The Caldwell tribune. [volume] (Caldwell, Idaho Territory [Idaho]) 1883-1928, 1896-10-10

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Gus districts supplied with books: SO
that IN reality the apparent win be no
expenditure at all, and is no debt; and
50, too the $4,000 appropriated for the
soldiers Home, is merely in the nature
Of a loan to that institution, for the
law provides that the amount shall be
repaid to the state from the proceeds
OF the sale of lands granted for such in.
situations and set apart for the benefit
OF the Soldiers Home. Thus. it will
be seen, that this appropriation, also
is not an actual debt incurred.
Fearing that least we might hurt the
feeling of our economical friends, the
Democrats and Populists, we dislike to
make comparisons; but there is one
item in this matter of extraordinary
expenditure to which we would call
especial attention. 1t is that of Sl2,5OO
for the permanent improvement Of the
penitentiary. Gov. Mcconnell recon
mended the appropriation of $4,000
for this purpose; the legislature, how
ever, restricted the amount to SI2..
800. In 1886, when Gov. Stevenson
delivered his message to the legislature,
he said:
"In my last report to the secretary of
the interior, 1 urged upon congress the
necessity and expediency of enlarging
penitentiary, and enclosing the same
with good substantial stone wall, and
asked an appropriation of $4,000 to
be used in the purschase of material,
tools, lumber and other necessary arti-
cles, and also to provide extra guards
to guard the prisoners while buildings
were under construction. / would par
ticlarly ask the legislature to memorial
ize congress on this important subject"
As the result, probably, of the recon-
mendation made by Gov. Stevenson,
congress appropriated $4,000. With
that amount what is known as the
new cell house at the penitentiary was
constructed; and doubtless the most
exact Democratic economy was OBJ
served in its construction.
An inspection of the new building,
just completed by the present state adj
ministration, and of the so,called new
cell house," will afford a comparison
such as to lead any impartial observer
inevitably to the conclusion that the
cell house could reasonably have cost a
third what the new building did; and
yet, not only was the new building
erected, but the entire wall around the
penitentiary prison grounds, inclOsing
some four acres of land, were both
built with the appropriation made by
the second legislature, towit, $12,500,
and yet Democratic and Populist ora
tors charge this as extravaganza.
During the past year the state of
Idaho has paid off bonds to the amount
of $95, 900, and has paid interest on
bonds in the sum of $55,875, making a
total payment on bond account of $780,
S75. Our annual interest charge, as
will be seen, has been gradually re-
duced, and while the present admins
tration has issued 100000 in bonds
secured by state property, and which
will not cost the taxpayers of the state
one cent III the way of increased taxes,
this extraordinary expenditure has
paid off bonds almost equal in amount
to these issued.
To recapitulate in the matter of in
debtedness, our total indebtedness is
S393,O00. Our total warrant indebted.
ness September 2lst, 1896, $209, 1872
making a grand total of S602, 1872. If
from this amount, we deduct the rev.
enues of the state available on or be-
fore January LIST next, we have a total
net indebtedness of $346,021, and that
represents every dollar of Indebtedness
of all kinds and descriptions which the
state of Idaho is liable for in any way
shape or manner. Why, some Of our
counties are as much in debt as is the
state. This limited debt is monu-
ment to the wisdom of the Republican
administration which the Republican
party has given to the state of Idaho.
One other matter to which attention
should be called. 1t is the absurdly
ridiculous charge made by Capt, Gum,
the People's-Democratic candidate for
congress, that our state school fund is
over a hundred thousand dollars in
debt. Our state school fund is com
posed of the proceeds of the sale of
school lands granted to the state by the
general government; of the proceeds Of
escheated estates of persons deceased
without heirs, and of grants made to
state from every source for school puF-
poses.
Our constitution requires that this
shall be an irreducible fund that can
never be infringed for any cause or
purpose. The fund may be invested
under our constitutional provisions in
United States bonds, state bonds and
farm mortgages, and not otherwise.
All the moneys in said fund have been