Osage Valley banner. (Tuscumbia, Miller County, Mo.) 1879-1881, 1879-01-16
Totsl.in 1s7s.......
ADDlTIoNAL REvENuE NEEDED.

ADDITIONAL REvENUE NEEDED.
At the last session OF fbe Legislature, when
the temporary lDan OF $3.50 900 was recon-
mended by me, advised steps should then
be taken TO increase the revenue go that the
loan should be paid at lts maturity from such
increase. For this purpose / recommend
poll tax Of one dollar be imposed on every
male person over the age OF twenty-one, and
il this had been done, the loan then author.
izsd would have been paid, principal and
interest, by the revenue from that source.
II a poll tax of one dollar shall be imposed,
and the same authority to colect.it with the
collector now has for the collection Of the tax
on personal property, | estimate $500, 900
would be collected, ana the poll tax, II au-
thorized, can be added 10 the assessment list,
and placed on the tar b Iok for this year.
More revenue must bs raised and expenses
must be reduced, Rat little revenue, is de-
rived from drsm-shop licenses, aud am sat-
isAed the quantity OF spirits used as q bever.
age has not been diminished much. II any,
within the last lew years. recommend the
minimum tax to be levied On each dram
for every period Of six months, (the mini.
mum tax is now S25.) and that no couuty.
city or town shall impose greater tax than
the State imposes from q dram'shop license.
There are drsm-shop keepers who pay only
from so to Sl00 per year for State purposes
aud who pay tev eral hundred dollars to the
city or town treasures for q dram.shop
license. NJu are as we'll alta TO estimate az
/ sm, whether the property OF the State will
be valued re high for the collection of taxes
this year as for the proceeding years. The
State il slowly increasing In population, but
the value of property has been greatly de-
pressed for the past few years. There are
good reasons to believe this period of depres-
sion Of values has ceased, and that we shall
now have prosperous times. Within this
State, In the Last year, nearly 200 miles OF
railroad have been put 10 operation, and
means are now being raised to speedily build
other railroads ia our State. Such improve.
wealth 10 the country, and invite and induce
immigration. 1t Is not pleasant task to in-
yite you to lncsesse the taxes TO be borne by
the people Of the Slate. But when we con.
alder that the amount of taxes paid to the
safe Is only 40 cents on the SlOO II shows
the taxation Tor the State purposes is light.
Toe enormous taxes which the people OF this
State pay are the county taxes, Aod taxes Tor
the erection OF splendid edidces for school
houses, and interest on county or school in
debtedness roeklessly crested several years
ago, before the great shrinkage OF values.
Tue old maxim for all governments, nation
al, State or municipal, is"to pay as You go,"
and this has been sigoally disregarded.
The expenditures for the tirst six months
OF this year will be very large, and some OF
them will not occur next year. Tae pay oil
tho General Assembly is estimated st SAD,
600; It's contingent expenses, $5O,O0J; paper
for printing, printIOg reports and documents
ordered by the General Assembly, printing
journal', ana printing and binding the reyis-
cd code and session acts, $50, coo "a total OF
$2I5 OOO;l the temporary lean $3.50 900; and
the 25 per cent. OF toe revenue fund to be
paid TO the ''publie school fund.- or State
school Moneys in the mouth OF March, and
the interest on the State bonds and certid
Gates Of indeblednsss hcld by the State ss