The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1875-01-12

leafueu from zen. De Ir0Drland that ne
had previously been called upon by Mr.
Wilt to clear the lobby, and that COM
mittee OF democratic members had been
sent to him 10 make that request In
reply to Mr.. Potter, Gov. Kellogg said
that he did not think under the present cir
cumstances that the government could
maintain itself without the support OF
United States forces, and probably he had
been in the same position since the
l4th OF September last. He added as his
explanation, that the great bulk of
the supporters of his government were in
the country engaged ia peaceful industrial
pursuits, and that large element opposed
to his administration resided in the city at
the seat OF government, and many of them
bad no industrial avocstions.
THE GOVERNORS MESSAGE.
KELLoGG's vIEws-THE STATE FINANCES
LAVISH PRAISE OF HIS OWN ADMINIsrRA-
TIoN-rHE NEW ORLEANS DEBr-oUTRAGEs.
The following are the more important
portions of Gov. Kellogg's message to the
legislature: 'Since the adjournment of
your predecessors, disastrous crevases in
the levees have destroyed the crops in
several sections of the state, and
produced much suffering among the people,
which, however, has been greatly mitigated
by the benevelence of the citizens of other
states, notably OF Massachusetts, and by the
/ bounty which the general government has
bestowed upon us with an unsparing hand
| Political disturbances of a grave and wide
spread character have also seriously
/ impaired the prosperity of the state and re-
| tardod its interests. Both these causes
have diminished the revenues and pre-
vented the close collection of taxes. Yet
in the year that has just ended the
receipts have been nearly equal to the ex-
H. -
has been largely reduced, and for the first
| time for many years not one dollar has been
added to the public debt, which, on the con-
trary, has been sensibly reduced. Calling
to mind the unparalleled difficulties the
state government has had to encounter since
the first day of its Inauguration, 1 may
| be pardoned for referring with pride
to these financial results, obtained under
| such adverse circumstances. The public
debt, and the taxation on the total bonded
and floating debt of the state, when the
| present administration came into Office, was.
exclusive of the amount due the fiscal agent,
Sl5OOOO; since paid, was S23 933, 407 80.
| auditors report, December 81, 1S72.) 1t
was increased the first year of this admins
| tration by the issue of bonds au-
thorized by acts passed by the pre-
vious legislature, viz: Bonds issued to
the New Orleans, Mobile & Texas railroad
on section OF II miles of completed rail-
road TACT No. 81 of 1921, Sl25. 900; bonds
issued TO the North Louisiana & Texas Rail-
road Company Tact No. los of 1867, 1915
600, 81 900; total, S24, 634 407 80. The issue
of the last named bonds was rendered
| obligatory upon me by a decision OF
the Supreme Court ofthe state. The bonded
and floating debt has been decreased usder
| the present administration as follows: Re-
| duction in the bonded debt by the redemp-
| ton of past due bonds, S69, 600; by the ex-
change Of S,422 20 new bonds for 81, 400, 200
I % Ill
the redemption of the old out
standing warrants. being by payments
| from back taxes, $500, 600; by exchange
under the funding bill, S1S2,724 90; old
warrants for Sl09,6S4 SO; of consolidate
bonds, $3.50, 500 IS; total reduction of the debt
under the present administration, 81, 3O3, =
| 569 %. The rate of taxation on the city of
New Orleans in 1872, when the present gov
eminent came into office, was: State, in
| Guiding schools, 2115 mills; city, so mills;
| total, 81 = mills. The rate of
TAXATION FOR THE PRESENT YEAR.
as reduced by the measures passed by tie
| last legislature is: State, including schools,
mills Az; city ,smills %, total 1917, making
reduction of taxation, city and state,
effected under this administration. oftwelve
mills, as the rate of parish taxation
state taxation and the rate of state
taxation is now limited by constitutional
amendment to 141k mills, including schools,
it follows that in no parish of the state, out
side of the parish OF Orleans, can heavier
| tax than 20 mills believed in any one year.
| In previous years the state and parish taxes
in some parishes of the state reached as high
as 20 mills. The act passed by the last leg
islature providing for the funding OF
the state debt, and the constitutional amend
4 ments connected Herewith, which have
since been ratified by the people, form a
most important feature in the financial his
| tory of the state. When the present state
government came into Office the public debt
contracted by previous democratic and re-
publican legislatures was confessedly out OF
| all proportion TO the resources OF the
state, and the incoming administration
i had to face the alternative of reputation or
| compromise with the creditors of the state.
| Believing that the indiscriminate repudia-
| ton of the state debt, whether justly or not
Justly incurred, would be Gishonorable to
us and disastrous to the state, we sought
at first to test through the court
the validity of such bonds as were
popularity believed to have been
issued without adequate consideration, and
then to effect such an adjustment of the re-
manning valid bonds would b9 as fair as
possible TO our creditors, and afford that re-
lief which was absolutely necessary TO the
tax payers OF the state. 1t will
not be forgotten how carefully
each step which led to the
passage of the funding bill was considered,
| how the advice of the Chamber of Com
merce and the leading business men was
asked and obtained, and finally how the
state. anxious to pay its just creditors tothe
utmost limits of its capacity, fixed
the rate of funding at point
ten per cent. higher than the limit which
u
| into cur resources, deemed the state able 20
pay. In cnnnec ion with the fundi"g bill l
Recommended 10 the Legislature iiss sdOD-
ton oi ,dutiOual amendment limit
| ing
THE STATE BEBT
| to s15,000, 900, limiting the rate OF taxation
tor state purposes to 12h mills, exclusive of
the schools, combining the revenues of each
wear To the a-snnnsas OF that Vaar. and