Fort Worth weekly gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-04-20
Governor Ross Address to the Legis-
Iature, Giving Careful Review
of the Financial Situation.
Tho Surplus Can b5 Remi;ted to The
People Without Making s Change
In lhe Present Tax Rates.
Close Estimate of tho Amount Necessary to
Tide the Stats Over the Dull Months.
Economy Urged.
A sATE PAPER,

the Governors message as read before
the Two Houses OF the Legislature to-
day:
Gentlemen of the Senate and Hose Of Repre-
sentatiVes:
In convenirg you upon this ex :rsordi-
nary occasion, l welcome you to the
c,pito with 4 co-dlaI greeting betting
those who for the tins being are charged
WITH the laWm&king power Of great
commonwealth, taa5 IN few short years
has struggled up from wilderness to
the high plsne of unchallepged supremacy
in financial standing, as the only state in
the. Union, while imposing but nominal
state tax, has found it necessary because
Of its vast resources to convoke its law
makers to deal with treasury filed to
repletiOn.
And as you are called upon to consider
other subjects Of the most fundamental
character and o. the deepest Significance,
l desire to respectfully impress upon
your minds my solemn convictions that
the conclusions TO be reached are Of vast
Importance in guiding the destiny of our
STATE, and that our material interests
for years are insepsrablY bound up with
the legislation now to follow. II ever
there was time in the history OF our
state when careful elaboration. sound
business sense, and freedom from pas
sion or local leSlousies ought to prevail,
THAT TIME IS NOW.
Trusting that by harmonious, intelli-
gent and patriotic Efforts in the discharge
Of these important and Srduous duties,
| your labors may eventHste for the public
good, and believing that favorable solu-
ton of many Of the attendant difficulties
is attainable, and if reached by you the
| people Of your state will not withhold
| their applause or lasting gratitude.
l have the honor to invite your stten-
ton to the fact that there can be no
question brought before you IS the repre-
sentstiVes Of the people, Of more conse-
quenCe, or Of deeper concern, than tnst
relating to hasnce and the monetary
affairs of the state.
1t is s pronosition thst affects every in
| dlVidual, end reaches to the very f0uEda-
ton Of society. Taxation, therefore, is
one Of the m st important powers to be
81 ercised by any government, and there
is scarcely anything about which the citi-
zen becomes SO FESTIVE, and 1t should be
| as well as by the trainers and executors OF
the law.
l. is conceded too SO cardinal princi-
psi, that no more revenue ought to be
| collected from the people than the amount
necessary to defray the expenses of a wise,
economical and efficient administration,
because an unnecessary surplus in the
Treasury not only impoverishes the peo-
pie, and palsies the hand that must be de-
pended upon to utilize and develop our
material resources, butt gives birth to
extraVagsnt legislation; produces wild
schemes of wAntOn and profuse expendi-
lures and begets ingenious expedients TO
obtain public money, which 200 frequent
ly corrupts the purity of the public offl-
Gals AM causes the character of the gov
eminent to lose It's charm with the mas
ses.
On the other hand, while no man can
be more heartily in favor Of wise econ
omy in expenditures than myself, and any
effort in that direction Will always have
my earnest cooperation and approval, l
feel it my duty 10 urge upon your hoaor-
able bodies that while directing your at
tention to the enforcement OF the most
rigid economy, you should not be unmind-
full OF the fact that the several depart
ments Of the government can only
do their best with the means st
their disposal, and cannot 6n.
ticipste an appropriation save to limit
ed extent defaed IN the constitution,
without violating the law, no matter what
the eXigencies may be.
As every prudent business man knows
that the principle Of paying as you go is
more in consonsnce with wise economy
than to promise payment at q
future time, it becomes imperative
oeyo d the possibility OF 8 mistake,
that you should not hesitate or refuse
to place the necessary means at their
command with which to carry on the af-
fairs of the government successfully
without having to come to subsequent
Legislatures with deficiencies.
Crest as this question of taxation is,
and vital as it must be to the future des-
TIMES OF our state, yet after all it is not
the present state tax of % cents upon the
500 OF property that is proving so oner-
GUS to taxpayers. And in looking to re-
trenchment you should bear in mind that
1t is not the rock which stands cut boldly
giving warning to the mariner OF danger,
against which the ship is wrecked.
So in government it is not thst which
the people see and understand, which
uudermines the prosperity Of the state
and depletes its treasury, but the secret
leak; the insiduous and unseen advance
OF extravaganza hidden away IN the CON-
plications of your state, county and NUM-
cipal governments, so as not to be visible
TO THE PUBLIC EYE.
And the lawmakers should not exhaust
their spasm Of reform at each recurring
session, by going in to the several state
departments and cuttingdown the salaries
OF few clerks, and while squsbbling
over the amount of the reduction spend
ing IN per diem and other contingent ex-
penses attending their work. far more
than the sum saved amounts to. The
people want q government as economical
as en- efficient government can be made,
but they do not desire that efficiency in
any sense shall be sacrificed to a mistaken
idea of economy, which saves 8 dime on
one hand, and sQusnders hundreds of dol
lars on the other hand.
The wise reform measures enacted By
you st the regular session, which were
designed to stimulate revenue officers to
increased diligence in the collection and
prompt remission Of the public moneys,
and which st first seemed onerous to COL
lectors and others affected by them,
giving rise to some remoDstrance and
complaint, were nevertheless fraught