St. Paul daily globe., 1889-03-08
THE sTATE FINANCES.

Gov. MERRIAM'S special message TO
the legislature directing the attention
of that body to the cramped condition
of the state treasury, and recommend
ing plan whereby the financial diff
culties can be bridged over, is one of
those businesslike documents that one
would naturally expect from gentle
man who has made finances study.
The practical view of the message is
emInently creditable to the governor
and will be calculated to elevate him IN
the estimation OF the people OF the state.
While the governors statements are
altogether corroborative of what the
GLOBE has time and again asserted OF
the condition of the state finances, and
while he mainly indorses the GLOBE IS
position in advocacy of retrenchment,
particularly with regard to the appro-
priationS for state institutions, still we
are impelled to differ with the gov
ernor as to his scheme of tiding over
the emharrassments. His proposition
favors little of the WILKINS hICAw-
BER plan for adjusting his financial
troubles, who gave a sigh OF relief
when he closed up an outstanding liza
bility by giving promissory note, and
always accompanied with the fervent
ejaculation, THANK God, that debt is
paid"
If the issuance of bonds paid the
states Indebtedness, we could find no
fault with the governors recommends
ton. But it does not. It is simply a
temporary device to postpone the date
of payment. When the bonds mature,
the debt will be there, with accrued in
terest. 1t occurs to us that the more
businesslike way would be to eXtinguish
the Indebtedness at once. We have in
sisted, and still insist, that the revenue
resources are now ample to provide for
all legitimate expenses Of the state gov
ernment, and that, too, without increas-
ing the rate of taxation one mill. II the
legislature would go Systematically to
work in pairing down the various apprO-
prations to just what is absolutely re-
Quired in each case, that body would
probably be aStonished to see what the
aggregate reductions would make, and
how easy it would be to keep the appro-
priations for the next two years within
the limit of the revenue receipts, even
at the present rate of taxation. The eX-
perience with individuals is that when
habits of extravaganza arc once formed,
it is the most difficult thing in the world
to persuade ones self that luXuries are
not necessary to comfortable living.
1t is just so with communities.
The profigacy of former legisla-
lures In the disbursement of the pub
lie funds seems to have impressed this
legislature with the idea that it would
be cutting the several departments and
the public institutions down to starry
alton point to reduce the appropriations.
1t is all mistaken idea, and il the legis-
lature would make a heroic effort to
convince itself of the fallacy of the posi-
ton it has taken, the people would not
only be gratifed, but succeeding legis-
latures would find it an easy matter to
keep the public expenditures within the
limit of the states revenues.
HORACE GREELEY'S axiom "the way
to resume is to resume" has an appli-
cation in this instance. The way to re-
trench is to retrench. T he way to get
rid of the states Indebtedness is to pay
it off. The way for the state to keep
out of debt in the future is to live
within its income. These are simple
propositions, and ought to be intelli-
gible to the legislative mind.