Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1889-01-24

expeases Tho balance, sto,eos. IL was essssted
/ TO the revenue fund In the sane report - u
ssaONn 3 at IN order 70 provide su11cfsnssum -
meet the appropriations OF the Legsalasiye
session Of 1855 it became necessary 70 transfer
the said v30e 500 from the Ainkng "a The revenue
fund. This, Il appears. was done by authority
special session, of 1854 Thus the FULL sum OF
$50. S0613 became part Of tho revenue. an
amount exceeding one and oue-tensh mills levy
on all tho taxable property Of the State 1t that
| an increased levy to this amount rather than
| fund debt upon which interest must
DO paid for the next twenty years. It
is hoped that the levy for sinking fund win
| be revived, 80 that the State may be able to
meet its bonded obligations Is they severally
fall duo. ny
| IS STATE DEBT Erer y q
The State bonds outstanding at this date are
$50, 0GO s67. coo Of which matured January l.
1882. OF this sum 966. 900 Is held by the school
fund and 81 100 by the sinking fund. The fund
ing Of these bonds Is provided for under the law
OF 1885, The next bonds that fall due are SIG,
500 that are maturing October Is 1894, all Of
which are held by the State school fund. On
March IS, 1895, So SOD mature: these are also
held by the school fund. On July !. 1894 $4,000
fall due: $4,000 OF these are held by the school
fund and 3d., 600 by individuals. On July 1.lss9,
&O0 600 are due, S85 900 being held by the school
fund and e115OOo by individuals On July I.
1885, three different issues OF bonds mature,
namely: One Of s15O,0Oo. one OF $4,000 and
another of - h0O); total, $50 OOO or these S116
600, are held by the school fund, s11 900 by the
sinking fund, 50 900 by the State University fund
and 50 COO by individuals. January 1, 1899, the
balance of the State debt, except q funding
bond OF $1S, COZ issued under the laws OF 1886,
natures, being two issues OF bonds-one of s1O.-
600 and one OF SS9,000-eQual to Sl59,0OO. OF
these S25. are held by individuals and 1884,
900 by the State school fund. Thus it will be
seen that the actual amount necessary to be /
provided for (the same being In the hands of in
dividuals and corporations) is: On July ,. 1895,
NJ. Tra1v - n N. T,,l-x Coz
January I. 1899. $a5. 600; total Sa56 90; the bal
ance being held by funds which the State con-
trolls.
The State debt has decreased since the date
OF the treasurers report ST., 00), leaving the
amount actually outstanding, as above stated,
eSO3 600. OF this. S565 0OJ falls due within the
next ten years. Computing upon the present
assessed value OF the State to meet this, it
would require an annual levy OF about two
tenths Of one mill, which of course would be de-
creased with the increase of taxable wealth.
Ordinarary prudence would suggest decrease
in expenditures to q small degree in some di-
'rections. rather than continue the payment of
interest for twenty years, as the funding
OF The debt would contemplate. What
is : sound financial policy for the pru-
dent . business man is also good
fnanciering for the State of Kansas. AS my
predecessor aptly and wisely remarked in his
message to this Legislatures: "Pay as you CO."
This motto is applicable to the State as well as
to every municipality.
The amount raised by taxation for State,
county, township and school purposes, on as
sessment OF 1887, was 81. 496, 7075S namely:
State Oh; county. 81, 551, 72204; city,
81. 593 SS2 as; township, 81 346 T3S OF; and school,
S3,S1S, 640.3l an average rate per cent. Of S370
upon each 800 of assessed value.
The taxes levied for purely local purposes are |
indeed burdensomc, end are the only ones COM
planned at, though entirely self-imposed- The
State levy is small compared with the amounts
collected In defraying the expenses Of various |
municipalities. What the State exacts is only
about one-ninth part OF the whole amount col
lected. the balance being for purely local pur
poses. For the support of county government |
alone the tax levy is nearly three times much |
as the State requires; while townships cities /
and school di stricts levy tribute with heavy |
penses incidental to local government, greater |
portion being for interest outstand-
ing bonded indebtedness, contracted with |
a reckless extravaganza in many cases little |
dreamed of by De Tocqueville, when he wrote |
eioQuently and admiringly of the beauties of |
those minor municipalities as the miniature |
Republics in the new system OF popular govern |
ment in America.
MUNICIPAL. INDEBTEDNESS.
The subject of municipal Indebtedness has |
been fruitful theme of executive messages. |
For years each OF my predecessors has warned, |
protested and expostulated in vain, for in spite
of it all the volume OF debt has doubled and
trebled, swelling with each recurrence OF the I
frenzy OF railroad construction until as it APP
pears by the Auditors report, that on July 1, |
1887, the grand aggregate of county, township, |
city, board OF education and SchoOl-district in
debtedness amounted to S31 107, 645O3 bearing |
an average interest OF at least six per cent. per |
annum. This interest means an annual tax of |
81, s6S. 458 81, a levy equal to five and one
fourth mills on the dollar on the present as |
sessed value OF all taxable property in the |
State. This interest charge alone exceeds the |
State levy for the year 1888 by S41S, 1903. ~ |
During the past two years 3d. 33S, O61 of bonds |
no 1Noon uicfo tn no Av,Ait 30 nfd
showing that this Indebtedness exceeds the ag-
gregate herein mentioned by several millions OF |
dollars, the report on total Indebtedness being
to July /, 1887, and on registration to June 30,
1885, OF the amount so registered, &6, 544,55O |
was to aid in construction of railroads This |
Indebtedness is severe and constant strain |
upon the productive resources of the tax-pay-
ing people. Payday must come eventually.
1T is recommended that indiscrimfnate issu-
ing of funding bonds be prohibited. The I
Governor recommends that provision be 4
made for the payment Of all raid claims certif- 1
cates.l tttsf 4t
The question OF amendi the present system |
Of assessment is much discussed. The demand |
is that al property shall be assessed at its true
value. The law requires the assessor, from
actual view and from best sources of Informal
ton within his reach. to determine as nearly as |
practicable the true value. snf
Referring to personal property, the law re- |
Quites the several township and city assessors
to meet and agree on equal basis OF v1fua |
ton of such property as they may be called to |
assess. Again. the oath required from the |
assessor to be attached to his personal property
return, is that the value thereof is estimated |
by the rules prescribed by law. This the |
assessor CONSTITUTES to mean the equal basis |
agreed upon at the meeting OF the several |
township and city assessors. These township |
assessors are elected by the people Of their re-
spective townships, and have their political |
friends and followers It has occurred to me |
that in amending this law, after providing for |
tee D
and imposing penalty on assessors failing to |
perform their duties in accordance with the |
statute it would be well to make the ONCE as |
nearly non politcal as possible And if instead |
OF township assessors now provided for, the |
ONCE of county assessor be created that il be |
made the duty Of the Judge Of the district court