Dodgeville chronicle. [volume] (Dodgeville, Wis.) 1862-current, 1875-01-22
GOV. TAYLOR'S MESSAGE.


FELLOW CITIZENS OF THE SENATE AND ASSEM-
BLY, Thanking God for all His mercies. | con-
gratulate you that order and peace reign through
out the length and breadth of our State. Our ma
tera prosperity has not fulfilled our anticipations
But let us remember that we bear no burden OF
financial depression not common to all the
States, and that the penalties of folly are the
foundation of wisdom.
You have been permitted to peaceably assem-
BILE in our beautiful Capitol and to organize the
Legislature of Wisconsin with none to dispute
your authority or question your choice. You are
the judges of the qualifications of members,
and from your determination there is no appeal
Under our State Constitution and laws the Ex-
ecutive Department may summon the military
forces of the State to enforce your decrees. Un-
der the National Constitution the Federal Gov
ernment is bound to guarantee our republican in
stituton against invasion, and on the application
of the Legislature, or OF the Governor when the
Legislature cannot be convened, to protect us
from domestic violence Within the restrictions
! have named all the powers of the State and
Federal Government are the servants of the civil
authority and the right arm of our power. But
know of no principle of free government by virtue
of which our State may be assigned to a military
department and its laws subordinated to the
will of an officer of the Federal army, or
by which its citizens may be subjected
to the DEGREES of military COM
mission, in a time of peace. Nor do | know of
any rule of law under which any portion of the
Federal army may be thrust into your presence
by the executive authority of the State or of the
United States to revise your proceedings and de-
bCfmlne the validity Oh your organization Dy JHe
unreasoning arbitration of the bayonet and the
sword. ] do not wish to prejudice the facts, but
if authority exists in any branch of the Federal
Government for what appears to be assumed by
the recent proceedings in the State of Louisiana
and in the extraordinary proposals OF the sLieu-
tenant General of the United States army In his
dispatches from New Orleans, believe the time
has come for all of us to bury partisan spirit in
common effort for the preservation of our con-
stitutiOnal sovereignty and the Inherited liberties
of the American people.
Complete statistics furnished you in the able
and conscientious reports of the Treasurer and
Secretary of State, and by representatives oil
other State departments, affirm the gratifying
truth that during the past year all forms of State
tax have been promptly paid, and that our State
debt, mostly due to the State itself, is of COM
parative insignifcance in proportion to our re-
sources and populations; that the cause of popu-
ular education has progressed; that our institu-
tions of public charity and benevolence have
been conducted with marked efficiency and econ
omy; that our public lands have been watchfully
protected from encroachment; that in nearly
State State have epsi 'i' been &c Considerably reduced;
that agricultural production has been
sufficient for the necessities of the year; that
business men have been free from the more seri-
Gus consequences of financial depression, and
that the burden of taxation for all State purposes
is both actually and relatively less than at any
previous period during many years.
GENERAL FUND-RECEIPTs AND DISBURSEMENTS.
The total receipts of the general fund during
the fiscal year were 81 231, 15S A. The total dis
bursemcnGs were 81 OBS, ,1033I The deficiency in
the general fund at the commencement of the fis-
cal year $66, $3.50, and the excess of total
ceipts over total expenditures during the year
was S192, ,455. 10, thus leaving in the Treasury to
the credit of the general fund on the ith day of
September, 1874, the sum of S125531.7O.
TRUST FUNDS,
trust funds was S125, 2.52, divided as follows
School, S55,6 ga; University, $4,3l3.68; Agri
cultural College, $10,S24.a; Normal School, $55,-
1926. The total amount belonging to the trust
funds at the close of the fiscal year was 1885,
500. divided as follows: School, s., 565 2276;
$3.50, 3O7; Normal School, $g73, ,sO634. The total
disbursements of income for the year were $780,
12573, divided as follows: School, $1S6,2722;
64e.Oa, Normal school, $6l ,12S7O
GROSS RECEIPTS AND DISBURSEMENTS.
The total receipts into the Treasury during the
fiscal year, including all sources of income, were
81 1,S29,85743 The total disbursements for all
purposes were 1867, 1867. The balance in the
TreaSary at the commencement OF the fiscal year,
on account of all funds, was $2l5, ,64452 The ex-
of total receipts over total disbursements
during the year was $162, ,7Oo.46, thus leaving in
the Treasury, to the credit of all funds, on the
30th day of September, 1874, the sum of $685.
