The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1897-01-13
Governor Grrgg., Small Message.

AfSSSAA1b4s AiS PlASoAS VAN fONe9 y
John W. Griggs for Governor. something
over a year ago, on the assumption that
he was a statesman, are pretty we'll dis
gusted with their bargain. The message
ture yesterday was in ali respects the
smallest ever prepared by a Governor of
New Jersey. 1t was neither comp-ehen-
sive as a review of State affairs. nor
the Legislature. II was shallow, empty.
trite. evasive. cowardly.
The only matters treated afirmatively
We're the allowances 10 county lunatic
asyiums, 4 matter involving a consider
Abis sum Of money but otherwise of very
second rate importance. and the volln-
mostly of the statutes. a fad Of the Gov
ernor's, growing out of his practice as q
member Of the bar in the Passaic courts.
There were two large. general subjects of
interest mentioned in the report. and on
both of these the Governor lodged ana
trimmed in a manner which is simply
c~ontemptIble.
The first of these is the issue Of State
finance On this. instead of facing boldly
the issue, and rebuking his party for its
gross extravaganza. he tries to throw
dust n the eyes of the people by ailusi3n
10 the large cash balance on hard. a
balance which he knows to be as unreal
as Republican reform pretenoe. The
Eruth OF the situation is told in the report
of Comptroller Hancock. which is sum-
married in another column. of 1.-THE
News today. The report shows that
the State has a balance on hand of
ss5s.e2S.ss 1t also shows, however, that
the estimated receipts for the coming
year will be about s2s0s6.S $40. which, with
the balance, would make the estimated
resources for the next year ss,04s. 1885
The disbursements under the appropria-
ton bill viii amount to s2,27s, 81. Sc. leay-
ing a balance of STA, 1856.
Upon the outlook. Mr.. Hancock com
ment thus
Against which susn of s77a. 12Le6 viii be
lag 66A al dppCDpT1dliOlS made by the
Legislature soon to convene.
As only a small portion of the revenue
- received into the State Treasury be-
tween the commencement Of the fiscal
year ana the following February, 1t is abb
soiutely necessary that at beast S70a,0e0
should remain in the Treasury at the close
OF ulle fiscal year ending October 81, 1897,
Cor the purpose of meeting in
excess of the receipts between November
J. 1887, ana FebruarysL 1898, and also for
the purpose of advancing to the school
otherwise it would be necessary to effect
temporary loans in anticipation of re-
cedpts. 5r
The State, practically without debt of
any kind. resources sufficient to meet the
necessary expenses without the imposition
OF a Stafestax, is a matter of pride to
every J~erseyman. but II remains for the
whether tile present financial eondstien of
the State is to be maintained.
II VIII be observed from the foregoing
statement that the appropriations for the
year upon which we have just entered
talready made by the last Legislatare) ex-
coed the estimated receipts by $l8s, sol SO,
which sum VII be augmented by supple
mental appropriations made by your hon
Drable body.
Condensed anto a sentence. this is to say
chat the two last Republican Legislatures
nave been impairing the splendid surplus
rolled up under Albeit and Werts, as fast
as the BillfoH Congress used up the Ma
tionai surplus, and It now remains to see
whether the present aggregation of states
men win take one more big step towards
wiping 1t cut altogether.
The State fund shows a decrease in re-
ceipts of s37, ssS. 95 and a decrease in dis
bursements of 1885,, 2ss.0s from those of the
preceding year. The decrease IN disbarse-
ments. the report says, is due largely to
the expenditure Of $l2s. 1867 for advertis-
ing the laws in the newspapers during the
preceding year, the only Republican econ
ogny to date. If the recommendations Of
ths General Report of the Taxation Conn
mission are enacted into law, the State
Fund will be further depleted by about
$4,000 a year. the cne-half of one per cent.
on second class property which is now re-
aained bS the State but which viii then
be turned over to the municipalities. In
view Of these facts, the namby-parnby talk
OF the Governor about the economy effect
ed through the appropriation bill system
IS Little better than disgusting, and his
mild remarks about the need of care in
the future are provokingly weak and
muany.
But it is when he gets to the taxation
question that he shows his fun weakness
and cowardice as we'll ais his disgraceful
e,,rsearviarce n the railroad interasfs He