Arizona republican., 1891-04-26
A SERIOUS PROBLEM.

insight into the work done by the last
 Legislative Assembly,. the feeling is
 daily gaining strengti, that that body
 not only failed to solve many of the
 most vital problems effecting the fnan-
 cial well-beingo of Arizona, but that it en-
 acted many laws that will disastrously effect almost the credit as we'll as the
 monetary standing of the Territory and
 it's several counties. This is, to some
 extent, exemplitied by the so-called County Expense bill.
 What or why such bill was ever en- acted for by men familiar with the
 monetary systems of the different coun-
 ties it is hard to conceive. Simply and
 solely it provides for the rcpudiation of
 the obligations of indebtedness issued
 on the good faith and credit of the
 county, without single advantage to
 be realized. To the holders of county
 warrants, who have taken such securities
 in good faith, the law in question calmly
 tells them that they must wait, and does
 not even attempt to say when or how
 they may expect to get the money justly due them. It may be two or it may be
 ten years hence. hut no matter how long or short the time may be the warrant is
 bearing 10 per cent interest. which the
 taxpayers will have to some day meet and settle. While the bill is unjust to
 the warrant holders. it is even more SO
 to the men who are called on to trans act business with the county, for to
 them not even an evidence of indebted
 ness can be granted. They must wait
 until the cash is in the treasury to pay
 them and, in the meantime, they have
 not even the privilege of receiving ne- gotiable security. Men Knowing this govern themselves accordingly, and the county is made to suffer by paving more
 for it's labor and material than anyone else.
 In this way while the county gains absolutely nothing, its indebtedness is
 being constantly increased by the in- terest that is accumulating on its war rants and the additional charges made
 by those doing business with it to cover the uncertainty of their business rea- tions, while the public at home and abroad becomes alarmed at such open prostitution of legislative powers to re- pudiate the settlement of just and legal claims. Financially, the condition of each county is thus rendered more pre- carious than before, and men proceed to regard with distrust everything in the nature of public security bearing an Arizona impress. How such a measure could have ever received the support of men so familiar wi,h the finances of our coun ies and Territory, as must have been Messrs. Zulick, Herndon, Baldwin, Dennis and others, it is hard to con ceive.
 Even more inexplicabe than the enactment of the County Expense law, was the total failure of the Legislature to do aught in the way of providing for the annual deficit of nearly $45 O0O by the enact ment of laws amending and changing our present revenue system. During 1889 and 1890 the Territory expended $SS, ,4l6.G2 more than it's total revenues amounted to. That is to say, that for each of the years mentioned our out standing indebtedness was increased bv i44, ,2OS.3l. Yet, the Legislature did not even attempt to make such changes as would meet this immense deficit, and for the next two years this amount will. on account of such non-actiOn, be placed on the wrong side of the ledger. Onthe first of January, 1891, the entire indebt- edness of Arizona was $72l .00D, which as is shown during the next two years, will be increased by territorial warrants to the amount of about SSS, ,O0, bearing 10 per cent per annum, SO that on the of the Seventeenth Legisla- tive Assembly the territorial indebted ness will be in round numbers over 3SOO,OOO. Had the last Legislature in- stead of haggling over such questions as to whether the Attorney-General should receive Sl2J0 instead of 5000 per an- mum, or the Superintendent of Public | Instruction S75) instead of S2OOO, or whether the Texas Code should be sold at S2,5O instead of Sl0 per volume. turned it's attention to meeting this | enormous deficit, the financial condition would have been bettered instead of a. II now Is. growing steadily worse.
 ' Had the Legislature been so disposed | It could have, by the imposition of an annual tax on foreign corporations, such | as express, insurance, railroad, stage | md similar companies, which are inI- posed in every other Territory and State, met this deficit without putting any ad- htionaI burden on the shoulders of the taxpayers. An attempt was made to some extent to reduce the expenditure pf the Territorial Government by the abolition of the offices of Territorial jeolovist and Commissioner of I'm migration and the reduction of the sal lries of the Attorney General and Super ntendent of Public Instruction recom- nended in the Governors message, but he total amount thus saved annually i. ess than S6OOO, while by the enactment 'f the expensive and cumbersome Australian ballot system and the ex- 'ense ot holding the Constitutional Convention additional expenses will be imposed that will far overbalance the 'aving made by the changes in the Ter .i i.,l l.... IL f . l