Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-03-16

would a legislature or convention cut
on9 Not much. II any
rhen. during the last isral year we
paid Sass ~ 10 the public schools Of the
state. Who expects that SUN - be re-
dnced? Nobody. Neither q convention
noe a legislature would take n dollar
away ftom the public schools
During the last fs,al year tho care Of
luustics cost us Sl2lsi. We doubt II
iris expenditure could be reduced. but. II
so. il could be done better by legisla-
ture than by a convention IA
deed It is proposed to force each county
and city 10 pay for the care OF IT'S
patients. In that case. TO be sure, an
amendment to the Constitution might be
necessary.
Then, We have the item OF $4,000 PAID
TO our disabled soldiers. and 10 the neery
widows Of Virginia veterans. Gould we
retrench there? No. Nor would any Sc
rious attempt be made TO do so.
Subtractlng the foregoing sums ana
Others OF Ike character, bat amallcr IN
amount. that we do not care TO cucumber
this article with. we find that the eX-
penses of government In Virginia are
atou, $4,000 per amnum. At least one half
OF this is paid out In criminal charges.
There IL certainly a leak the-e. but still
we must take into account the fact tnat
about $4,000 per annum is paid TO the
state by contractors FOR hire OF convieis.
giving a net profit from the peniiehtiary
OF about $4,000 per annum. Viewed IN
this light. while still unnecessarily large,
our criminal expenses are not 80 mon
strous as they would otherwise appear
The last Legislature instituted reforms
which will save about $4,000 per annum.
and the next Legislature can institute
others. A constitutional convention,
however, might consider the proprlety Of
taxing each county with it's own criminal
expcnses--a proposition that would find
favor in some quarters, and disfavor in
others, and which. we think, would be
of doubtful propriety.
The grand total Of disbursements by the
State Treasury is about S55OO,0OO per an
mum; but this sum includes interest,
cost Of public education. pensions, care
Of lunatics, etc, as well as the appro-
priations for the support of government.
But in this SS.500.OOO are large sums
which are not raised from taXes-for in
stance. $4,000 for hire of convicts; S2l 666
from the United States Government fund
for fostering agricultural and mechani-
cal colleges, aud about 81 900 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
a banker.
Though a constitutional convention
might be ordered in May next, and
though it might be composed of the best
material, we doubt If any pro-
vision would be made for cutting down
the sums paid TO the higher insti-
tutions OF learning, or for pubic schools,
or for pensions, or for lunstics-items
that make the great bulk Of our ex~
penses. SO nearly all of the figuring for
retrenchment would have TO be made on
the expenditures that go directly
to the support Of the government.
And yet we have heard advocates
Of a constitutional convention say
that such a convention would save
the people of the State $4,000 per an
mum. There is no sue. margin for
saving fl the State Government; if it
exists anywhere, it must be in the county
governments.
Take year in and year out. when the
81 a fu in " IL
not. we find that the per annum expenses
Of the State for support of government
is about as follows:
Salaries of officers and employees. Sl25 $40 co
Contingent expenses Of the base
ment offices ....... .............. 5,lOJ w
Contingent expense Of courts..... 3l,5OO W
Commissions 10 commissioners of
revenue. postage, and express. 5S,OU ~
fPublc printing OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES. 25,oD W
Registering births, deaths, and
Civil contingent fund.-. ....... 1850 90
Civil prosecutions .................. LOU %
Agricultural Bureau ............... 1900 90
Printing records Court of Appeals 500 90
Virginia Reports ............... 5000 20
Military fund ......... ............ 1879 II
Military contingent fund ......... Loo %
Criminal charges ..........s......-. 3bZ,VOO W
Oyster law. maintaining oyster
Repairs TO public buildings. ....... $500 %
Fuel. gas. ana Ice, Sldlc OlllceS
and Governors Mansion ........ $500 90
Reassassment of lands (a)......... 1850 40
81 legislature ....., ............. $500 90
Fish Commissioner ................. 100 90
Reporter Court of Appeals........ 1,5D %
Total .... .................s74O, 795 n
Included in the foregoing items are
some for which the State is reimbursed,
in whole or in part-as from the receipts
through the Agricultural Department,
sale of Virginia Reports. etc.
sThe Legislature meets once In two
years Here we divide the eXpense-take
one year with another When the Leglsla-
ture is in session the printing bill Is much
larger than it is otherwise.
(aO Assessments are made once In five
wears. We here give one fifth of the cost,
apportioned as an annual charge