Peninsula enterprise. [volume] (Accomac, Va.) 1881-1965, 1897-03-20
Vir@inia,s Expenses.

order constitutional convention to
be called. Nevertheless, we have no
sort of objection to urge against dis |
cussing our States expenses.
We wish to be fully informed upon
the subject, and we wish to give the
public the benefit of all of the infor-
nation we can secure. But we must
say that our largest items OF expense
neither legislature nor 81 conven-
ton would reduce.
For instance, according to the last
annual report of Auditor Marye, the
interest upon our public debt re-
ouired the SUM of STA, 1G5. This sum
could only be reduced III one way
by declining longer to give the educa-
tional institutions of the State the
excess of interest they NOW receive,
and by putting them upon the foot
ing of all other bondholders. Be
sides more than $1,000 thus APP
propriated, the University of Virginia,
the Virginia Military Institute, the
! Deaf, Dumb and Blind Institution,
the Colored Normal Institute, the
Female Normal School, the Medical
College of Virginia, the Virginia
Polytechnic Institute, and Wllllam
and Mary College, receive about
$3.50 600 per annum from our Treas
urv. In short, educational inStitu-
tons other than public schools re-
reive nearly $500, 900 per annum from
the State.
Now, how much OF these great
sums would legislature or con-
yention cut off Not much, if any.
Then, during the last fiscal year,
we paid 1850, 1851 to the public schools
of the State. Who expects that sum
to be reduced? Nobody. Neither
convention nor a legislature would
take a dollar away from the public
schools.
During the last fiscal year the care
of lunatics cost us 1913, 137. We doubt
if this expenditure could be reduced;
but, if so, it could be done better by
a legislature than by @ convention
unless, indeed, it is proposed to force
each county and city to pay for the
care of its patients. In that case, TO
be sure, an amendment to the Con-
stitution might be necessary.
Then, we have the item OF S143, 600
paid to our disabled soldiers, and to
| the needy widows of Virginia veter-
ans. Could we retrench there? No.
Nor would any serious attempt De
made to do so.
Subtracting the foregoing sums and
others of like character, but smaller
in amount, that we do not care to
cucumber this article with, we find
that the expenses OF government IN
Virginia are about $4,000 per an
mum. AT least one half of this is paid
out in criminal charges. There is GER
tainly leak there, but still we must
take into account the fact that
about 1857, 900 per annum is paid to
the State by contractors for hire OF
conyicts, giving net profit from the
penitentiary of about $50, 900 per an
mum. Viewed in this light, while
still unnecessarily large, our criminal
expenses are not so monstrous as they
would otherwise appear. The last
Legislature instituted reforms which
will save about $4,000 per annum,
and the next Legislature can lnsti-
rute others \ constitutional con
vention, however, might consider the
propriety of taxing each county with
its own criminal eXpenses-a prop
osition that would find favor in some
Quarters, and disfavor in others, and
which, we think, would be of doubt
ful propriety.
The grand total of disbursements
by the State Treasury is about So
100000 per annum: but this sum i'll
cludes interest, cost of public educa'
ton, pensions. care of lunatics, etc,
as we'll as the appropriations for the
support of government. But III this
So, SOC, 900 are large sums which are
not raised frolu taXes-for instance,
S137 600 for hire of convictS; 81 ,GG6
from the United States Government
fund for fostering agricultural and
mechanical colleges, and about SOL
600 collected from fines. There are
! doubtless other such items which do
not occur to us just now. In other
words, as to all these sums the State
of Virginia merely acts as banker.
Though a constitutional conyen-
ton might be ordered in May next,
and though it might be composed of
the best material, we doubt if any
provision would be made for cutting
down the sums paid to the higher
institutions of learning, or for public
schools, or for pensions, or for luna
tics-items that make the great bulk
! Of our expenses. So nearly all the
figuring tor retrenchment would
! have to be made on the expenditures
that 60 directly to the support of the
government. And yet we have heard
advocates of constitutional conven
ton say that such convention would
save the people of the State $250,000
per annum. There is no such mar
gin for saving in the State Govern
ment; if it exists anywhere, 1t must
be in the county governments.
Take year in and year out. when
the legislature is in session, and when
it is not, we find that the per annum
expenses of the State for support of
government is about as follows:
Salaries of officers and en-
ployees. ...... Sl25, 62O w
Contingent expenses of the
basement offices. 5000. 3,7OO 90
court courts. $1,000 90
Commissions to commission
and e. express. $1,000 90
*Public printing. ............ 23,500 90
- and marriages. ..........' 1000 90
Civil contingent fund. 10000 90
Civil prosecutions. 1000 90
Agricultural Bureau....... $4,000 90
Appeals. ................. 500 90
Virginia Reports. .......... 5000 90
Military fund. 1875 II
Military contingent fund. 1000 90
Criminal charges. .......... 3G2, 200 90
| OYSTER law maintaining the
oyster fleet. $4,000 90
Repairs to public buildings $500 90
Fuel, gas, and ice, State Of
I'D iLorrorraric Mon