The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1895-03-21

county finances Is concerned, no county
In Georgia could have an ah!er or more
honest administration. I refer to this
matter simply to show the relation of the
courts to the people.
1he expenses of the Executive Depart.
ment OF the government of Georgia, which
embraces every expense of the State
hoIse-fhe salary of every officer connects
ed with the administration of the govern
ment. executive and judicial. -amounts to
about $l3l, 100000 per year. The interest
on the public debt is about $368, 900. 90
per year. The luuatic asylum of Geor>
gla costs the people about $500, 900. ;
W per year the deaf and dumb,
$l9. 10000; for the blind, SIT, 600 90 /;
the printing account is $4,000 90; the
insurance on the public buildings and
the contingent fund is about $lS.O O0 90
per year the cost o! the Legislature is
about 100000 per year. This would
make sum total of about 1897 900. 90
per year as the total expense of the gov,
ernment of Georgia.
We have from special taxes, including
the rent of the Western & Atlantic rail-
road. an income Of $703 100000 Ter year.
Take this from the 1887 100000, the total
expense, and we would have $l34, 00O. 90 to
raise as taxes on property necessary to run
the state government.
We have about $429. 900, 900 of property
in Georgia. One-third Of one mill on the
property in Georgia would more than paw
this expense. In other words, about
thirty.three and one-third cents on the
one thousand dollars would. pay the nee,
essary expense OF the administration of the
government OF Georgia, outside of the
pension and the school innd, NowsI am
speaking of the expenses of the state gov
eminent; and this includes pay for judges
OF the Superior courts, judges Of the Su,
preme court, the governor, solicitot-gen
eral, ard every officer and expense that i:
paid out by the state governments, outside
of pensions and the school fund.
But we pay county taxes. Iu Cobb
county we have $52500OO worth of prop.
erty. There is collected six,tenths of one
mill for the support of the jail seven.
tenths of one mill for the pay OF jurors and
bailiffs; in other words, one aud three-
tenths mills for prisoners. jurors aud bal.
lifts; all :he taxes paid by the people for
state and county are about eightHand four>
tenths mills; il other words, about one
sixth Of the taxes collected from the peo~
pie for state and county purposes is de-
voted to the pay OF jurors, bailiffs and
court expenses
In round numbers. there are sixty-three
millions OF people in the United States.
We pay as national pensions about $40 =
100000 Fer year, or say 1926 per head.
There are twenty-five thousand people in
Cobb county. The proportion paid by the
people of Cobb county upon this national
pension each year would run its courts
for about ten years. The government of
the United States costs the people about
100000, 600 per year, or nearly seven dol>
lars per head This is over and above the
state government. When we come to
consider these figures in connection with
the small amount paid for the courts, we
stand aghast at the figures. The census
of 1890 tells us that, exclusive OF postal
expenditures, reimbursed by postal re.
ceipts, the cost per capita of maintaining
the national, state and local government,
including schools, was $l3 65 PEI capita.
That is the average expense.
Now the amount Of money appropriated
outside of that is as follows Widows
pensions, $4,000; soldiers pensions
100000; school fund, 81, 1885, 900. Total
81, 585, 1000.
The last Legislature passed an act under
which sixty dollars per year is appropri
ated to each ex-Confederate soldier, WHIT
at the date Of filing his application SUB
mits proof to show that by reason of hi
age and poverty, infrmity and poverty, Of
blindness and poverty, he is unable to sup
port himself by his own exertions, or la
bor The statement has been made as
coming from the executive department
that there are more than FIVE thousand app
plicants for pensions under this law.
| for one am willing to pay my share
of taxes for the schools .and pensions. ]
must not be understood as criticisirg these
laws. / have said this much to show you
what part Of the taxes taken from the PEG,
pie is spent on the county.