The Cape Girardeau Democrat., 1897-01-16
GOV. STONES MESSAGE.
MlssoC-i's Retiring Governors
Final Communication.
a SeaeraI Review of Conditions as They
Exist i'm the State Supplemented by
Recommendation of Need
ed Legislation.


ing message to the Thirty-ninth gen.
>EEaI assembly of the state of Missouri:
GENTLEMEN OF THE THIRTY-NINTH GEN-
EzkALs ASSEMBLY: As the administration of
'Vhlch have been part is now near its close
IL is due Chat should render at least brief
account OF what has been accomplished.
The constitution provides that whenever the
c2A8bte valuations of the state shall amount TO
500 0g1 zoo the rate OF taxation levied for state
EeGenue purposes shall not exceed Is cents on
sh'e one hundred dollars just preceding the
beginning Of this administration in 1898 the
CoSai valuations OF the state were raised from
4 few millions below the nine hundred million
mark to few millions above it. Prior to that
the state revenue tax amounted to 70 cents on
the one hundred dollars. The effect of raising
the valuation above 5000 5000 was to reduce
the revenue tax from 20 cents to IS cents on the
hundred dollars. This resulted In 4 loss OF
oE1e-fourth OF the state revenue. The increas.
11ich in the first instance carried the aggre-
gate valuation above S9OOtOU,UOO was IN
significant as compared to the yaIua-
zfouS OF the previous year hat 1t amounted to
practically nothing in the way of compromising
Edc the loss sustained by the reduction IN the
'cLx rate The effect OF this can be better un-
decsuOJd when /: N known that this reduction
decreased the annual revenue about $50 90.
The valuations have incrDasC somewhat by
zlasUraI accretIOn and dcve lopa ."nt during the
last four wears, about SI.UojODJ ...lUc having
besa added since 1888. The iHc .i~e would no
doubt have been mucn larger kept Tor the
gTOtractrd ana UNIVERSAL business cDTcSslon
sIntssr which The country has SuTv.LG-G de
preston which has operated to greatly reduce
.he market price OF almost eVery class OF
properly. The tax gathered from the increase 4
valuations since 1893 has not been sufficient to
replace more than small proportion OF the
immense loss OF revenue sustained by the re-
=aHctIOu in the tax rate TO which have alluded.
Ordinarily enc would suppose that .lS the DOpu-
IaLiOI ana public necessities OF u state in
crease. Its revenues should increase in a cor
responding ratio; but. anOma lOus rs it may
seem this adminiStra tiOn at the very begin
Mig Of its career was confronted by the neces-
Sity OF administering the affairs of a state,
CONSTANTLY ana rapidly growing IN population
75Ed tAe requirements of the public service.
with largely diminished treasury. During
this period Ue have often been hard pressed to
meet .Lhe demands autho IL by legislative
7Iypro pFiatiOns; but / am happy to say that
with very few exceptions We have been able
promptly To discharge every legitimate obliga-
Sfou. and wherever Gehcienclc~ OF any CuuSe-
.qDcHcs GaVc occurred they have grown out Of
appropriations over which the state officials
.tATc had nO direct cOutroi. The total So
fIcicHcIeS for the current Oienu al period viii
amount TO &jj5.ijs. OF this sum 2:G.5Jn are
--8Ecred bY deficiency in the approximation
EH;4sSe To piy the criminal tO>tS OF the state
zHd SH-3i IN the appropriation made for the
slsSsSSing and collecting OF the revenue; leav-
Ias. but st. 633 OF deficiencies arising from all
sySher sources The treasury is now prepared
20 meet any lawful demands that may be maize
slglinst it. and at the end of the current rcve-
nuc year Il will have II substantial balance To
lis credit None Of the deficiencies can be paid
9Ut OF this balance. however. as no money can
Ne Withdrawn except in pursuance OF an appro-
ttTiaJion: and Deficiencies result, as yOu l,nOw
OHlY when appropriations have been exhaust
ed Although we have encountered many diffi-
cuIUieS aud have been compelled TO resort to
sJery legitimate eXp"dicnt 10 escape cmbar-
rasSmcut. am pleased to report that we have
succeeded in meeting the appropriations. and
the trrgISury will he delivered To the incoming
admin fstration in solvent condition, with the
credit Of the state unimpaired.
DEBT REDUCTION.
