The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1897-04-28
GOVERNMENT BY STATE TREAS
URER.

| Pamlico that he Wouiu ho
| pay certain Claims which ha
twice been approved by the Suprem
Court, thus constituting himself the hlsh
| est appellate court in the State, even go
| ing to the extent of over-ruling the Su
| preme Court.
He is not content with over-ruling tn
| Supreme Court, but when he ascertalnet
| that the General Assembly had made ap
preparations in excess of the revenues o
the State, he issued a proclamation tt
| the effect that he would not pay amy o.
the special appropriations made by the
sole law king power of the State. lie
has not the remotest scintilla Of authority
for thus vetoing the action Of the Legisla
ture. Nobody made him a guardian OF
the legislators. Their statutes are the
laws of the State. Upon them is confer
red the exclusive power to make apro-
priations and levy taxes. If they make
appropriations in excess Of revenues they
provide, it is not the duty Of the State
Treasurer to veto their appropriations.
1t is his business to pay out so long as
he has money. II there is deficit, that
is not the concern Of the State Treasurer.
1t will not reflect upon him, but upon
the legislators who didn't have enough
sense to make the income equal the outgo.
1t is not the State Treasurer's duty to
reason why" 1t is his duty to follow
the law, and the law directs him to pay
out the appropriations made by the Gen
he presumes to say what he will pay and
what he will not pay. We beg leave to
call his attention to section 1856 of The
Code, where he will find his duties plainly
prescribed.
Attention was called yesterday to the
fact that the Revenue Act provides that
the money to be derived from taxation
shall be applied
1. TO the expense of the State gov
eminent.
2. To charitable institutions.
). To specific apprOpria tons.
+. To the interest on the 4 per cent.
debt.
In its recent decision, the Supreme
Court intimated that this was the order
in which the claims against the State
should be paid, and yet the State Treas
urer assumes to veto all the specific ap
preparations which have priority over
the public debt The wise men who com
muted and settled the State debt neve1
contemplated that the Stae Treasurer
could veto legislative enactments, and
they set apart (see section 1916 certain
taxes to pay the interest on the bonds.
That section reads as follows:
"All State taxes levied and collected
from professions, tr.hles, rncomes,
merchants, dealers in segars, and
tlJce-fourths of all the taxes collected
from wholesale and retail dealers in
spirituous, vinous and malt liquor,
shall be held and applied to the pay
ment of the interest on said bonds"
Section $3.50 Of The Code reads:
a. further provision for the pur-
pose of paying the interest on these
said bonds, if the taxes for any one
year upon the subjects hereinbefore
mentioned shall be insufficient to pay
said interest, then and in that case
the State Treasurer shall be author
lied to apply any funds in the treas
ury not otherwise appropriated for that
purpose.
1t will be seen that if funds in the State
Treasury have been otherwise apprO-
,riated," the State Treasurer cannot APP
,ly them to pay the interest on the bonds
according to the State Treasurer, more
money has been appropriated than the
AK levy will bring in; therefore he cab
rot legally apply the money in the State
Treasury to the payment of the inter.
EST What then? Section 1888 of the
Code provides that if "in the event that
the taxes collected in any one year upon
the aforesaid subject of taxation, and tho
funds NOT OTHERWISE APPROPRI-
ATED in the Treasury when added to-
gether shall be inadequate to pay said
interest, then, in order to provide for the
NClCIGUCy liie bSldlc ltdSuItI . dulAlOl-
lied to issue coupon bonds of the de-
OF FIVE hundred dollars"
This is as plain as pikestaff. The
issue OF bonds would be most unpopular.
and therefore in order to avert the I'M
the issue would involve, and
TO screen. a careless and corrupt Legisla
ture, the State Treasurer assumes the
exercise authority never conferred by the
on the statutes of the State.
The people are beginning to see the
kind of-se~efnnfent they let the 10000
negroes and their allies foist upon the
state last November The State Treas
rrer ought to do his duty and not try to
shield tie Legislature. Let them receive
the condemnation from the people which
they richly merit.
ELECTRIC BITTERS.
tod