Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1873-11-04
.SElrlt Of sAgllffersoll
charlestovn, Jerer.on County. We.s Va
TUESDAY MORNING, NoyEMBER 4, 1873.
sGOVRRNOR,s MESSAGE.

tte Et2it - ih9st
Gentlemen of the Senate and of the House
asi of Delegates:
Upon your reason bling I deem itipyyd ydu-
tty to communicate to you at least brief sum.
mary of the condition of the State and to
call your attention to some questions CONNECTS
ed with the administration of public affairs.
FINANCES.
The following statement will give the CON.
dition of the treasury for the fiscal year end.
ing September 80, 1873:
Balance in the Treasury. Oct i 1872 sess .452o oa
Received from all sources during the
year---- l6I9. .6S9.65
Total subject to draft s9es. III. 81
all purposes l719545.1b
Leaving total balance in the Treasury,
sOcb. 1, lot3.--- S24S 596.52
This balance is made up of the foIlowin.,
distinct funds: ~
Balance of General School Fund. .sss4 500. 50
Balance Of General School Fund. 4 iO31. 81
Fssa HSs9ltal for General Purposes as65sS as55sS
Total balance, Oct 1, 1873, as above. .S243 5965s
1t will be seen that on tho 1st day of Oc-
tober, the beginning of the fiscal year, there
remained in the treasury but So, 500 80 sub
ject to draft for general State purposes. As
none of the taxes for this fiscal year are re-
CURED to he paid in before January 20. next,
the amount ofsrevenue coming in during the
present quarter will necessarily be small, aud
probably inadequate to meet the demands on
the treasury. This is not a new condition Of
things; it has frequently existed before, but
heretofore wienit happened that the fund
provided for general purposes was exhausted
1t was the custom to use temporarily the Gen
eral School Fund until sufficient revenue
should. come in: But changes 10 the Consti-
tuition and laws have put an end to this cus>
tom.
The General School Fund is now PAYABLE.
one half Octobertl5, and the remaining half
January Is, in each year-that is the whole
OF this fund is distributed before January 20.
when the revenue begns to come in; there's
tore even it there were no other difficulties in
the way, this fund could not be safely taken
or used for any other purpose during this
quarter. The School laws (chapter 1873 sec
gu of Acts lS72-3.) however provides that
''the General Schoo Fund" ..shall be -an-
nuatly applied to the support OF schools
throughout the State, and to no other pur.
pose whatever" This provision of law is in
accordance with section 8, article 10. of the
Constitution, which contains the following
clause : .'nor shall any money or fund be
taken Tor any other purpose than that for
which 1t haslt'eeh or may he provided"
The Attorney, General. was requested by
the acting auditor to give his opinion as to
whether under the clause inl the Constitution
just quoted, the general school fluid" could
be drawn upon for genera! purposes. He
held that it could not be done, and 1 fully
concur with him in that opinion. The resul.
la tbuft ur
able funds in the treasury either to meet the
penses of the Legislature But this is not
the only difficulty The demands on the
treasury during the first quarter of the year
are necessarily increased. owing to the fact
that appropriations were made for the year
ending September 80. 1873, and also for the
yesr ending September 80, 1874 While
this was right and proper, yet the effect is to
make an unusual strain upon our resources at
time when they can least sustain it, Now.
it is possible to draw upon the appropriations
for the present year. three months before the
revenue the year is required to be paid in
In tact one of the Institutions of the State
has already commenced TO draw largely on its
appropriation, and there is nothing to pres
yeptsothers from doing the same thing. Un>
der this system it lis apparent that unless there
is sufficient revenue leftat the close of the
fiscal year 'to meet in a large measure the
wants 'of the first quarter in the next year,
there be a deficiency This is
nnt;a new question. I called attention to the
my first annual message and in nv
last sapnnal message, anticipating some of
4 these difficulties. | referred to them with
the view to such legislation as would prevent
this occurrence. Practically for some time
past we have in each year been anticipating
the revenue Of the succeeding year; that is
the appropriations of one year had to be4paid
in part ont of the revenue of the year follow
ing it. The remedy is simple If the ap>
propristions for this year are so restricted as
not only to meet the general expenses for the
year hut also to leave a sufficient balance to
meet ordinary expenses for the first quarter
in the next year, there will be no further
tronbie. For the fiscal year ending Septem-
ber 30, 1871, there was deficit of $50 1905
64; for the year ending September 80, 1872,
there was surplus of 0,27137, and for
the year 1873, a surplus of So 500 90 Let
this surplus be SO increased at the close of
this fiscal year that it will meet the requires
ments OF the treasury until the revenue of the
next year is paid in, and there will be no fur
ther jar or embarrassment in our financial
system.
ELECTION OR APPOINTMENT OF sHER1FFs
TO FILL VACANCIES.
Since your adjourumen. in April, the sher
If of one of the counties died. Owing to the
fact that no officers of election had been ap>
pointed in the county, no special election
could be Immediately held in the mode pre-
scribed by chapter lis of the Acts of your
late session. The question then arose, wheth
er an appointment could be made to fill the
vacancy. Section of chapter So au.horiz-
ing the Auditor with the approval of the Gov
ernor to appoint collector of taxes was re-
pealed by duplication by the act OF. March 2,
1870, declaring in substance that 10 every
county the sheriff shall collect all taxes, ex-
cept municipal taxes. Therefore, there is no