per
capita than almost any other State except
those whose people have been carried away
by the mania for State aid to railroads and,
like the Carolinas, have reached the verge OF
bankruptcy through the too lavish endorse
ment of the bonds of private corporations.
1t is cheering to be assured that the State
wiz demand only five mills on a dollar from
its citizens as tax for the year 1873, being
tlree-fourths of mill less than last year,
when the school mill tax was for the first
time assessed. But on looking over the items
of State expenditure we find that about halt
the aggregate amount called for is on account
ofthe public debt II we were in the situa-
ton of Illinois, or Iowa, or even Wisconsin,
the revenue to pay current expenses need
not b. very much more than half million
dollars, requiring about two and a half in
stead of five mills ON dollar
We do not make these suggestions merely
for the purpose Of exciting Improbable re-
pinings and drawing lugubrious comparisons
between our State and its associate common
'alths. We do it for the purpose of calling
attention % the fact that though our debt is
steadily diminishing, and is provided for as
it falls due by the sinking fund, the burdens
imposed on us by the war are heavier than
are borne by many of our fellow citizens
elsewhere and that there is. on this account,
need of the greatest possible economy in
making appropriations for current expendi
lures. There are certain directions in witch
economy is unwise. Every dollar needed for
educational purposes should be cheerfully
given trusting to the future for returns. But
In almost every other direction State whose
domain is mortgaged for six or seven million
dollars should economic.
TIE JAPANESE MINISTER at Washington
Mr.. .Aor VINO has heen largely instrumental
in shaping the foreign policy OF Japan ant
one of the leaders in the wonderful revolu-
ton of ideas that is going on in that co ntry
finds that tn, written language of his coun
try is inadequate to the new conditions OF
the Japanese people, in that it is a mass oil
cumbersome hierogyphics and is not the same
as is spoken by the people. In view of this,
in a letter to Professor Whitney of Yale Col
lege, he suggests the formation of new Ian,
euaae to be substituted for the one now in
use in his country. To attain this end the
English language is to be "simplifed,' the
notifications proposed relating t.. its spelling
and to it's conjug alton and declension.
In res pect TO the first change he insists on a
uniform spelling of similar words. For exauI-
pie, just as we spell ''fancy,' convey" and
"ieceit," he would spell phantom Sin
veigh' and ''receipt''-these words appear
ing according to his plan, as "fantom,' .
'snvey,' and ''receit.'' These changes, he
thinks, ought to be made, so far as possible,
In such way as to bring the spelling of a
word into accord with it's sound when spoken.
In other words, he revives the old notion OF
remoleling the English language according
to phon .tic principles. In respect to the sec.
oau o---~Ge, he says:
propose Oo--.hstItute, as past tenses and
past partlcipes, seed ror-s.>u and seen, speak
ed for spoke aud spokenspited for Dit a..a hit
ten, teached for taught Md ta .sh., Leared fol
bore aaI borle. thinked for thought and
Ihoug at, buyed for bought and bought, COPIED
for came and come, and so on through the en-
tire list of irregular verbs. l propose, in
short, to make every verb in the English Ian
guage 'regui ar l would also form the plur
ais of all nouns according to rules uniform in
their application"
It is to be feared that Mr.. Mort will b We bet
ter success in preparing simplifi English
for his country than be will have in bringing
his forty millions of countrymen to assent Ia
its introduction.
The agricultural authorize, OF England
state that the people of that country com.