The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-01-22
GOVERN0R'S MESSAGE.
Governor John a. 1Iartin's Re
Wow o. State AGairs.
etato Tia2nccs-pubiie Inst;tuticns-Our
SeiooIs-State School LanCs-Ran-
s2s Railroads and Other Nat
tcrs OF General H.
tercSt.

Schools-State School LapGs-han-
sas Railroads and Other Nat
tcrs OF General H.
tercss.
INTRODUCTORY.
To the Senate and House OF Representatives
Before the Legislature again ASSEMBLIES in
regular session, kansi1 viii have completed
her first quarter Of q acentUry AS 4 Stale in tho
Dnicn. Admitted On the 25Jh day of Jauu
airy. 1891. Just Cn the outbreak Of the Inost
vital ana tremendous conflict the world has
ever known. the history OF Kansas affords q
signal ana 5Hustr.OUS example OF the growth
and Development OF an American Common
wealth under the inspiration Of free TGpubli-
can Ilsttut1ons. The thirty-onc counties,
Organized IT t1c Gaye cf its admission, have
increased 70 G,gEiy-two. and the populate On
OF the stale. then bat little in excess of l0e-
co, is now fully I,251,:Gi Chen only 4f5.+6s
acres Cf lis vast area Of productive soil we're
under GU lt!yation, and the leading crop pro
ducts OI the State aggregated only lJ,Is3
bushels OF wheat and 6l50,sZ bushels OF
corn. During the year just closed Ass, ,l21
acres were under cultivation, and the lead
ing cereal products of the State aggregated
eaOyo,4l bushels of wheat and iJ},SIJ6sG
bushels OF corn. In January, lSJ. the as
-scsscd value OF the property Of; tAe State
aggregated only S24, ,$s5; now it aggregates
S<G.G5O:Sil. Then only p! school districts
were organized, $50 teachers employed, and
tne school DroDer:y of the State was valued
at only Sij,f5.; now there are nearly 1893
organized school districts and G.Gl5 school
houses, s.]ts teachers are employed in
our public schools. and tue school
property OF the State aggregates
in value S5.7i5,5S2 Then there was not q
mile Of railway within the boundaries OF
Kansas; now there arc 4.4SG.j0 miles Of rail-
way in operation; the assessed value of these
roads is $3-,+-lj YG5.9; and sixty-nine of the
eighty-twO organized and four OF the thirteen
unOr2dnizeJ counties OF t2e state are ira
veIsed by one or mora lines of railway. in
1SGi the live stock o. The state comprised
only 3i,344 horses, 1.z9j mules, g3,463 cattle,
l3S-22l swine and G.5G9 sEcep-:l total oil 21I.-
JOS head. Now there are in Kansas zJl,i3j
horses, 6l,SS9 mules, I.sj8 50 cattle. Itsl3 ii4
swine ana l,26,.G7 sheep-l total Of j,;s4+,: ,:j1l
head. The toi:, vote Of the State in iS6l was
only l4,47l; in 1874 It had increased to 2l.s;}j;
IN 1858 TO :i,t54; in lS-3 to iG1.i5z; n ls,6 TO
Ia 10; in 1SS0 20 Gl.5;o: ana at the last cleo
tion il reached tOtG! Of @r,eo4.
STATE FINANCES.
The reports Of tho Auditor and Treasurer
Showing tine financial condition of tne state
are full ard satisfactory. The credit Of Kan
sas has always ranked high, and the out
standing bonds Of the State command a
large premium.
The total bonded debt of the state on the
lst Of JaTiu&r,, loE'' was s;fi3,59. Gf this
amount the permanent school Fund held
S.2t.'s0: She University Fund, $3g@. and the
Sinking FUND, $6l, ,GOG-a total Of sGI4.5.,0. Only
S:5:l,J00 Of our bonds remain in the hands OF
Treasury belonging 20 The Sinking Fund is
Sl32g5}-jS.
During the two years covered by the fourth
biennial report Of the STATE TTe 8surer viz:
from July ! I6sS;, to June 80 1sS4, the
receipts Of the Treasury Including balance
OF *6+4 30 on hand July /, 1897, ags-re-
gated :i.5SS, 4i1-59. Tnc Disbursements during
the same percd were S;i.S}}, As -, leaving IL
baa6ce in the Treasury, June 80, 1854, OF
$554,512.07.
