Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1874-10-07
The Treasury Balance.


the State Treasury, must eithe
: say something or hold their peac
: is cheerfully conceded but IL the.
have no better reply to make thar
. the worn out one which their organs
. are reiterating, they would incur Ia
4 less suspicion of mismanagemen
; by holding their peace. The argu
ment that is the Constitution anC
not the laws of the State whic!
compels the raising of so mucl
=. money is absurd on its face; ano
, it would be no less absurd If the
Constitutional clause relied on were
printed entire in the largest of cap
itals instead of being about equally
devided between italics and small
capitals, as the organs are in the
habit of presenting it.
Let the people look for moment
at this constitutional argument
which is paraded as so conclusive.
Article NV, section /, Of the State
Constitution provides as follows
All specific State taxes, except
those received from the mining
companies of the Upper Peninsula,
shall he applied in paying the in
terests upon the primary school,
university and other educational
funds, and the interests and princi-
pal of the State debt other than the
amounts due to educational funds
when such a specific taxes shall be
added to and constitute a part of
the primary school interest fund.
The Legislature shall provide for
an annual tax sufficient, with other
resources, to pay the estimated ex-
penses of the State government,
the interests on the State debt, and
such deficiency as may occur in
the resources.
The portion of this which the
organs usually italicise is the last
clause; and the word "shalP' which
occurs therein is given the addition
all emphasis of small capitals. The
idea sought to be conveyed is that
the Legislature is utterly powerless
in the matter of fixing the amount
of the annual tax, and that the pow
ers Of the Constitution alone are to
blame for any surplus which there
may be in the treasury. How base
less the idea is may be seen from g
brief analysis of the section and
the examination of one or two fact:
bearing upon the subject.
MI that the Constitution under
takes to do in the section reciteC
is to appropriat, the spe ;ific take:
to certain named purposes and tc
compel the Legislature to provide
by an annual tax for the "estimat
ed" expenses of the government
1t need no organs to tell the PEG
pie that under this provision tn
specific taxes cannot be applied t.
) any other purpose than that named
and if the surplus in the Treasur
comprised only the specific take
the organic argument would hav
some force. That they do no
we shall show further on; but a
d this point we desire to call atten
s ton to the fact that, with the ex
: ception of the restriction as to tn
e disposition of the specific taxes
: the Legislature is all powerful i
e the matter of the State tax TO
annual expenses of the State gov
{, eminent, and of taxes levied fo
= specific purposes. The amount
:, be raised is to cover the "estimat
N ed" expenses and the Legislator
h makes the estimate. Thus, in 1S6
~ the Legislature estimated" ths
!. the expenses of the State go,
"a eminent for the years 1869 an
m 1870 would be one mill on the do
Mt lar of all the real and person
a property in the State, and p $50
y, y, an act providing for the raisir
~ thereof. In 1871 it again "estims
nd ed the expenses, fixing them at s25'
hit 900 for 1871 and 100000 for 49,
on In 1873 it ESTIMATED" once moi
49, and provided for tax of $500, 900
of each of the two years for which
in had to estimate"
re Nor is this all. 1t is upon Il
ste Legislature that the duty fails
on imposing the specific taxes and
to is a duty which has frequent
m; been exercised by that body sin
he the Republican party came in
ne power in this State.
nd 1t will be seen, therefore, th
to
ng Sign of til