Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1889-01-19

inee January L 1854, Of slz, no; md . total =
dnction. dmins The psst four ysaTs Of 4lsa 500.
OF the bonded debt outstanding. SS0.Ng q ~ ~
hands of Individuals or corpof1eso1A en3 So4a,
600 il heldby different state fnnds: ne fesn-
nent School Fund holds e20 900; UnveE0V
Fund, 5000; and the Sinking Fund. Sl.M; -,
due on the fEBt day of July. next, but provin0n
issue Of new four per cent twenty year bonds, 70
be sold to the Permanent School FUND, un9sr
the terms of an act of the Last Legislature. NO
other bonds of the state aredue and payabAe pr1os
APPROPRIATIONS FOB THE CURRENT TEAR.
There are some facts in connection with tbs
financial condition of the state which It 10 neces
sary that the Legislature should bear constantly
IN mind Inc nsca yeaf t On yaor .re
already made, and the assessment OF property
values is on the tax-rolls. Neither of these can
now be changed. The assessed valuation OF al
the property Of the state, for the current hscal
year, aggregates sass, "a. $50. and the state ta1
of three and one-half mills, levied by the Last
Legislature for general revenue purposes, Will
lions made by the Legislature of 1881. payable
out OF the general revenue fund Tor the current
fiscal year, aggregate s., 10S.s40.
1t therefore, the entire amount OF the tax lew
could be collected and paid into the State Treas
ury before June 3Oth, it would exceed the appro-
priations already made only S1Ss069. Experl-
ence has shown, howe ger, that there is invarl-
collection Of the tax levy. resulting from double
and erroneous assessments, that have to be cor
rected, and from delinquencies in payments. A
similar deficiency. this year. would aggregate
S6l, Sl8 leaving IN the general revenue fund, In
excess of the appropriations already made, only
S7l,2A. few receipts from miscellaneous
sources will probably swell this amount some
present Legislature, payable out of the general
revenue fund for the current fiscal year, cannot
exceed $125.000 without creating an Indebtedness
for the payment of which no money can be pro-
The State has steadily adhered to the wise pol
icy Of making the revenues OF each hscal year
meet the appropriations for the same year; 1t is
reasonably certain that the assessed value OF
property for the fiscal year ending June 80, 1890,
will not greatly exceed that of the current year.
The percentage of taxation should not be in
creased. The financial condition OF the people
forbids this It is important, therefore. that the
facts above presented shall bs kept In view in
making the appropriations for thu next two fiscal
years. The revenues OF the State Will De ample
to meet the ordinary current expenses OF all the
departments of the Government, and to pay for
all public buildings absolutely necessary to &C
commodate our public charities. But the strict
time, imperatively demanded, and should be
ngidly adhered to.
MONEY RECEIVED FROM THE UNITED STATES.
The Governor is made the agent to receive from
During the past two years 1 have received
drafts, which have been turned over to the State
Treasurer, for the following amounts: January1i,
1881, on account of expenses OF the militia IN
1864, $2S7.01; November q, 1888. on account of
five per cent. on sales Of Government lands,
MUNICIPAL DEBTS AND TAXATION.
In my messages to the Legislatures of 1885 and
1881, 1 called attention, at some length, to the
enormous aggregate OF our municipal debts, and
earnestly urged that stringent restrictions and
1 ,tof.o Ho HoHf
tax levying powers of counties, townships cities
and school districts. In my message to the Leg
islature Of 1887 pointed out the fact that these
bonds to aid in building railroads. and urged
that all authority to vote or issue such bonds be
revoked. except in counties having no railway
lines within their limits
The Legislature of 1885 took no action on this
subject. The Legislature of 1887 enacted law
the limit of such aid from four thou
sand to two thousand dollars per mile, but un-
this law, by its own provisions, did
not 60 into effect until the LIST of July. 1887
The steady and enormous growth of our mu-
nicipal Indebtedness amply just:fies all the rec
concentrations touching this subject made in
1854, the county bonds and warrants outstanding
aggregated $8.06s, 1929; township bonds and
warrants, 1850 Csc; 80; city bonds and warrants,
s. 49, tS6 y; and school. bonds and war
rants, 81, 748. 714.50-making an aggregate munic-
ipal indebtedness of SIS, 95l 929 IS. On the first
OF July. 1886, the aggregate OF this Indebtedness
bad increased to 299 ~, and on the first of
$sl 1O7 1870. with 1913 20s in sinking funds,
making the net municipal Indebtedness to be
yet provided for, $50, 7ss, 934 81.
july s and the
county warrants, $780,, 963.S7; township bonds
s, l62, Oo2.65. and township war
rants $12 3O8 80; city bonds outstanding, S. 2A,-
trict bonds OUTSTANDING 81 513 So and school
district warrants, $4l ,S93.65-making a total. as
above stated, Of $Sl, 1G, 1850 In other words,
doubled since. in January, 1885, / called the at
tentiOn of the Legislature to this subject, and
urged that the most stringent restrictions and
limitations be put opon the debt-creating and
tax-levylng powers of all municipalities.
1t seems to me, in view of the facts and figures
presented, that it is the imperative duty of the
Legislature to at once repeal every law authoriz-
pose whatever, except, perhaps, the building of
school houses. Pay as you go' ought to be.
henceforth, the motto of every municipality of
the state.
RAILROAD BOND VOTING.
Fully four ffths of all the county, township
and city bonds issued have been voted to aid in
building railroads. 1t is reasonably certain that
three-fourths of the railway mileage constructed
during the past four years. would have been built
ii not single dollar OF municipal aid had been
voted. And it is an UNREASONABLE fact that
past four years. for which there was any legiti-
mate demand, or that has been of real benefit or
value either to the business of the
state, the prosperity of the people, or the pecun-
larry welfare of the railways or their stockhold-
ers, would have been constructed without the
of q dollar of municipal bonds.
>, Kansas long ago passed the period when
the fictitious stimulus of municipal
bonds was necessary to secure the build
ing of legitimate railroad lines. The
decade of war ended in 1855, and that of doubt
or experiment closed in 1875. From that year to
the present time no intelligent citizen Of the
United States has ever questioned the resources
or doubted the prosperous development of Kan
sas. Every dollar of municipal bonds
voted during the past eight years, to stimulate
the building of railroads, has been useless and
public burden. Sagacious railroad
managers and builders understood perfectly,
what an inviting field Kansas offered to common
carriers, and they would have occupied this field
promptly and systematically, as the rapidly in
creasing commerce of the State demanded rail-
ways for its transportation. And, If the recon-
mendation made b. the Legislature of 1885. touch
ing municipal indebtedness, had been favorably
noted upon. Kansas would have had, to-day, all
the railroad lines Necessary or important IN
transasting her commerce, while on the other
had her municipalities would have been burden
ed with fully SO, 900 less of bonded indebted-
ness.
It is factcapable of exact demonstrated, that
railroad building in excess of the Legitimate de.
L. q 49,