The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1882-01-03

Recurring tO this subject, We observe lhal q
Of the main reasons given BY The adEocata 4 =
convention il the extreme dieacuhy Of redu.ln.
taxation under the present organic law. IA
Gainesville Be says that without new On.
slitutiOn Democratic reform has pgogrsuusa =
far as possible" and declares that under q.
present instrument d 10 impossible % ma1s
rally reduce taxes." We Dc not aErss uIR
either proposition We hold dat the parry nuw
In power not only can, buk win, bring abouin
further reduction in taxation. and that h d nuI
only possible for DemOcrsiic reform 10 MAKE
further pFDgress, bat that Il win make such nrs
gress before il IS possible C. change The prssenf
organic law even II the advocates Of q cnuyun-
lion succeed 10 the utiermhst Of their expeuln-
tons.
In 1871, when The Democrats came into powm,
almost, IL not every county In the Stale, wM 10
a greater or less extent burcened with dehk a
some Instances these debts were very IaEe-
Alachua, for instance, had, among Others, do
Of some Ten or twelve thousand dollars via
was considered in the main fraudulent By w
many Of her citizens, bat which has siDce In
fastened upon the county BY the decision Of lhs
United States Court This, with debt incuuea
for public buildings. adds very materially N he
burdens Of taxation in that county. 0lha
Countless Leon, Jefferson, Madison, Colnm-
bia. and others-oWed large railroad debn:
N some no levy mad been made 10 pay interai
on the debt for years, The people having uro-
tested against such payment When, under he
decree OF the courts, levy became necessnFv d
meet these debts, il was Of course burdeusoms
and was sharply felt BY the people. Ii ID obxi-
Gus thai tax levies 70 pay these debts win nolhs
Influenced by q constitutional convention: O.
burden VIII remain until DISCHARGED Buf a 4
rule county affairs have beel vel and econ0mt
cally managed since the Democrats came into
power; the old burden Of debt has been, IN most
cases, paid OF greatly rednce1, and tie COUNTIES
are gradually getting upon Q. better financial
basis. II Is most prObabls ffatwithin Governor
Bl0xham's present term soma plan Of general n
lief to those counties burdenfd with heavy rnil-
road indebledne8 win be devised, and that he
Indebtedness Of every county viii be 90 reducsd
that the burden OF TAXATION viii not be 90 heavily
felt In this county Il has been Necessary, until
the present year, 70 levy IN additional tax above
that which WIS necessary &c deffzy current En-
penseA 70 meet the indebtedness Of the county
incurred previous TO 1877. Happily, alm0st ~
these old scores have been cancelled and e
consequence the tax levy for county puEpma
has been reduced And We arp persuaded lhai
mol only Duval. but every couniy IN TIE 6i.ls,
to the point Of absolute freedsm from dehl. We
think Il exceedingly doubtful whether The rzdk
cal constitutional changes proposed By soms
would hasten any single cou1tylO reach shs DE-
sirable condition.
The proposed constitutional change mos d.
pended upon to reduce expenses d . reduction
in the number Of Cabinet officers and Of the ml-
aries Of all. including the 0tivsrnor 1t Is pro
posed 10 abolish the Offices Of Adjutant-G ensg1
and Superintendent Of Public Instruction. and .
require the Secretary Of State 10 perform The d.
ties now required Of the LATTER, and 10 allow Dc
Governor . staff ofacer 70 lo6k after the inIefesB
now under the care Of the sAdjuiant-G General
-E - - z.
proposed change. LEI us inquire into the extent
OF the saving which could Be made BY Il
The total cost Of the Executive Department b
about e18O00 To reduce the number Of Cab
net officers as proposed, and allow the GoVernN
$4,000, and the Cabinet officers 1850 q year.
this item would be reduced 10 about o12.5Oo,
saving Of $500. Now, the last Leeislaiufs
could have, By exercising little cOmmendabls
prudence. saved much more th&n this sum- The
members voted themselves and the chief en-
ployees Of the two houses SIX dollars per day,
when, at the outside, I'VE would have been an
ply sufficient By fixing the per diem Of mem
5ers and the more expensive attaches one dollar
per day less than was paid, . saving ef eight o.
len thousand dollars could have been made.
This saving can, In the future, be made Wlth0ui
he Intervention OF c0nventioE. Let il be made
IN tssie In the canvass, and let The people refuse
o vote for any man who VIII Hot pledge himself
Q De satisfied with i've dollars Or less per day
or his Legislative services
Bot dhe most expensive deDariment Of the
Government b the judicial Il has been pro
'sed 70 remodel the present Supreme Court,
md 10 decrease the number Of Circuit Judges
md their pay. But even II this were done ths
expenses OF this department Wo1ld not be greatly
essened, our criminal laws reinsining e. they
low are. RstFenchment here can Be brought
bout by changes In these laws over which The
legislature now has sufficient control.
Considerations like these leaa rs 70 the con
fusion that q constitutional convention Is not
necessary In order to secure-a lower
ate OF taxation. but that this can, and We believe
Fill, be brought about under suE present organic
aw.