The Emporia weekly news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1881-1889, 1885-01-15
MARTINS MESSAGE.
The Lengthy but Interesting
Document Delivered by the
Governor to the Kansas Leg
islature at Noon Yesterday.

1sAaCure at Noon Yesterday.
To the Senate and House OF Representatives
Before the Legislature again assemblies
In regular session, Kansas will have
completed her fret quarter OF q century
a. state In the Union. Admitted on
the 18th OF January, 1861, just on the
outbreak Of the most vital and tremen-
dous conflict the word has ever known,
the history of Kansas affurds q signal
and lllustrious example of the growth
and development of sn American COM
monwealth under the inspiration of free
Republican institutions. The thIrty-one
counties organized at the date of It's ad-
mission, have increased 10 eighty-two,
and the population Of the state, then but
little IN excess of one hundl ed thousand,
Is now fully . million and and q quar-
ter. Then, only 4O6. 46S acre. of its vast
area of productive soil were under cult
walton, and the leading crop products OF
the state aggregated only 194, 173 bushels
Of wheat and {. 150, 727 bushels OF corn
During the year Just closed, 9,456, 737
acres were Under cultivation, and the
leading cereal products of the state ,ag.
greksted 8,050, 431 bushels OF wheat and
190. $40 6S6 bushels of corn. In January,
1851, the assessed velue of the property
of the state aggregated 24,774 1873; now
It aggregates 4237, O20,30t Then only
2i1 school districts were organized, 30
teachers employed, and the school Drop
erty OF the state was valued at only $I0,-
ABE; now, there are nearly Z coo Organ
lied school districts and 6,605 school
| houses, 0,342 teachers are employed 10
our public schools, and the school prop
erty Of the state aggregates Ia value
IS THOSE. Then, there was not u mile
of railway within the boundaries of
Kansas; now. there are 1876 so miles OF
railway in operation; the assessed value
Of these roads is SIS. 455, 907. SO; and
sixty nine of the elghty-two organized,
and four of the thirteen unorganized
counties OF the state, are traYersed by
one or more miles OF railway. 10 1861
the live stock of the state com psIsed only
20 IA horses, 1 400 mules, 03 ,463 cattle,
1873 204 swine, ana 1860 sheep-a total
of 27l, 1856 head. Now, there are in
KTnSas 46l ,136 horses, 64,SS9 mules,
| 1855. 1925 cattle, 1881 swine, and
| 1,206, 297 sheep-R total of 5,544, 39I
head. The fetal vote of the state in
1851, was only ii, All in 1864 il had in
creas. to q, 1886; IN 1868 to 1864; In
1872 TO 10O,l74; in 1876 to 24,11O; in
1880 TO POI 1856; and at the last election
IL r. ached q total of 265, 6S4.
The mar elous growth and prosperity
these figures reveal are not only gratIfy-
ing To the pride OF every citizen OF the
stale, and honorable to the men and
women whose industry, energy and in
tellIgence have wrought this miracle OF
development, but they should admOnish
you, gentlemen of the legislature, of the
larger and graver duties and RESPONSE
billt.es deYolved upon you by the great
ness OF the state you represent. To you
is committed the sole power OF making
laws for the preservation of public order,
the protection of individual rights, the
promotion of the general welfare, and
the punishment of oulbreaking crime;
and IN your hands rests all authority TO
levy, or TO control the levying OF, taxes
for the support of the state government,
the education of cur youth, the proper
care of the unfortunate, and the build
ing up of those public institutions of
learning, of charity and of reform or
punishment, which are essential to the
well being of civilized society.
STATE FINANCES.
The reports OF the auditor and treas
urer, showing the financial condition of
the state, are full and satisfactory. The
credit OF Kansas has also ranked high,
and the outstanding bonds of the state
command large premium.
the LIST of January, 1885, was $685.. 800
OF this amount, the permaneI school
fund held $544 800; the University fund,
5000, and the sinking fund, SOL, 900
q total OF 1914, 800. Only 1921 900 of
our bonds remain In the hands OF indi-
Viduals or corporations. The cash in
the treasury belonging 10 the sinking
fund Is $13. 203 So.
During the two years covered by the
fourth biennial report of the state treas.
urer. viz, from July LIST, 1882. - June
| Both, 1884, the receipts OF the treasury
Nncluding u balance OF 1914 1923 rs, on
hand July 1AhE1SS2,) aggregated u, $685.
