, 1890-12-27
AN ~UNPRoMIsING OUTLOOK.

PAlANE
AN UNPRO MISING OUTLOOK
Tie question Of where the legislature
is going to land the state is one which i.
frsught with increasing interest as each
day passes. Nothing very serious has
yet been done 10 the way Of c~reatisg eX-
traordinarY expenses except in the cAsee
of the judges. Under the territory there
were three judges. who we're paid by the
general government, but who were usually
allowed a small contingent fund in addi
ton by the territory. The constitution
provides for six state judges, and as each
OF these f~1nctionaries was given a salary
Of 5000 a year, they cost the state the
fancy sun of SIS, 900 a year. This is a
city good beginning for a new state re
curing an economical government, but it
j. ofthe closing days Of the session that
the gravest fears are entertained.
The assessment roll this year will foot
~ about $50. 0 900. For general pur
poses the constitution allows a levy
Of not more than ( mills. Unless
new schemes are developed for increasing
or extending this assessable property,
there will be netted to the state only
$40. 900 a year. If we we take from
tbs the $4,000 already voted to the
lges We have 5000 o The legislature
v | cost $25 90 aud there will be about
1000 paid to the governor, secretary and
superintendent Of public instruction, s3l,
900 in all. All Of these amounts, except
the salary of the superintendent of pub
lie instruction, wa1 formerly paid by the
United States. This reduces the avail
able amount to $1,000. In Ad
dition there is to be 4 supreme
court clerk whose salary aud contingent
mlY reach 81, 800 a year, a public exam
inor with a salary aud contingent Of s3.-
so and an attorney general with
u salary and contingent OF 81.
$40 (for there is still a chance of
the bill being passed by the housed, add
ing SS, 100 more and reducing the avAila-
lie cash to So. 900. 1t is likewise pro-
I,osed to devote $50. 900 TO the Wyoming
exhibit at the worlds fair IA very som
meudAble object. Should this bill pass
there will be $4,000 paid in zach of the
two following years. reducing the avAilA-
lie cash to $47, 900. There are a number
rf other items which might be included,
Int these will give a general idea of the
situation.
Those in charge OF the general appro-
l~riAtion bill say it will foot up not less
than 100000 to oover the two years.
They cannot yet state positively anything
about the matter, but as the RppropriA-
lions for the stock and irrigation bills will
foot UT 10 one way or another from
$4,000 to $40. 900 a year it is more than
probable that the general appropriation
bill will involve the expenditure Of
sl50.0OO and perhaps 5000, 900 for the
two years. With our present available
revenue and our present method Of assess
I1eut il looks as though the state might
ind itself with a floating Indebtedness of
$4,000 at the end Of the first year.
We have heard several methods pro-
posed for increasing the state revenues.
The first OF these relates to taxing the coal
output of the state. Thus is justified on
the ground Of rIpedienoY. 1t is said that
the coal companies do not object to a tax
It one cent a ton on the output Accord
jig to the mine inspector, about $4,000 o
IONS Of coal are annually mined IN WIo-
ming. A tax on this basis would net
< az Onn ah,,b ~ ;,.alr oould he ,nan6-
rieut In Pennsylvania the lax is three
oants d ton, and is considered no hardship
ly the companies, for the very good
l,ason, we suppose. that it really comes
oit of the packets Of the consumer
Supplementary TO this it is suggested that
The prevailing method of assessment be
laced on a more equitable basis,
which is much more easily said
than done. As matters now stand, the
burthen is very ~unevenly distributed.
The comparatively rich man is taxed
from 10 to 25 percent Of his possessions
and the poor man usually from so to 30
per cent. Thousands upon thousands Of
dollars worth Of property escapes all taxa
ton. This IS particularly true oil personal
property. Besides this, the property Of
secret and faternal societies Is
uutAxed even when it is in
the shape of costly reutable property
which comes into competition with reuta-
HE property held by private owners
who are taxed. This is mani
festlY unjust and should receive i'm
mediate legislative remedy.
Enough has been said. we believe, to
convince the legislature of the necessity for
conservative action in the creation OF new
offices or IN any other way increasing the
very heavy expenses necessary to a state
government The object should be to
iixhten the burthens of taxation instead
of increasing them.
WARREN and Carey have