The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1883-01-12
Total avails Of educational lands

Total avails Of educational lands
sold. ......................... 81 c32, s67 II
The State pays an annual interest of per
cent. on the primary school, University and
Agricultural College funds, q per cent. on
the Normal School fund, and ) per cent ON
the primary school per cent fund.
REVENUES OF THE STATE.
The revenues of the State are principally
derived from:
/. The sale of public lands granted TO the
State for educational purposes by the United
States.
= From taxes assessed upon the taxable
property of the State, denominated State
taxes
3 From specific taxes collected from cor
porations
The funds received from the sale of lands
have been used toward the payment of the
bonded debt and for the general purposes OF
the State. Interest thereon must be paid
perpetually under the following provisions
of the constitution:
The proceeds from the sale OF all lands
that have been or hereafter may be granted
by the United States TO the State for educa-
tional purposes, and the proceeds of all lands
or other property given by individuals, or
appropriated by the State for like purposes.
shall be and remain a perpetual fund, the
interest and income OF which, together with
the rents OF all such lands as may remain
unsod, shall be invioably appropriated and
annually applied 90 the specific object OF the
original gift, grant or appropriation.
State taxes must he levied, collected and
disbursed under the following provision OF
the constitutions
The Legislature shall provide for an an
nual tax sufficient, with other resources, TO
pay the estimated expenses Of the State Gov
eminent, the Interest OF the State debt and
such deficiency o. may occur in the re-
sources"
This provision is mandatory and must be
complied with.
The specific taxes collected from corpora
tions are imposed in accordance with the
provisions of the constitution, as follows:
The Legislature may provide for the col
lection of specific taxes from banking, rail
road. plank-road and other corporations
hereafter created
The moneys so collected are used in ac-
cordance with the following provision of the
constitutions
All specific taxes, except those received
from the mining companies of the Upper
Peninsula, shall be applied in paying the in
terest upon the primary school, university
and other educationa! funds and the interest
and principal OF the State debt in the order
herein rected until the eXtinguishment of
the State debt other than the amounts due
to educational funds, when such specific
taxes shall be added TO and constitute part
of the primary school interest fund"
Under the latter constitutional provision
the specific taxes heretofore collected have
been applied, up 80 $50, in paying the inter
est on primary school and educational
funds, and the payment Of the interest and
the principal of the State bonded debt until
the latter was provided for by placing in the
sinking fund an amount equal to the bonds
then outstanding and unmatured When
the sinking fund became equal TO the out
standing bonds, the whole amount OF specific
taxes were applied 20 educational purposes,
and viii continue TO be so applied e&-
clusively
This class Of taxes is large and steadily in
creasing For the year lSS3 they reached
the sum of SPA, slS2. 62, and for the last five
years are shown by the following table,
.>485,' 32oJ
9l.'9.5 I,
a'5of -
l8A........... %, ~ '
I24,9S2 62
sIucudes s72,a2ss5 arr arage llected of
Michigan Southr aud LAX Shore Railroad
pany, after litigation.
Tho larger part of this revenue is derived
from railroad corporations The an
nual payments for five years are shown
by the table following, taken from the re
port of the Commissioner of Railroads:
1871 ,tol y
lolo.-s. 4iV,lO wv
40, ~ 80
lSS' 0zl,3l 3.Ji
1881 ...'.... ......... D., %,
The increase in the construction of rail
|
increased traffic. ii continued in the same
ratio - during the past, and under the same
rule OF taxation, warrants the estimate that
within five years the annual revenues from
this source alone will reach s9OO,OU0 The
time is substantially at hand when the spe-
cifc taxes from corporations would defTay
the entire expenses OF the State If used for
that purpose. and thereby render unneces-
saIy any further direct levy of State taxes
for the ordinary current expenses of the
State Government This would, of course.
take from the educational institutions and
| primary schools this large item of their sup
! port. and would result in other means hav-
/ ing 20 be devised 90 make good the amount
/ so diverted. III the people prefer to put the
| burden OF the maintenance of the primary
/ schools upon the districts where they are
| located ard use whole or n part of the
I specific taxes for current expenses OF the
/ State. 10 can only be done by constitutional
amendment Such o change would result in
reducing the large balances now necessarily
| carried in the State treasury, and were the
/ burden OF more fully supporting the mi