Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1879-01-16

anu lHltItbl HAS DtCU pau lbl
the same"
Bills to carry into effect the provisions OF
section Is, article 10, were introduced and were
passed by each house of the General Assembly
but they differed in their provisions. The
Legislature failed to enact any laws to carry
into effect the provisions of said section Is, to
regulate the deposits and safe custody of the
public moneys. The State Treasurer was then
left to be governed by the statute law in the
discharge of his official duties,
BOND.
The treasurer gave his official bond as re-
quircd by law in the sum of one million of
dollars, with eleven suretics, portion of
whom justified to the amount of l,550OOO
which bond was filed with the Secretary OF
State, with my approval of the same indOrsed
thereon. If the surcties of the treasurer
should become insOlvent, or remove from the
State, nowhere il the authority given to the
Governor, or any other officer, tOreQuirc a new
bond or additional security To be given. 1t is
true, such request might be made hut there IL
no power or authority to C0crce u compliance
Or penalty for noncompliance. Nor has the
Governor power to remove the treasurer for a
failure to perform the duties eniOincd on him.
Nor would il be right to vest in the Governor
alone the power to remove him, or any other
officer, at his pleasure Nor is there any au-
thority contained in the constitution, nor in
the laws, by which the Governor can require
the treasurer to perform the duties named in
section 10 of the 10th article of the COnstitu'
ton and whatever is tO be done under that
provision of the constitution requires the
treasurer to take the initiative. The treasurer
never consulted me or advised with me about
placing the public funds in the bank Of 81.
Joseph, or in the Mastn Bank, nor in any
other bank prior to the failure of the Mastin
Bank. During my absence from the State in
1877. the treasurer sought tn carry ont the pro-
visions of the constitution with respect to the
deposits of the public money. One bank only
submitted proposal, and that was accepted
in July, 1877. That bank was requested t.
furnish satisfactory security fOrthc safc-kcep-
ing and payment of such deposits. The re-
| quest was disrcgardcd by the bank. and M
security whatever was offered, and consequent.
ly no deposits BY the State were made in it,
This transaction occurred during my absence
and whilst Lieutcnant-Govcrnor Brockmeycr
was dischargng the duties of Governor In
the month of August, 1873,
INCREASE THE REVENUE.
The governor rcncwS his recommendation Of
a poll-taN of one dollar. which. he estimates,
would realize to the State 53O)0O) lie says,
must he reduced. But little revenue is der.
ivcd rom dram shop licenses, and am salts
fed the quantity of spirits used as beverage
has rot been diminished much if any, within
the last few years. recommend the minimum
tax to he levied on each dram shop for State
purposes he not less than so for every period
of six months. the minimum tax is now 800
and that no county, city or town shall impose a
greater tax than the State imposes for dram-
shop license. There are dlam-shop keepers
who pay only from 80 to 800 per year for
State purposes, and who pay several hundred
dollars to the city or town treasury for dram
sbOp license. lou are as well able to estimate
as am. whether the property of the State will
he valued as high for the collection of taxes
this year as for the preceding years. The
State IS slowly increasing in population, but
the value of property has been greatly de-
pressed for the past few years. There
are LOud rrasuns to believe this
period of depression of values has
ceased, and that we shall now have prosperous
times. Within this State, in the last year. nearly
300 miles of ralrOad have been putin operation,
and means are now being raised To speedily
build other roads in our State. Such improve
ments increase the value Of property. add
wealth to the country. and invite and induce
immigration. II is nu. a pleasant tH-t 10 in
vltc YOU to increase the taxes tO be- borne by
the people of the State. lut whru we CON
slider that the amount Of taxes paid to the
State is only 10 cents ON the ?loO, it shows the
taxation for state purposes is light. The oncr-
ous tavc' which the people of this State pay
are county taxes. and taxes for the erection uf
splendid cditiccs for school houses. and inter-
est on county or school Indebtedness. reckless
ly created several years ago, before the great
shrlnkagc of values. The old maNlm for all
governments. national, State or municipal il
to pay as You CO. and this has been signally
disrcgardcd.
BIG BILLS To PAY.
The expenditures for the first six months of
this year will he very large. and some Of them
will not occur next year. The pay of the gem
cral assembly is estimated at : llj,OUO; its con.
tngcnt expenses, S5O,OOO; paper FOR printing,
printing reports and documents ordered by the
general assembly, printing journals, and print
ing and binding the revised code and session
acts, $4,000, Ia total of S2ljOOOl; the tempo
rary loan S2jO000; and the % per cent of the
revenue fund to he paid To the public school
fund, or State school moneys in the month of
March. and the interest on the State bonds and
certificate Of indebtedness held by the State as
trustee for this fund. will all amount to about
5j37OOO, which will be drawn from the
treasury, principally in the month of April.
The amount paid out of the pub
lie school fund, or State school moneys for
the corresponding period of time last year,
was S537 3OGi7. These sums will aggregate
one million, one Thousand three hundred and
six dollars. which the State may he called on
to pay on or before the first of July next. The
receipts 0f the revenue during the first six
months of this year, together with the balance
of the revenue fund, if all of it shall be avail
. al lao ttNt M Ia mo .ln
mauds. The temporary loan of two hun
drcd and fifty thousand dollars must be renew
ed or extended for longer period of time. The
important duty devolves on You to diminish
the expenses of the State, to increase its rcve-
nucs and to provide for the renewal of the
temporary loan. In such measures as
You may devise to accomplish these OBJ
icCts, or any other measures for the welfare of
the people of the State, you witt have my con-
curTcnce and cordial corporation.
PUBLIC SCHOOL FUSD.
The public school fund is invested in the
bonds and certificate of Indebtedness of this
State, all bearing six per cent interest, the in
come of which, with 20 per cent Of the general
revenue of the State, is applied to the support
of public schools. This fund is invested rs fol-
lows
Bonds of this State. :2,OO9,OOO Oh
NtIlllCult WI lllNtDltNlltSS' Iuu'NVV wv
Cash in treasury y................ i57 II
Total. Observation-Disclosures. ,9O9, ,457 IL
The Governor recommends the issue Of GER
tifcates of indebtedness for State bonds now
held by the State. The entire Indebtedness of
the State is so 97S,0O0. Of this amount only
:ii2, 900 of bonds become due. lie says in re-
gard to
USURIOus INTEREST
that the rate of legal interest should he re-
duced to G per cent; that the legislature
fixes the rate of interest which it is lawful Ia
receive for the loan of money, and has the
right to declare contracts void made for u
greater rate of interest than that authorized
by law. In this connection | must say the
lenders of money in some manner cvade the
payment of taxes on the money they have
loaned Violating the law relating to interest
by cxacting more than the law permits them
to take, their next evasion or disregard of law
is to screen their notes from taxation. There
are counties in this State where the recorder
office will show thousands of dollars loaned,
and the payment secured by deeds of trust or
mortgage deeds unsatisfed, whilst the ASSESS
mcnt list will show only small amount of
money loaned" He advises stringent laws to
control this matter.
REVISION OF THE STATUTES.
The governor advises the appointment of
three able jurists to revise the statutes and re-
port to the governor, when he shall call spec
ial session of the Legislature to make the revis
ion. Four appellate courts are suggested, with
powers similar to the ST. Louis court of ap-
peals; or in place of this to add two Judges to
the supreme court. Much space is given to the
discussion of
COSTS IN CRIMINAL CASES,
,,n1 &c Nbu