Ogi January. I. 1888. the bonded debt Of the
state amounted to S6.GSt.OJl 1t consisted OF
- IA Jp Of per cent bonds and s. i3POnOJ of
81 per cent option bonds During this admin
Lsir1t sOu. besides promptly paying the interest
=AS tL matured, the who'c OF the per cent.
tn0HdS have been paid, and $1,000 Of the 31s
yer cents. have been called and retired max
E7N 4 total reduction in the principal OF the
lent OF 81 ,GS0OO0. TIL" bonded debt now con-
.s.ISss of even S5.GO)OG0 OF -. per cents option
bsHCS- The annual interest on the bonded
eAebt as IL stood in January. 1893, was S.6s.5 0;
EFhiic the annual interest charge on the debt as
gs StaudS to-day is only l7i0OO-being 4
SSstai saving on this account OF 300
,<p.T a0Hum. AS the principal of the debt is
E-s5tISc sd from year " year, 1t Wall require less
k1ssi less OF the tax Specially led 10 meet the
debt 10 pay lnt rest, aud more and more Of
that fund Will be available Tor the retirement
Of Ibc principal. II the property valuations OF
HtSe sIate re.I.aIu Substantially they now are
and EHe pceSUuG rate UI taxation Is continued
rhr incoming administration, according TO my
calculation viii De aUIe 10 pay nearly si,GD.ODO
Il Gtbe uprinCIpaI ueDL the next four
ScszFs- IeaELIg the total bonded deUU at that
sjreEI during Lnr nrSt year OF the succeeding
asyRsi niSLruLIOn. So IL be confidently as
serted Ih..I, even though there shall be no ma
Ee Hat cnauge IOr the better IN business and
nG<aBcl3I Conditions, tine state VIII DE free
fr0ts a bonded uuUL within i've wears from
Ga - dale II, happily. the country snail be
ikls<sSs;ead IN tine meantime with u reSIOrR-
'-GSE Of prOSperlLJ, Il cUuSummaLIUn often prom
Isssd huL sInl ueierTeu, anu yet one We de-
Vs~uty wish tor--vaIuatlons would of necessity
Rrsiatly Increase, ana the larger collections re-
stIIEIng Lncrefruu might enable the next Iu-
Gaming administration to turn the state over
70 SHUcessUr Practically. II not wholly. re-
EEeFcu "a bonded debt. At all events, We have
u9E reached "a point where We can safely set u
ILnlIL WItnIn which the public debt VIA ne ex-
GsSR2uiSnCd. NneA Ihat much TO be desired re-
s&IiG - ac, Onp!lsh the tax now levied To meet
The bOnued ueDt TTIli cease and the public bur
UeE te lIghiencd to that eAteut
PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS.
NOW Outstanding | &c severe SJrInEenCy of the
t1issIcs The puDIIc .IJuJIULS Ci the have
ts0L Only been kept up To the high poIut OF EN-
tsSency Cney hau previously attdtneu, but they
Ea2Ce Haue substantial progress III many lm-
p0I19nL particulars. Durlng the last four
Ss9~rs Lhe main building of the uuiyer-
sHisy- tnown ~ Academic hal--a
sEEperb SJructure-haS been erected at 4 cost OF
RrsLlJI AT the school UI mIueS new ediHce,
EEIOHn the MetalIurgICal laboratory, has
bs5en constructed, and Will be equIppeu at Il
cost of s25,UUO, and valuable additions have
Essaen maze to the college grounds. 4 new
~xsIence building has been aducu TO the War
EuHsburg normal; the main building Of the
Has been rebuilt on Il far more imposing ScaIe:
Exo new buildingS-One 9tXe6 feet, and one
ssHtS teet-and green house 26XlOO feet, and
=k{SO building IOr employees. with Il large
AT FtoCe-room attached, have been erected at the
ST Joseph asylum, and ll0 acres added to the
,xr0unGS; one new cottage, or family building.
and one new school building, have been DuIIt at
rbe Industrial home for girls: new cottage
t<2r boys, new dining hall and chapel, 4 large
shop building. large brick barn, II new bak-
cry, n large store room with cold storage, and
HsE nee house of 500 tons have been built ut
che reform school for boys; a magnificent new
So1er plant, with four large boilers, which
EzOE furnishes steam power sor all shops and
factories and heats all buildings; one large
Eour-Story brick building, the lower story Of
vEh ch Is used as q laundry and the three upper
stories for shops by contractors; one large
ahrGe-story cell building, not yepQuite COM
r1fete, equipped with the best modern imprOv-
Iz1e1tS and capable Of accommodating 52S
prisoners; one large slaughter house, with
Esotd storage, and tue whole thoroughly well
crowded with the latest Improvements,
nave all been added to the penitentiary, to-
e,sshcr with 40 acres Of valuable land adjoining
che prison, known the Minor tract" In
addition TO the foregoing other important and
IzAluable improvements have been made to
shese and other public institutions of the state
Eaeeu expended in additions and repairs to the
rsenaI, eleemosynary and educational eStab-
EhSamentS OF the state This sum, however.
Aces not by any means represent the full value
sTf the improvements. as the buildings erected
nj che penitentiary and the reform school were
largely ConStruc ted out of materials furnished
!JF those institutions and almost wholly by
ER son labor. Because OF the financial stress we
have sometimes foundIt dIificuit to pEovide the
e1,a-s. .H,.nr, a..T,sg-