St. Paul daily globe., 1889-01-10
Totals -. S5,42o, 100 70 s5,1o3,449 &c
S316.741 O6
Estimated surplus . g

Estimated surplus S316,741 C6
A situation is here presented which, while
it may not be excessively agreeable, is at least
easily understood. For the fiscal year which
ends July 81 next, the estimated recelpts 1all
short of estimated expenditures 1920, ,5oS. "a.
The only resource to meet this is an au
thoriZed oyerdraft of $50 .0a0. and an addl-
tional 100000 which may be temporarily
borrowed. For the fiscal year ending July
81, 1899, there is an estimated revenue
surplus of SI13.09l.06, and for the year fol-
lowing S203. $50 ON the same side. These
estimates of receipts are based on
the present tax levy of 1l2 mills, income
from railroads, insurance, telegraph
and telephone companies, ana from mlscel-
laneous sources. The receipts may be in
creased by the issuance OF state bonds IN the
sum of $4,000 (the constitutional limit by
the sale of the public building lands in
Kandiyohi county, as recommended further
on and by al increase of tax levy. DINER
wavs might be devised. of course, but these
are the practical methods. In the case OF
an increase of the tax levy no beneht by
way of increased revenue could be derived
until after the lax payments III 1890. IL
will thus be seen that outside OF the Items OF
necessary expenditure set down by the audi
tor. there will be nothing whatever available
for appropriations in the present fiscal yeer,
which will end July 81 next. and tnat the
aggregate estimated surplus for the next two
years is but $3lG,741 O6. Adding to this
such sums as may be derived from sources
above mentioned, the total is yet SO Tar pc
low the demands of state institutions that
you cannot but find the SITUATION perpleXlng.
For correctional and charitable institutions
you are asked to appropriate for buildings
and repairs alone an aggregate amount OF
$1,OO6, 9Z5, as follows:
Fergus Falls hospital for insane. S3l2,oO
st. Peter hospital for inSaue...... $4,000
Rochester hospital for insane..... l04, OOO
Soldiers: home " 100000
School for the deaf ............. 6i,0OO
School for the blind ............... 5000
School for tho feeble minded w $1,000
School for dependent clildren.... a3,330
State prison 80. ..........--. Oo,OOu
ST CI6ud refornatory 7S,575
Making total of ........ Isl ,006,925
The reform school is omitted from thls
statement, TOR the reason that Whatever
amount is appropriated for 1t may be offset
by the sale of the old site.
But the state educational institutions must
not be omitted. The amounts asked Tor by
them for similar purposes are as here given:
State university 80. ......... $3.50, 600
WinOna normal school. ....,.- ...... 1o,0OJ
Mankato normal school. ........... 4S,0Oo
ST. Cloud normal school. ........... 40 600
Moorhead normal school. ..-.. ITO %
Total 1914, 600
Aggregating the totals we have the grand
sum of 81 $50, ,925, which you will be asked
to appropriate for building purposes TO the
correctional, charitable and educational in
stitutions of the state for the period ending
July 81: 1891 When you take into account
that no part of this aggregate is considered
in the estimate of expenditures submitted
bv the state auditor, the perpleXlty of the
situation becomes strikingly apparent, and
admonishes you to the clc sest inquiry into
all demands for appropriations and to the
strictest economy compatible with public
necessities in the expenditure of public
moneys.
PARDoNING BOARD.
One OF the most eXacting of the many du-
ties pertaining to the chief executive office
of this state is that growing out of the par
| doning power conferred upon the governor
by the constitution. That power is complete
He can pardon and turn loose every prisoner
in the state if he so wills, and is responsible
| only to the people of the state for his acts
| The wisdom of centering in one person this
| important prerogative is questioned by many,
| and by limited number 1t Is thought the
| pardoning power should not exist at all. My
own judgment is that its proper lodgment is
! with the chief executive officer of the state
| But am convinced from brief experience
| in its exercise that in justice both to the
| governor and the applicant for par
! don, an advisory board of pardons should
! be created and established by law, to whom
! all applications for pardon should be re-
ferred, and whose duty it should be, after
| due investigation and consideration, to pass
! uDon the merits of each application and re-
| the governor tor his use and guidance. The
| applications for pardon in this state are
| already so numerous and the duties of the
| governor so eXacting in other directions
! that he cannot find the time necessary to
| give them the patient and careful invest-
| CATION demanded by the merest considera
| tons OF justice. In common fairness to the
| prisoner, at any rate, this should be done.
| And to the end that the governor may be
| relieved as fully as possible from response
| bility in exercising the pardonlng power,
| the board should be entirely free, both in
1 its creation and tenure OF office, from obl1ga-
| tions orresponsibilities to him. IT duly au-
| thoriZed to do So the chief justice of the su-
| preme court might very appropriately name
| the members to constitute the board from
| persons nominated for the positions by the
| Judges of the district courts. IL is important
| that this board, if created, shall be as inde-
| and semi-judicial in character. l do not
| think any state or judicial officer or any Off
Ger connected with any of the prisons OF the
| state should be eligible 10 appointment on
| it. The freer it can be made from political,
| partisan or outside official influences the bet
| ter in my judgment. But these are matters
| of detail which l shall not discuss. The
| main thing is the creation Of the board, and
| this earnestly recommend.
HIGH LICENSE.
While no official data have been gathered,
| information OF a character to be relied upon
! shows decrease of fully one-third in the
number of saloons and an increase OF one
| quarter in the revenue derived from licenses.
| The consumption of liquor has been lessened
! and the cause of temperance promoted.
| There is not so much intoxication as existed
| before the law was enacted: the saloon is no
longer dominant power in the politics Of
the state; public opinion for thorough con
I troll of the LIQUOR traffic has strengthened,
and in many ways. directly and indirectly,
| good has resulted to our state and its people
| from the high license law of 1897. 1t is the
| outgrowth of an expression of one of the
| political parties in 1886, in convention as
| Sanob1ad iDdioatiDu Snma moral and