River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1886-01-28

| 1885 Governor Rusk said:
The Secretary of State estimates that
| the revenues received under the general
| laws will be sufficient TO defray the ordi-
nary expenses of the state for the years
! 1856 and 1887. At the end of the fiscal
year there was a balance on hand of
| $685., 567.l5. Owing 10 this large surplus
| the Secretary of State did not include the
item of S240.000 of state tax which was
| authorized by the late Legislature in the
tax levy of 1884, and it seems to me that
no additional tax will be necessary for
| 1886 and 1887. This is the first time in
its history that the state has reached
this desirable condition.
Secretary Timme, in his report is
sued few weeks previous, had said:
AS will lie seen by the estimate of
| receipts and expenditures, based on pre-
ceding years there will be no necessity of
leyving tax for general purposes for
| either of these years-lSS6 and 1887 In
case, however, the Legislature makes
extraordinary appropriations, 1t will be
necessary to make provision for the
same.
While the Legislature Of 1885, acting
in accordance with these official sug-
gestions, did not levy any tax for
general purposes for that year, it did
very materially add to the common
school fund, making provisions for
increasing the support rendered to
high schools, and voted $4,000 for
the erection of a Normal School in
Milwaukee, while the Legislature of
1888 added to the State University
income. Chapter 22S, laws of 1885.
provided for an annual levy of one
mill on each dollar of assessed valua-
ton in the state, to be appropriated to
the regular common school fund
income; the first levy under this law
will be collected this year, and calls
for S4SS, 1891. The one-eigth of a mill
State University tax, provided for by
section 800, revised statutes, amended
by chapter 300, laws of 1881 will
amount this year to SCI, 0I7.45. Then
there is a special levy this year, of
SO, 900 to build a Normal School in
Milwaukee (chapter 1854, laws of 1885,;
and $50, 900 for the support of free
high schools, Increased from $25, 200
by chapter $50, laws of 1885,. An
other levy made this year is Sl57, 500,
being the annual interest on 50, 500, 900
the amount of certificates of indebted
ness representing the old bonds and
certificates issued for war purposes;
this is in obedience to the mandate in
section 200, revised statutes. The last
item in the levy for this year is
81, 08S 80, being the interest on $10l,-
26I.33 of per cent. funds withheld
by the United States government in its
settlement with the state as a set-off
to like amount for which the terri.
tory of Wisconsin became responsible
on account of the Rock river canal
lands;" section 247, revised statutes,
obliges the Secretary 30 make this
annual levy.
The state tax, it will thus be seen,
is wholly made up of items for educa-
tional purposes, each levied according
to special statutory demand. The
common school, the one-mill, the
interest on certificates of Indebtedness,
and the school fund income taxes,
aggregating $685., 827.97, will be
appOrtioned back to the several
counties in next June's school appor-
tionment on the basis of the school
census. Therefore, while technically
state taxes, they are practically county
taxes for school purposes, collected in
behalf of the counties by the central
state government.
1t must be remembered, in connec-
ton with the above exhibit, that the
appropriations by the Legislature of
1885 were necessarily very large
| the new State University buildings
being important items. They aggre-
gated over 81 100000, a sum far more
than Secretary Timme doubtless had
in mind when he spoke of extraordin-
airy appropriations as alone rendering
a general levy necessary. Yet, by
strict economy, the state administra-
ton is coming through all right
without that general tax. AS for the
educational levy, wisely provided for
by mandatory law, and the greater
portion of it going back to the
counties, it is presumed that no
citizen who loves the cause of popular
education will ever regret it.
The Gazette's major premise, of in
tended deception on the part of
Republican managers, being thus
proven false, it is presumed that any
sensible reader will see that its
conclusions fall also. The Gazette
makes a very unfortunate allusion to
the condition of the state school fund.
Barstow and the Forty Thieves squeez-
ed the school fund sponge dry in good
old Democratic days, and it has not
yet recovered from the shock. The
Republicans of Wisconsin are alone to
be credited with the fact that there is
to-day any school fund at all. The
Gazette should post itself in state
history. As for the financial affairs
of the nation, it is somewhat early in
Mr.. Cleveland's administration to
make any comparison between their
present and past condition. A perusal
of the treasury statements for the past
nine months. as published by the
State Journal, will convince the
Gazette that the reduction of the
dublic debt under the new admins.
tration does not compare favorably
with previous years under Republican
rule; we are met with the official
statement, also, that SIS, 000,0 900
deficit between receipts and expend-
itures is likely to occcr this year. BY