The silver state. [volume] (Unionville, Nev.) 1870-1903, 1880-07-02

d,dates for President, profess to believe
that the salvation of the country de-
pends upon the success of their favor
tie. the people Of Nevada must not lose
sight of the fact that the salvation of
too Taxpayers of the State depends
upon the organization and carrying out
81 reforms in the State Government.
though times. are unpreoedentedly
hard, and money unusually scarce, the
sxpenses Of the State Government are
rs heavy as in the flush days, when,
twenty dollar pieces were as easily
o:;tained almost as silver dollars are
now. The expenses Of the State Cow
eminent average about $3.50, 900 a year..
his is an onerous burden on the So
900, or perhaps less, inhabitants of Ne
vada, scarcely one-tenth of whom are
taxpayers. According to. the State
Controllers report, there was IN the
Htate Treasury on the lst day of Janu-
sry, 1879, after paying all State In
iettedness, $3.50, 1858 %. The revenue
:cring the year 1879, including sale OF
bends, amounted, according to the
Controllers report, to 1923, l59 SO, and
the expenditures for the same period,
Including redemption Of State bonds
aaG interest on the same, to. 81, 276,-
$50 79. The receipts into. the State
Treasury for 1879, which were appli-
cable for the payment of the current
expenses of the State, were $780,
sc SO, while the expenditures for. the
saue period were, Legislative Depart
n.ert, ST., 865 50; Executive Depart
r,ent, S5T, 256 IS; Judicial Department,
&l,S76 90; State Printing, $l0,SS4 so;
support Of State Prison, S74, $40 So;
Charitable purposes, including care Of
iasane and orphans, 500, 100 So, aud
miscellaneous purposes, SlC2,949 Is,
making the total expenditures for the
year $42S,872 7S, exclusive of the
public schools. This year the ex-
i,anse will be less by the cost of Asses
s.on of the Legislature, but the other
expenses will be about the same as
heretofore. OF course the present State
r;.te of taxation, with the decrease of
taxable property caused by the mining
depression III Storey county, will 10 in.
adequate to meet such enormous eZ-
perses, and the State tax will have to
b increased, or the State will have to
borrow money to pay expenses.
IS is evident from the showing pre-
sented 10y the controller for the year
1919, and the falling off in the revenue
fom the net proceeds Of the mines
.na other taxable property, which the
reports for the current year will be cer-
.aa to show, that reform in the State
government is necessary. This can lie
accomplished to some extent by reduc-
ing the number of State officers. At
present mostly all the duties which de-
volve upon certain State officers are
performed by deg u5ies, while the prin-
cpa,s play gentleman at an ex-
pense to the State of three or
four thousand dollars each per
.0nui:,. The State in its present
impoverished condition cannot afford
such Injuries, and unless the next Leg
isla5are provides for reforming the
State Government. as, speedily as the
constitution will admit, Nevada will
sJon be a very good country to move
sway from.
1t is simply ridiculous that State
with perhaps less than $4,000 inhabi-
tsuts, and i'll which the total taxable
property is less than $40, O00, zoo,
should have more expensive govern
ment than many older States with
fifty times as many inhabit-
ants All the benefit the people re
ceive for this outlay of over third of
ambition dollars year is to have two
United States Senators, one of whom is
Californian, who does not devote on
al average six weeks of his time in a
year to his duties at Washington.
Under existing circumstances it
woaid seem advisable for reople