Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1890-02-06
A FINANCIAL SCHEME.
4 Measure introduced in the
Senate to Fill the Acll-
ing Void
In the State Treasury-* 10000
Cash and A75,OOO Annually
may be Realized.
Bills up to Date Have Been for
Expenditures Increased
Revenues Needed.
To Fill u Depleted Treasury.

To Fill a Depleted Treasury.
BISMARCK, Feb. 4-[Special. Senate
bill lG7, introduced by Senator San
dagger, is a device to raise revenue for
the depleted state treasury. Nearly all
the measures so far introduced and dis
cussed have had for their object the OK.
penoiture of money, and little attention
has been paid to bills which will bring
revenue into the state. The taxation
bills have been voluminous, but the best
they offer is inadequate to meet the ne
cessities of the present state government.
Auditor Bray and Governor Miller, some
time ago, prepared statement for the
legislature to consider. They say that
the deficiency for the current year will,
after all sources Of revenue have been
exhausted, amount to s162, ,52l25. A full
statement of the desperate financial con-
ditlon which now confronts the state has
been published and the above discourag
ing fact is the best that can be got out
of it. Gov. Miller even places it at
higher figure, and his repeated requests
to the legislature to devise some means
to meet the emergency are we'll known,
and have met the general approval of
the people. The plan proposed by senate
bill No. l67 is one that has been adopted
in the early history of many of the older
states and is in operation in several of
the states and territories today. It is in
substance the granting of charter for
companies to conduct lotteries, buy and
sell real estate and transact other busi-
ness, Of corporations, on the condition of
the annual payment OF large sum of
money into the treasury. The amount
proposed by the bill will give the state
the first year the sum of sl05, 900 in cash,
and $4,000 a year while the privilege
lasts. The bill has met with favor from
the leading men Of both houses, and
from practical business stand point few
object to it. The question of continuing
to respond to a high rate Of taxation on
unproductive property, is now demand
ing the serious attention of all our tax
payers, and leading men from the prin.
cipal towns and cities are known TO be
strongly In favor Of any legal means that
will tighten their burdens. A large
number of the business men, bankers,
real estate owners and others interested
in property in the state, have manifested
a decided approval of the plan. It pre-
sents an unlocked for outlet from a very
embarrassing and otherwise helpless sit
uation. The bill received its first and
second reading today and was referred
to the committee on state affairs. Its
general objects are being fully discussed
and the measure quite favorable consid-
cred, as its provisions become better
known.
The Bismark Tribune, in comment
ing editorially on the measure, says:
It's beginning to dawn upon the
people that statehood-in the early ex-
istence of state-is an expensive lux
ury. The constitution Of North Dakota
restricts the debt limit to 100000 and
tho maximum tax rate on the present
assessed valuation will not yield the
necessary revenue to pay the running
expenses of the state and MAINTAIN her
public institutions. The present de-
press,on in realty values precludes the
disposal of school lands, except in few
populous localities, at any thing like a
proper figure, and only the interest on
the principal obtained from this source
can be used anyhow.
The question IF the hour is then, how
can the revenues Of the state be increas-
ed without adding to tho burdens Of the
already over-taxed settler?
1t is this phase of the dilemma that
adds to the significance of the bill intro
duced in the senate yesterday by Senator
Sandager This bill authorizes the in
corporation and regulation of lottery
companies SO as to raise revenue to de-
fray the expenses of the state. It re-
qlires any company Incorporating under
this act to have paid up capital Of
| 100000 or over, and eXacts about $780,
900 to be paid into the state treasury at
once and $4,000 annually thereafter.
1t costs in round figures $S5,OOO year
to maintain the state offices. Thus it
will be seen that here is one enterprise
the license Of which will nearly pay the
running expenses of the state, leaving
the support of the public institutions
only for the people, by direct taxation to
pay.
The lottery system has been familiar
mode of raising revenue in many coun-
tries, and in the early history of the
majority of the states of this Union. The
Suez canal, the payment of the debt of
France, the Worlds fair last year. all owe
their success to the lottery. In this
country, in the eastern states, many of
our leading institutions of learning, and
scores of institutions of charitable
nature were established by lottery. Tt is