Mexico weekly ledger., 1897-05-13
A History Of the Legislature.
FIRST OF A SERIES OF ARTICLES
FROM THE PEN OF REPRE-
SENTATIVE BRADLEY.
Some Figures Relative to the Income
Of the State University, Other
Than State Aid-Mr. Bradleyis
Friendly to the University.
Correspondence of the Ledger.

MEXICO, Mo-, May 6.-By your per-
mission I propose to write few ar
ticles giving little of the history OF
the doings of the Thirty Ninth Gener-
al Assembly. do this that The peo-
pie may the better understand the
condition of things and know the bet
ter how to act in the future.
AS to the justice of my vote upon
the endowment bill, have explained
that and in a way that NO man has
ever attempted to refute my position.
First. 1 showed by constitutional
authority that the Legislature was
forbidden by that instrument from
voting a debt of over $3.50, 700 upon
the people, either real or fictitious,
without their consent. To this there
has been no answer.
Second. I asserted that the consti-
tuition and the plighted faith of the
State for the security of its bonds for
bade the use of the sinking fund for
the payment of the State debt and the
interest thereon for any other purpose
than that for which it was set apart,
ard not single man has attempted to
show to the contrary.
Third. 1t was asserted that we were
under constitutional obligations to
support the University. Imost posit-
lively denied it, only as provided under
certain conditions which have never
existed, from the public school fund,
and asked If there was any such con-
stitutional obligation where that pro-
vision of the constitution could be
found, and only echo answers, where.
The only question is, should have
disregarded my obligations to support
the constitution, or not? 1t is not a
question of who would be bnefited by
such move, but should it be done? 1
opine that there are few men in Au-
drain county who would advise such a
course. Not only this, but the man
who will undertake to ridicuIs another
for regarding his constitutional obli-
cations, not only renders himself
ridiculous in the eyes of all good men,
but is unworthy of belief in any state
ment he may make.
Now, as regards my third PROPOSE
ton that the State is under no consti-
tutional obligation to support the
University, will say this: that -there
is no provision expressly fOrbidding
such support, except, as MIR. Rubey
says, that it does seem that il the
trainers of the constitution had in
tended its support from the general
revenue they would have said so and
not have made the provision they did
relative to the school fund. But be-
lieving that this question might justly
be submitted to the courts and acting
upon the precedent OF former Legis-
latures, 1 voted for the most liberal
appropriation that was submitted be-
fore the body.
I will state here that, however will
ing or unwilling men were to vote ap-
preparations to the State University,
there never was time when the en-
dowment bill could have been passed,
for the simple reason that men
felt that they would not only be vio-
lating the constitution, but in that very
act setting bad precedent for the fu-
ture.
If the Legislature has g right to
contract a debt of $4,000, 900, either
real or fictitious, for six years, it has
a right to contract debt for six hun
dred years. And if for s., ,000, 900 it has
the same right for 5000, 0,00O, 900, and
where is this to end? If this Legisla-
ture can endow the University with
81, 100000, with the same propriety
the next General Assembly can endow
it with two more million. If it can cre-
ate sham debt for 81, ,000, ,O0O,it can
create an unlimited amount of fictiti-
GUS paper. There were the three
Normal schools that would have been
glad to have had finger in the same
pie, and why not? They are good in
stitutions, created by the State in the
special interest of the public schools,
But where is this thing to end2 If we
are to override the constitution in one
instance, why not dispense with that
instrument altogether? I venture to
assert that had this bill have passed,
that instead of the State debt being
paid off, in less than ten years it would
have been doubled.
The present Governor promised the
people in his canvass that the State
debt should be paid of during his ad-
ministration, and yet, If the endow-
ment bill had passed 1t would simply
have increased the State debt by S2,-
0OO, 900 and have made it impossible OF
payment under six years. While not
increasing the tax it would have made
it impossible for it to have been de-
creased.
know the enemies of the endow-
ment bill had q strong and hard fight
and / feel that they ought to have
credit for being brave, noble men, or
A6 H..