From July l to December q, 1874. the re-
From tax. S2!'S. 1855; from principal OF
school lands, SllS,ollc29; from permanent
school bonds paid, sss,652 rs; from
s67,gs5.63; from interest on permanent
fund bonds, SjS@6SCS; from other
sources, SI64, 1924; Making an aggre-
gate Of S742,S0l.54. which, added to the bal
ancc on hand June -. 1884. makes Il total of
$l.1@,Sl35l. The disbursements during the
same SIX months aggregated Sl.llS.4G9.9i,
leaving in the Treasury at the close Of busi-
ness on the 3ist of December last the sum of
::ais :zt3.i5, divided among the several funds
as follows: General revenue, S9G,74lg3;
cap.io! extension land, S2'67s45; sinking
fund, Sl3,2Jj IS: interest fand, S4I ,0Jl.0S; per
mnnent school fund, SlT.&Si.1G; annual
school fund, SS5,GI5.5J; univ ersity fund 81
%i409; normal school, permanent fund
S4Oll; normal school, interest fund, 81, ,TT,;j.-
"a; agricultural college, endowment fund,
y, 4,25S.4S; agricultural college, interest fund.
$4SS.t3; military fund, Sg2+4.6j: railroad
commissioner fund, S},'E3G4: railroad funG,
So l0l39; insurance fund, So, 4G2.42; library
fund 2iSs.C9, veterinary fund S7T2:4
amounting in the aggregate, as stated, to
tJJS,343d5 unexpended balances, and unin-
vcstcd funds.
The bonds and securities in the Treasury
at the close OF business, December 81, 49,,
were rs follows: Permanent school fund
bonds, S3.O5l. .6Jj-2j; agricultural college
bonds. S3Gt ll9t50; agricultural college notes
ami contract, Slla,OS32J; university fund
bonds, %If,Gs uormal school bonds, $Gl,e75;
sinking fund Jo2ds, S6l,JjO. Making a total
o. s., 49, ,3Sl.9i.
NUNICiiAI. DEBT AND TAXATION.
Yho Indebtedness OF the State is so small,
nnd its p3ymeat at maturity viii be so grad
uaAy and so ~lsily provided Gor, that the
contrast presented by the enormous aCgre-
gate of local dents is startling. The bonds
issued by the several counties OF Kansas,
a11 outstanding on the lstof July last. ag-
f-goCutSd S1,4A+. Id and the county war
rants outstanding ut the same date aggre-
gated sci. .gC5;i9, making Il total county in
dcbtedncSS OF SSUtj, 1922. The township
bonds outstanding - the same time. aggre-
gated s2.G%,5 ee44l.5, and the township warrants
outstanding S,i, ..sj-InaEing total town
ship Indebtedness of S2.t5s.tt3l90. The city
bonds then outstanding Aggregated S2.2S1.-
l.5!0 and the city warrants due and unpaid.
S21l3l0-2l-ruakng total city Indebtedness
of &2.tSI4S6.II. The school district bonds
outstanding at the SeTne GG,c aggregated
S-..St, SSH and ti.c school district warrants
$'396 6Il-lnSkin-g total school districts in
dcEtc6ncSs ot S@,E4S il+-J'. Grand total OF
municipal Indebtedness county, toraShiD,
In one Kansas county the municipal irdeht-
edDcss aggregates more than ehtth OF the
assessed VaiUc Of ali the property of the
county and is nearly double Jne bonded de5C
OI the state. IN another county the aggre-
gate CT the municipal debts exceeds the
state debts over SiO6G; in sGli another
county the aggregate is within $500 of the
StateS bonded debt; and III two others the
aggregate indebtedness closely Gpproximates
that OF the Stale.
And this dreadful burden of municipal debt
is still piling up. in July, lS62, it aggregated
Sl4, 4,4T2ui9.1-.: in July, 1879, the aggregate was
$3.50. .9-s.SG-an increase in two years OF ST.,
4sp3l9.l4. 1t probably now exceeds Si6.e)0,-
COO or very ne 2riy one-fitteentn of the total
assessed valuluon or all the property of the
State.
The limitations and restrictions put upon
the power of counties, townships, cities and
school districts, TO Greats debts and levy
taxes are too few and feeble. The disease
which atIiicts the body polite is too much To-
cul government. The State is more fortunate
than any of its local subdivisions. because
the frpmerS OF its constitution wisely Emitted
its debt TO S1.0C9.0OO. If proportiOnate liinita-
tions had been placed upon the debt-creating
authority of our local governments, Kansas
would to-day have been in a much better
financial condition, and in all other respects
her people would be quite as prosperous as
they now are.
What remedy for the evil complained of
can now be provided? This is a difficult prob
lem, but surely the wisdom OF the LegiSla-
ture should be equal to the task of protect
ing the municipalities of the State against Il
continuance of this wasteful improvidence.
Stringent limitations should be placed on the
debt-creating and taX-levying power of all
local organizations. Half of the so-called
''cities OF the State should be reiegated to
the rank of towns or villages, and the SIM
plest and most economical form of govern
ment should be provided for them. In all
communities where the population just,fieS
a city organization the membership of the
Councils should be largely reduced; the
Boards of Education should have not 70 ex-
ceed three members. who should be elected
af larce: the faN-leNyirc- Of Councils