46050. The disbursements during the
same period were 81, S33, 94S 43. leaving
q balance in the treasurSs June Both,
1884, of $754,512.07.
From July LIST TO December 3lst, 1884,
the receipts OF the state treasury were as
follows: From tax, $298, 1913 %; from
principal of school lands, $l1S.S1l.29;
from perr snent school fund bonds paid,
| S33, 552 80; from interest on sales of
land, $67 ,9S5 50; from interest on per-
manent fund bonds, 5S,268.6S; from
other sources, $l64 949 IA. Making an
aggregate of $742, 30l.54, which, added
To the balance on hand June 80. 1884,
makes total OF 81 400. 9l3 81. The dis
| bursements during the same six N )nths
aggregated Ills, AGO SO. leaving in the
treasury at the close OF business on the
31st of December last, the sum of $685.
34S IS, DIVIDED among the several funds
as follows: General revenue, $90,74l.93;
capitol extension fund, $2,679 As; sink
| ing fund, SIS, 2O3 So; interest fund, $47,.
| 051 0S; permanent school fund, $l7,-
3S4.76; annual school fund, $50, 09S 80;
University permanent fund, $9,652 .06;
! University interest fund, $4,474 90 I;
Normal school permanent fund, f47O.ll,
| Normal school interest fund. 81 ,723. IA /;
Agricultural college endowment fund,
| a, 25S 48; Agricultural college interest
fund, 81, SS3.03; military fund, 81, 224 60 I;
railroad commissioners fund, $3O53 Ga /;
railroad fund, So, 101.3 80; insurance fund,
| 80 426.42; library fund, $3.105; veteri.
nary fund, $772. SO. Amounting in the
aggregate, as stated, TO $30S, 343 Go un-
| expended balances and unInvested funds.
The bonds and securities In the treas
ury at the close of business December
3lst, 1884, were as follows: Permanent
school fund bonds, s., 05l ,6OO.25; Agri-
| cultural college bonds, 1864, lO3 so; Agri-
/ cultural college notes and contracts,
| $119, CS3.20; University fund bonds. $74.
Cos. Normal school bonds. SOL $50
sinking fund bonds- SOL 900. Making q
total OF So, 7S2, $50 95.
MUNICIPAL DEBT AND TAXATION.
The Indebtedness of the state is so
small and its payment at maturity Will
be so gradually and so easily provided
4 for that the contrast presented by the
enormous aggregate of local debt is
startling. The bonds issued by the sew
eral counties of Kansas and outstanding
on the Let of July last aggregated 81
444,T41 9G, aud the county warrants out
standing at the same date aggregated
1891 ,O06 80, making a total county IN
| debtedness of $S,O65, 1889 The town.
ship bonds outstanding at the same time
aggregated 81 625, 243.55, aud the town
ship warrants outstanding, $24, 1877 So
making a total township Indebtedness OF
So CSC, O30.90. The city bonds then out
standing aggregated So ,2S7 .l25 80, and
the city warrants due and unpaid. $500,
3l0,27-making q total city indebted
ness of 81, 4S7, 436.17. The school DIS
trict bonds outsta. ding 1t the same date
aggregated 81, 734, 7SS 81, and the school
district warrants $l3. 926.19-making 8
total school district indebtedness OF
So, 74S, VA so. Grand total of municipal
indebtedness, county. township. city and
school district, $l5, 95l ,929.S6.
In enc Kansas county the municipal
Indebtedness aggregates more than one
f1fth of the assessed value of all the
property OF the county, and Is nearly
docble the bonded debt of the state. In
, another county the aggregate of the mu
. nicIpal debt exceeds the state debt ovel
ten thousand dollars; in still another
county the aggregate is within sixty
thousand dollars of the states bonded
debt; and in TWO others the aggregate
iMebtedness closely opportunities tina
y OF the state
u IA nd this dreadful burden of municlpa
debt Is still piling up. Ia July, 1882, i
aggregated $14, 472019 "a; in July, 1884
the aggregate was Sl5.95l ,920. S6-Sn 10
: crease in two years of 81 479,9l0.l4. 1
probably now exceeds sixteen millIo
4 dollars, or very nearly one fifteenth q
|, the total assessed valuation of all IA
, property of the state.
The limitations and restrictions pU
upon the mower OF conniies township: