Omaha daily bee., 1895-01-18
A CRITICAL CONDITION.

The condition of the state treasury, as
described in Treasurer Bartleys report
for the biennial period ending Novem-
Der 80 1894, demands the most serious
and careful consideration of the mem
bers of the legislature now in session.
The receipts covered into the treasury
for the past two years We're S4,40S,-
6135S, which added to the balance of
81, ,1S1 ,OS5.93 on hand at the time of the
previous report makes the total re-
sources foot up $5.5S9,G09.5 OF this
money $4,46S,312.17 was disbursed in
accordance with appropriations, so that
the balance on hand November 80 last
was $1,121, ,3S7.34.
The real meaning of these figures will
be better understood by Il comparison
with the corresponding figures found
in the treasurers report for the preced-
ing biennial period. The balance in
the treasury November 80, 1890, was
81 500, ,24S.20; the receipts to November
30, 1892, $685.. .S76.11; the disburse-
ments, $4,4O1 ,O3S.3S. The balance No
vember 80, 1892, was S11S1, ,OS5.93; the
receipts to November so, 1894, $4,4OS,-
613.5S; the disbursements, S4.46S,312 H.
The balance November 80, 1894, was
81 ,121 ,3S7.34. In other words, since
1890 the disbursements have regularly
exceeded the revenues. During the last
biennium they exceeded them by $59,-
G9S.59. The balance. which at the end
of 1890 was over a million and q half,
has shrunk by over 100000 on the face
Of the returns, and in reality by nearly
S250,O00 more. This balance reported
by Treasurer BARLEY is in large de-
gree fictitious, because to it is credited
the $23G,000 of Mosher's stealings from
the state and $1,000 tied up in a failed
state depository. Then, too, $215OOO
temporary school money has already
been apportioned to the counties, so that
the actual money in the hands of the
treasurer cannot be much more than
$665 200.
The statement of outstanding indebt-
edness is no more reassuring. The total
is 81, ,157, ,S05.46. The 100000 in relief
bonds were duly authorized by the leg
islature acting in its constitutional
capacity. But how about the other in
debtedness? The constitution is very
explicit in saying that the peace debt of
Nebraska shall never exceed in the ag-
gregate 100000. Yet we have $449,-
267.35 in funding bonds. And worse
yet, $547, ,2S1.1S general fund warrants
and SCI ,25G.93 Institute for Feeble
unpaid, and drawing per cent interest,
because drawn against funds in which
there is no money to pay them.
View the treasurer's statement from
any standpoint and the figures are by
far from encouraging. Take into con-
sideration the straitened circum-
stances of great number of our peo-
pie, the general depreciation of prop
erty values of all kinds, the increasing
difficulty with which citizens are able to
meet their taxes, and the situation is
indeed critical 1t should set an i'm
movable barrier against every project
for expanding the functions of the state
institutions and against every appro-
priation of state money that is not abso-
lutely necessary to tide the state GOV
ernment over the next two years. The
legislature has no more important duty
than that of devising the means of re-
storing the finances of the state to Il
normal condition. 1t cannot shirh this
duty without exposing the treasury to
the danger of outright bankruptcy.
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