Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1874-03-06
ARKANSAS.
The State Scrip QuestiOn--AnOther
Effort by the Republicans to
Bull It.
Full Expose by the Conservative Organ
OF Little ROck-QuOtatiOns Stin
Fifty-FOUr Cents.

From the Little Rock Gazette, of Monday.l
Yesterdays Republican contains an
ingenious article, written in tie chief
Justices best style, which can be char
acterized simply as another effort to
raise the price of State scrip. First i'm
this direction was the decision of the
supreme court that all officers were re-
quired to receive their fees and salary
in State scrip. That decision, of itself,
brought the price Of scrip up but few
cents Next was the decision that scrip
was receivable for all taxes. Immedi-
stely after its PRONUNCIATION scrip jump
ed up to sixty cents, but there it began
again 10 decline until it got back to the
old figures, fifty-three to ffty-f0ur cents,
and these are the ruling prices now.
Such a state Of affairs does not suit the
chief-justice, and yesterday he endeavors
to prove that the present tax-paying
will absorb all the outstanding scrip.
He publishes 8 statement from the State
treasurer that the amount of outstand-
ing warrants is from 81, 500, 600 to ST.
$40, 600. The same official States he
believes there viii be paid into the
treasury, up to July l, 1ST4-
On account of the sinking fund due
from liQuOr-dealers' licenses. ............. 900
From sale of school-lands, fines, for
ltilUfGSs GlC-g Oh AGEOuut u pCflla-
nenG school fund....-...... ........ 95 900
From sale Of Saline and Seminary
pII, o,,;, ON ,.S,;,, n, ,,,c OOV0
ton OF lands. Is 900
quo
A statement is published from the
auditor showing the following assess
ment of taxes:
For general purposes. O35 ,S0iIO
LOooo0 u
Conceding for the time being, that
every dollar of this assessment viii be
collected, and add it to the amounts
above given, by the treasurer. which he
states he believes will be paid into the
treasury, we have the sum of 81 ,443,-
IS9 10, or S176,S10 80 less than the
amount of scrip already out, according
to the treasurer's own statement.
Now, then, we want to call attention
to another fact: During the past year
over one million dollars in tleasurer's
certificates have been issued. Taking
that as criterion, and having a surplus
of nearly 100000 to start with, is it
unreasonable to suppose, giving the
chief-justice the benefit of the state
ments of the auditor and treasurer, that
there will be less than 81, 600, 600 out on
the first of January next?-fOr the
reader must bear in mind that this scrip
mill is constantly grinding, and nearly
all the appropriations are unlimited.
The large serip-holders of this city
understand this well, and every one of
them is unloading at fifty-four to fifty
five cents as rapidly as possible. The
chief-justiee's theory looks web enough
on paper, but it dOsen't stop the scrip
mill-and how much that mill viii
grind out by January next can only be
apprOximated by reference to its past
operations: over S43, 900, for instance,
for indexing the joHrnals-workt that the
best attorney in Little Rock would do
for $500.
But it is well known fact that the
delinquencies by taxpayers will be
greater this year than in any year since
the first days of reconstruction. Indeed,
We believe we would be safe in saving
that at least one-fourth the Taxpayers
will be delinquent. Taking that as true,
we find that but little more than S75, 900
in scrip viii actually be paid into the
treasury. on account of the auditors
assessment which would really leave
outstanding on the first of July-sUp-
posing that no more scrip is issued in
the meantime-nearly a half million
dollas
We are inclined to the belief that
this fastest effort of the chief-justice to
bull the price of scrip will be as barren Of
results as were the decisions of the
supreme cOUFt-at any rate our quota
tions still remain at fifty-feur cents.