The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1881-11-27
THAT "CASH BALANCE" !"

, ture, prompted by the executive,
was moving heaven and earth to in
crease the revenues of the state; when
, occupation taxes were being doubled,
trebled and quadrupled, and new
methods Of taxation devised, there
were not lacking warnings that time
would surely prove the faIlacy u
such measures. But the executive
was obdurate; legislatures ana peo-
pie backed him; expenses were cut
ldowu. tov.s increased; collections
= made with a rigidity that would
= nave made ShyIock enyious; TIE pub
fc schools we're put on starvation ra-
lions, and As result there accumula-
tod and grew up that marvellous
cash balance the boast of the
administration - the fetch OF the
unlhInking masses. II is there al
Austin, millions of idle money, rust
'ng and gathering mould. The time
has come when he people are ask
my. ~ hai ar" soing To- do with iI?''
Not alun. this. bu ihe quesEio.
arises, h " shall ihis accumulation
of surplus revenue re stopped ? The
taxes yield million or more dollars
each year than The state requires
Why not let this excess remain in
the hands of the people? The IN
/ quiry is natural. There are no
lacking suggestions how to remedy
the evil, for at last the "cash bal
ancc is coming to be recognized in
its tr.2 light as an evil,
rather than "blessing," as willy
politicians claimed when it was
being accumulated. There are
various suggestions. One is to pur-
chase the states bonded indebted
ness as rapidly as possible and ex-
tinguish the public debt. This but
enriches the bondholders, who ask a
ruino"s premium on their holdings,
and besides there is no good reason
why this generation should hesitate
about leaving a proper proportion
of the public debt to posterity.
Another proposition is to enlarge
the aid TO free schools. The constl-
tuition stands in the way of this
of the general revenue is
the limit for the schools. Again
there is beautiful suggestion that !
the state shall "dlvidc the yearly
surplus ont among the countless II =
there is any warrant in the con
situation for such 1 disposition of F.
The revenues the best laws ers are W
not aware of the fact. Finally, d
here is the suggestion that the legis-
AZURE shall either materially reduce
he rate of state taxes next year, or c,
l,e remit them in toto for one b
car-giying time to use up the "
cash balance" But the constitu- |;
ion here stands as a barrier again. o
or grant for arguments sake that II
he state tax be reduced to twenty
ents on The hundred dollars. This
would run the state government n n
nd leave 4 surplus, bnt 1t would t
wreck many OF the county gov a
and in this way: =
nder the constitution no county a
an levy, for its current expenses II
Xceeding One-half of the state rate.
With a state tax of twenty, the Sc
ountv rate would be ten cents How
lany counties can get along on this
mount? Not more than one out of II
om, if that The state would gather n
4 more money than it needs, while Il
he counties would starve, fgura- Il
vely speaking. And suppose the
tate tax reduced to ten cents on the
ne hundred dollars (Which might H.. T..
ossibly he dome) how would the r.,
)unties fare then? These are hard,
ern facts, staring the taxpayers in
e face, and we want those 81.
Ithuslastic souls who have been In
outing themselves hoarse for two J"'
three years over the "cash bal a.
ice" to think of the facts as they ex-
/. A the laws stand the cash bal
zee Is an evil, positive burden on
e people. The time viii come when ele
e administration VIII be as proud Sic
il as it now is of the bell punch - -e'
pertinent, which went hand in Sle
nd Tor a while with The revenue fee
pertinent. The bell punch is dead
q buried, a. it ought to be. The gr.
7h balance remains in all its mon ln'
mental u>elessness. There is bur .ea ~,
e practicsi avenue OF escape out OF clio
e dilemma, and that is in the eIe
.pe0l such revision Cl the consti- Sil
.ion rs VIII allow a wise disposl- va, a,
N OF surplus revenue ana the right for
county governments to adjust dol
'ir local tax rates to their own an
eds, without reference to the rate "a a.
state TAX. If Coy. Roberts is the irir
II we take him to be he will face for
issue and urge the next legisla- Sl2
e TO set about the work of rene n,5, ,,m;,
ng the evil, even if in 50 doing ofc
will have to acknowledge the frol
,r vanity Of the chief feature OF h'i'
od,n;stro,iou M. -,.,,l spe,
'o S"''e' anu and
re of the " cash balance" bust
$ is not binding people an, T
ger. They are beginning to learn will
true nature of il, and a remedy
have to come. 9.
urin
N"ieS Of the bay. cnre
,,,t