The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1895-01-15

to believe that this legislature has the good
judgment. courage and the ability to carry out
a reform which commends itself to the inteili-
gence OF every voter in the state.
Permanent school Fund.
The investment of the permanent school fund
and it should be guarded very carefully. There
are about six m lions of dollars in this fund
several hundred thousand dollars OF this money
are invested every year. Too much care cannot
be taken N the quality of the securities pur-
chased The safety of this fund is of the H. Oh
est importan e. and shoI.d be pro. &c ed more
sacrediy thai even the funds IN the state treas
ury.
During the boom period in Kansas. while val
ueS were inflated, large amounlS of bonds of va
rlouS kinds we. purchased. L would recon-
To thoroughly investigate the securl ties hand.
with Instructions 70 report the acEua4 caSn value
OF each, and TO recommend such sIe1 IS may be
deemed advisable TO fix the 'SpOnslblnGy OF
Illegal investments, to collect doubtful Securi
Ties. AMI to suggest any necessary legislation to
SudIi III stuen~s ID me future Anu Woulu
suggest that tn committee be appointed cary
IN Inc session. 81 chat &c may report and recon-
mend any amendments TO che Jaw that may be
necessary Ior he protection of the fund.
. No penalty whatever is attached to the viola
ton OF the law by the school fund com mission
ers in regard TO the ella of bonds they may
various school funds There are now thousands
of dollars invested IN bonds which were not au-
thOrZeI by law and which may prove total
loss TO the fund Bonds have been purchased
from which .hey purporG TO have been issued
The laws v srning this board should have
D06n ulduo more stringent. ana severe D0DdlIl6S
should be provided for any Violation OF them.
Each commissioner should give bond as loan
should provide tn It he should be he'd liable on
thas bond that might arise from
the me ~, purchase Of bonds not author,
upon you than to guard With jealous care the
funds set apart for educational purposes.
Incompetence.
The blighting influence of intemperance is
still seen IN Our state. There is scarcely d com
munIty that does not suffer from this cause,
anu happy Is Lne 1aInlly that Is not directly al
tec6ed by It. It's approach Is so insidlous that
It's danger IS scarcely reaZed until it is too late
to stay its evil effects. How to cure or even
lessen the evil, has commanded the earnest
thought OF every lover of his race. be he States
man or moraIIsI. Its demOraIrzng effects are
universally conceded. and can hardy be eX-
aggerated. Much of the poverty and crime. and
suffering. and the sorrow existing today, can be
early traced to its evil influence. Whatever
tents to refine and eleva.e a people-tO give
them purer and noDier aSpraGOnS-Wu surely
tend TO lessen this evil. The great work in re-
moving inEemperanca from oar land must be
done through the chur 5heS, schools. ami oGher
elevating helps. Law is only help-an assist
influences. lie, IN fact, can only be enacted
when moral forces have created a healthy pub
lie sentiment against intemperauce. 1t Is val
uable as an aid to help TO create and maintain
healthy public sentiment. but ought
never to be substituted for it. Tie
OF temperance can only be done by thorough
organization and active effort along the lines OF
education and moral SudslOn. aided by laws
fuzzy abreast of the public sentiment.
cannot refrain from expressing my unquali-
fed commentator of the acEiOn OF The Chicago
K Alton Railroad company in requiring that
Their employees shall abs from the of III
tOxicatny liquors The public have n right 10
demand that the men under whose care they
place themselves when travelling, shall be SOBER
men; and it IS TO be hopei thai the railroad
companies of this state Will follow the
Wor ny example set item by the Chicago q Al
ton company.
In 1881 an amendment to the constitution was
adopted, prohibiting the manufacture and sale
of intoxicating liquors. except for medical
scientific and mechanical purposes. IN 1881
1850 and 1887. laws were passed providing for the
enforcement of this provision of the constitu-
ton. three legislatures have since been
elected, and no aotempI has been made to re-
peal or essentially modify these laws. 1t is
therefore, far to assume that the people desire
this to be the settled policy of the STATE upon
this subject. he only fair Interpretation to be
paced upon their acCiOn IS, that they are deter
mined that the open saloon shall not return tc
our state, and thai they believe that the effect OF
the prohIbitOry law has been TO lesson the evils
of intemperdnce.
That the law is but imperfectIy enforced, i,
conceded by ALL Law Is but "a reflection of pub
! lie sentiment. and the enforcement of laws will
| always depend upon the action of the people
! Experience has fully demonstrated that the
| enforcement of any law, in opposition tC
| the pronounced sentiment of The community
! cannot be long successfully accOmpll shed
/ Whenever the people in any community
demand the enforcement of law, ''thelr voice
will be heard Without the support of public
sentiment. the efforts of the officers to enforce
| the law will not be crowned with success. All
| laws ought to be enforced for the open viola
| ton OF any law is GemoraliZing to the pub il
conscl ence. 1t breeds a disregard for law
which is dangerous TO any community. In TIL:
1 country the Jaw is supreme. IL is the gOvernIn!
power; and disregard of the law is disre
gard of the government itself continuation
in evil TO the state The du.y of every officer il
pain: the LEGISLATURE declares what the Law
shall be; it is the duty OF the executive to ODE.
and enforce it.
Assessment and Taxation.
There is an almost universal expression o
dissatisfaction with our preSe at mode of assess
| and conseque ltly unjusl, no one familiar witt
| it would for a moment deny. 1t is probably on
our laws. Our theory of taxation is that prop
| erty should pay the tax, and the only safe rul
| cash value without regard to its character o
| the use TO which it is applied. To a certain eX
tent. however; the revenue derived from prop
| erty ought to be taken as basis upon VIII CHI |
| compute its value. If every piece of properly il
the state were assessed at lis actual cash valu
there would be absolute equality in the pay
ment of taxes. But the same would also b
true if all the properly in the stat
eighty per cent. of its real value TIL,
| inequality arises. not from the fact that til
properly OF the state is ass ssed 600 low hut be
cause IL is assessed unequally. When one piec
of property is aSses Sed a. ten per cent. of VIVA
it is really worth. and another piece is aSSesSe
at its fuli value. ami other property is not a,
SesSed at al. great in just ce Is done to some o
the taxpayers; and yet that condition of thin !
actually exists in our state today. Millions {
dollars worth of properly escapes taxation OF
tirely as a result of ignorance, inef1iciency c
Wll1ul dishonesty on the part OF assessors
Other properly is assessed at from ten per cen
to one hundred per cent. of its actual va.ut
according TO the judgment or whm of the a:
SCISSOR.
here would be less danger of this inequallt
II an honest attemp5-Were made by all asses sci
! to place the true value Il property: bu5 BIZ
fore chat could be safely done the laws IN rt
gard 10 limitations Oh levieS should be changed
10 make the assessment four or five times Wha
it IS at present, allowing the limitation on tn
| levy TO remain where it Is, might prove pracC
c al conf scation of property IN some school dl
! "A a
careful examination of the law. am unable
see whe 1t fails 10 provide for an honest, in
partial assessment. The fault seems to be raIl
er in the administration OF the law than In III
law Itself If the proper officers compile
strictly with every provision of the laws re.atin
to assessment and taxation. there would be Ii
tie cause for complain. More severe penatit
might be attached violations
the law. but that remedy would hard
| accomplish the desired results for Whe
an assessor makes his returns. with propert
assessed at from ten to twenty-five per cent
/ Its real value and SWearS that he has to I'll
best of his Judgment gwen the true value.