The record-union., 1894-09-18
ANOTHER EXPOSURE
OF the Financial Condition of State
and Counties of California.
The County Government Act a Con-
glomeration of Inequalities - How
the Constitutional Inhibition Was
Evaded-The S12,OOo,Ooo Load a
Heavy One.
[From the San Francisco Bulletin. |

From the San Francisco Bulletin
EDITOR BULLETIN: The more our
States financial condition is examined
the worse it appears. The appropriations
of 1881 for the support of the State Gov
ernment for the two fiscal years begin
ming with the 1st of July of that year
amounted to $685. .696. In 1898 the ap
preparations for the like purpose for the
two fiscal years beginning with the 1st of
July of the same year was 81, ,972, ,623,
which was an increase over the former
two years of g, ,223, ,927. These figures
have been furnished me by our State Con-
troller. They are painfully instructive,
and ought to open the eyes of all taxpay
ers to the necessity of radical reform in
our governmental management of State
affairs, and especially so as to the charac-
ters and qualities of the men who ASPIRE
to positions i'll the Legislature of our
State. when it is made to appear that the
taxes required for the last fiscal years for
the support of the State Government
amount to Sll. .972, 623, the story is not half
told. The cost for the support of the
county governments of the State exceeds
IN the aggregate the sum appropriated for
the support of the State Government, as
appears by the County Government Act
passed in 1898; SO that it may be fairly
estimated that the taxpayers Of the State
are called upon TO pay for the support of
State and county governments not less
than 2,000,0 600 year in United States
gold coin.
The total assessed value of real and per-
sonal property in the State for the year
1893, as appears by the Controllers report,
was 81, ,2lG, 700, ,289. This sum constituted
the wealth of the people of the State, sub
nnff 70 fa-y fiNy, IN, ..N.l
estate and Improvements thereon,
amounting i'll value to $1,000. .36S, 80; and
OF personal property, including money,
amounting in value TO Sl73, ,653, ,273; and OF
railroad property assessed by the State
Board Of Equalization, amounting in
value to $40, 478, $40.
From the figures given, it appears that
more than so per cent. of the taxes inn
posed and collected are derived from
real estate and the improvements thereon
"a fact worthy the attention of the farm
ers of the country and all others whose
wealth con slstS of real property.
COUNTY GOVERNMENT ACT.
The County and Township Government
Act passed by the Legislature in 1893, in
SO far as it relates to the salaries and ices
OF county and township officers, imposes
a burden of taxation upon the property
holders of nearly all, if not quite all, the
counties, which is out of all just proper
ton to the services by such officers rem
dered and performed. No one who will
carefully examine that Act can come to
any other conclusion. 1t is quite time the
people of the several counties in the State
should wake up and take the necessary
measures to secure u reduction of these
salaries and fees to the extent of one
halt, at least, of the amounts provided for
by the Act in question. In a few of the
counties the salaries allowed and paid
seem reasonable as compared to those of
other counties, which are grossly extrav-
agant.
The County Government Act, EN- body
ing the fixed salaries of county officers,
is conglomeration OF inequalities, show
ing 1t to be the work of parties imnedl-
ately interested, denominated Court
house Rings" who operate through their
respective representatives in the Senate
and Assembly, providing themselves
with fat salaries, which they in effect in
large measure, extort from the toiling
taxpayers of the country. The Act pro-
fesses to be "a uniform system of county
and township governments" and fur
ther, it is claimed to be law of general
nature, when, in fact, it does not provide
a uniform system of county and town.
ship governments, so far at least as the
salaries OF officers are concerned; nor is
1T law OF general nature, but rather a
law OF special nature and local in its ap-
pllcation and operation, providing for
each county an independent measure of
compensation for its officers. Is not this a
violation OF the Constitution, forbidding
the Legislature to pass any local or special
law affecting the fees and salaries of any
offlcer? Is 1t not repugnant to the true
Intent and spirit of the constitutional pro-
vision which gives to the Legislature the
power to regulate by general and atuiforns
laws the compensation of county officers
IN proportion to their duties, considered
IN their relation to the populations of the
several counties of the State?
1t is cardinal principle of construction
that discretionary power must be exer-
clsed without abusing it. An abuse of
discretion IN such case Is violation of
the Constitution. The exercise of dis
cretlonary power to regulate compensa-
tlon IN proportion to duties and popuIa-
tions should be in harmony with and
subordinate to that other provision of the
Constitution which forbids, in positive
terms, the passage by the Legislature of
any local or SPECIAL law affecting the fees
and salary of any officer. If the County
Government Act. in respect to the classi-
ncatlon OF counties, according to popu-
latlons and the compensations of officers.
as In that Act provided, is to be regarded
as law OF general nature, it must be
condemned for want of uniform opera-
tion, for the Constitution declares that
all laws of a general nature shall have
uniform operation"
COUNTY CLASSIFICATION.
To evade the force of the constitutional
jnhibition the County Government Act
divided the counties then existing into
classes each county constituting a
separate class. determined by its popula-
tion, differing In many instances from
the populations of other counties bv
numbers palpably insignificant. This
being done, the Act arbitrarily fixes the
salaries and fees of the officers of the
county belonging to the class designated
by the number of given population.
Thus the Legislature undertook to do by
1ndirection and evasion what the Con-
stitution in express terms forbade.
The absurdity ofthe scheme ofclassifca-
ton adopted at once appears by comnari-
son of the populations of different counties
placed SIDE by side. Counties of sinh
stantially the same populations and of the
same assessed wealth are constituted
separate classes, for no other apparent
purpose than to regulate and fix the
salaries of their respective officers.
For example, the difference between the
population OF class - and class q is 56.
between class "A and class % is "a: be.
tween class % and class 20 is q: between
class 81 and class 33 is 81; between class
81 and class 81 is 16; between class "a and
class 45 is 90; between class 4S and class
80 is 6S. Like comparisons might be
carried on to the end of the chapter.