344.98.
STATE TAXES.
For the year 1873 the State tax amounted to
$61 5S2, ,3S. For the year 1874 the State tax levied
and collected was 1926, ,60635 and one
quarter mills on the dollar-less than one-haf
the average of county taxes and less than
quarter the average for town purposes; while the
aggregate taxation of the people for all purposes
including State, county, town, school and road
sessed valuation not exceeding onehalft the actual
cash value of taxable property.
The detailed estimates of the expenditures of the
State Government submitted TO you by The Secre-
tary of State, in accordance with law, permit
still farther reduction of the total State tax proper
the ensuing year to the comparatively nominal
sum of about $500, O,000-an amount deemed ample
with the receipts from special sources to cover the
current expenses of the State, including all the
ordinary expenses of the benevolent and penal in
sttutions. Extraordinary appropriations for the
construction of new buildings not already contem-
plated by law are not included in this estimate,
but these should not, and probably will not,
sensibly increase the rate of taxation.
FUTURE ECONOMY.
However gratifying these facts may be, the rep
resentatives of the people are thereby in no degree
released from their Obligations to promote addi-
uonal economy in public expenditures to the full
extent permitted by prudent regard for the pub
lie interests. All efforts to this end will receive
the unreserved approval Of the Executive Depart
ment. The bulk of State expenditures necessa-
rily depend upon legislative discretion. The APP
preparations for the support of the charitable and
penal institutions usually amount to nearly or
quite one-haf of all the disbursements from the
general fund. The cost of the machinery of leg
lslation itself often equals exceeds one
tenth of all annual expenditure. Impor-
tant reforms were inaugurated at the
sion oflast winter by which the last item of cost
was considerably reduced, and provision made
for equally important reductions in other depart
ments, without any apparent detriment to the
the merit OF brief and pertinent legislation only.
and upon such subjects only as necessarily claim
your consideration, and a corresponding brevity,
in the present session. rigid adherence to
those provisions of our Constitution which limit
your action to enactments of general character
will facilitate this purpose and command the un-
doubted appreciation of the people.
TIME OF PAYING TAXES.
INN last annual message called the atten-
tion of the Legislature to the expediency of
changing the time for the payment of taxes and
also of providing either for the collection oftaxes
semi-annually or for an occasional deposit of sur
plus funds upon interest. Subsequent observa-
ton and reflection have served to confirm the
views then expressed: To require of the people
the payment into the Treasury of large sums of
money many months before its is ordinarily
required, and this at q period of the year
most inconvenient for nearly all classes of
taxpayers, is an exaction without apparent ex-
cuse But If insisted upon, the people should
at least receive a partial compensation for the
Inconvenience thus unnecessarily imposed
upon them, in the earnings to which the use of
their idle money is entitled in the market. The
change proposed is sanctioned by example and
experience elsewhere, and no consequence could
be anticipated from its adoption here more seri
Gus than the imposition of this additional re-
stralnt upon neutrality-suspicious. and expenditure
ts.s- r EXEMPT PROPERTY.
The returns of property exempt from taxation
are again incomplete and comparatively yalueless
as basis of legislation the present year. There
fore, IN accordance with the suggestions of the
Secretary of State, recommend the enactment
OF law on this subject the present session SINH
lar to Chap. 43. Laws of 1874, with a view to more
accurate and reliable statistics for future refer
ence
7 q f-.-ss-sa-.S p SALE OF MoRTGAGED LANDS.
The report of the State Treasurer refers to cases
of extreme hardship occasioned during the past
year by the sale, without notice, of lands mort
gagged to the State and forfeited by purchasers for
the non-payment of nominal sums of interest
No principle of justice can sanction proceedings
of this, character, and urge a prompt amend
ment of the law in the manner Indicated by the
Treasurer. .sta
eear n GEOLOGICAL SURVEY.
The sum paid from the general fund for the
prosecution of the geological survey, the past
fiscal year, was $4,000 The importance oftthis
work to the complete development of the
state cannot be exaggerated 4 recommend
dar Of thn sa1rp of