The Saint Paul globe., 1897-12-06
THE SOURCE OF THE DEFICIT.

THE SOURCE OF THE DEFICIT.
The state treasurer informs the
Glob that he, also, does not share the
hopefulness Of the state auditor in the
recovery of solvency by the revenue
fund, and fears that his statement for
December will show a worse condition,
that is, a larger deficiency, than did
that for November. One does not have
to go far to discover the cause Of this.
He finds it in the astonishing liberal
ity of legislators with the money Of
other people. The auditor informs us
that both he and his deputy labored
with senators during the last session
to keep down expenses or, as an al
tentative, to increase the tax levy.
They advised them that the present
condition of the treasury would surely
be reached unless one or the other of
these things was done. But legislators
were quite as unwilling to face their
constituents with larger levy as they
were to reduce the spending, and the
result is a deficit that Will continue to
grow larger and larger until another
Legislature convenes.
This is not altogether the result of
reckless extravaganza on the part Of
all the legislators. 1t is directly trace
able to a policy begun years ago and
continued to the present time, with no
prospects of abatement, Of scattering
the state institutions over the state to
satisfy the local hunger for some kind
of an institution and the local spend
ing of the money subsequently appro-
priated for its support. The result is
that every Legislature contains now
body of representatives and senators
under obligations to secure for the in
stitutions located in their districts as
large a sum of public money as posi-
bic. Their constituents, among whom
the money is to be spent, expect it, and
the member who talks reduction of ap-
preparations for his and the other in
stitutions would be retired at the next
election for one who would not be
guilty of such disloyalty. Having each
a common interest, they combine to Sc
cure what each wants, each consenting
to the demands of the other to get
what he wants.
While they have not a numerical ma
jority in either house, although they
are rapidly approaching one, they are
experts in the process of 'log-rolling."
There is hardly a member who comes
down to the session who has not some
measure which he wishes to have
enacted and whose Importance he high
ly values. To secure its passage he
must have help, and he falls an easy
tion-legislators, who promise him their
votes in return for his given in aid Of
their appropriations. Thus they are
the absolute masters Of the states
treasury. Their appetites, like the love
of Hamlet's mother, grow by what they
feed on; like the daughters Of the
horse leech, their cry Is ever more,
more" No other department of the
crease in appropriations that do our
public institutions, especially the char
liable ones. While property falls in
value, while the assessment rolls show
les make wreck, and the capacity to
pay taxes is lessened, their acceded de-
mands grow larger and larger
And the alacrity with which each
consumes all Of the appropriation made
for it is astonishing. No end Of fiscal
year sees an uneXpended balance re-
ported, if it can be possibly avoided.
With hardly an exception, the expense
bills Of the last month Of the fiscal year
contain extraordinary purchases Of sup
plies, apparently made for the purpose
Of using up all the appropriation so
as to furnish basis for demand for
the same or larger amount. There is
no story that the taxpayers Of the
state can read more beneficially than
the pages Of the auditors biennial re-
port giving the expense accounts and
their items. Page after page, not all
itemized, for there are items for which
there is no warrant in law that are
punched. 1t is story, continued year
after year, Of useless, prof1igate, ex-
travagant spending of money paid by
the property owners Of the state un-
der threat of sequestration of their
property if default is made.