The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-30
REFORM" MESSAGE SENT IN.
GOV. CANDLER'S PLANS FOR RE-
LIEvING THE STATE TREASURY.

Geo in the school Fund for Two
Years. and the Revision of the
Pension List to an INDECENT Basis
Trimming of the school Fund Not
Likely to Deprive Children of
Schooling.
Atlanta, Ga. Nov. 29.-Gov. Gambler to-
day sent reform message to the gen
eral assembly, advocating a reduction OF
the school fund 100000 and trimming the
pension Est down to an INDECENT basis.
Substantially. the message is as follows:
at has been suggested that revision OF
our entire taxing system will develop an
amount OF property which now escapes
taxation, large enough TO yield revenue
sufficient to make up the deficiency in The
states revenues No doubt such revision,
The Importance of which I most earnestly
urge upon The attention of the general as
sembly would uncover for taxation a large
amount of property which now eludes the
hand of the lax gatherer, but not suf-
fcient amount to make up the deficiency
In the states revenue. The class OF prop
erty which escapes the taxing officer IS
usually stocks and bonds and other evil
dences of Indebtedness. While much prop
ertv of this character undoubtedly escapes
taxation. il is not as much as many sup
pose. for our high rates of taxation, state,
county and municipal, have driven it large
IN out of the state The price of money
is exceedingly low No good bond now
sells in The market higher than a 3la per
cent. basis In most Of the counties, the
slate and county taxes amount to l per
cent, and in most OF The cities the tax
eatherer demands about much for mu-
nicipal PURPOSES Hence to the holder of
such securities there is left after paying
taxes. state county and municipal, only
IL per cent. net on his investment. This is
so low that it is to his interest TO place
his money elsewhere, where it will yield
better profit. He there
fore seeks refuge in New Eng
land trust companies and savings banks,
where he escapes taxation. This being the
case. no taxing system can be devised
that WIN reach this class of property whlle
our tax rates are so high and even, II, as
hoped By some, large amounts OF TINS SORT
OF property could be reached and made
10 hear its share of the burdens Of gov
ernment, it could noi be done IN t''ne
TO meet the liabilities of the state, which
VIII press upon us in the next six or eight
months too early for new taxing system
to be enacted and put into operation. rms
Being conceded, the question presents IL
self what appropriations can be reduced
so as TO bring the states outgo Wlthlh
her income with least detriment 10 the
hest interests Of all the people There
are some appropriations that cannot be
cut such as the public debt, including the
S. 900 due the university annually, the IN
terest on the $4,000 land scrip fund stu
neld by the state; such salaries as can
nor under the constitution be reduced
during the term for which the present
incumbents were elected; insurance pre-
mlums on pubic property and the sink
ing fund These are fixed charges on the
treasury that cannot be reduced and must
be met without abatement taking the
total of all these appropriations from the
total of the estimates made by the treas
urer for the next year, we have ABOUT
e. ooo OA0 left on which to work in our eff
fort TO bring the states expenditures down
"a her receipts without increasing the tax
rate. OF this 100000 $4,000 goes to
pensions and 81. 600 in round numbers
goes to common schools total OF nearly
So 800 .O00 leaving only $4,000 estimated for
ais other purposes, an amount httie more
than sufficient TO meet the demand on the
treasury during the next eight months
unprovided for.
I'm other words, if you wipe our your
printing fund, your contingent fund, your
military fund, your public building fund,
etc. ETC., and if all the salaries ana com
uensation 10 all officers of the legislative,
executive and judicial departments of the
states government be abolished, and these
officers work for nothing, you would not
in the present rate of taxation, after pay
sIfg the fixed charges on the treasury,
which cannot be lessened, and the esti-
mated appropriations to schools and pen
sions, have a dollar left. Thus 1t is DEM
onstrated that you must either raise the
present rate OF taxation reduce your
appropriations for schools and pensions.
Much sympathy and sentiment has been
INDUCED in by some people and some
newspapers, professed friends of the
schools and pensioners about the sacred
ness of the appropriations for the old sol
diers and the school children, and it IS
right for us TO guard with jealous care
these two objects of the states care; but
al the same time, we must not lose sight
of The fact that those who pay taxes are
entitled TO as much consideration as those
no get the benefit of them. Neither pub
lie sentiment nor justice requires US TO
levy taxes upon the poor mechanics and
small farmers of the state, many of them
themselves veterans who have at best in
such times as these a hard struggle to
live, and feed, and clothe those dependent
upon them. to pay pensions TO those who
are better off than they are. and who do
not need the bounty of the state to sup
ply their actual wants.
''The same may be said of our schools
The constitution wisely provides that
schools shall be established and supported
by the state. in which all children in the
state between 6 and Is may be taught the
elementary branches of an English edu-
cation" and is our duty to see TO it that
this provision of the constitution is car
RED out in letter and in spirit. Every pa
triotic Georgian is willing TO be taxed tC
The utmost limit Of his ability to pay &c
20 this but we have been going too fast
In this matter of education, as we have
in appropriations for pensions The chill
dren in the rural districts, for whose ben.
eft the states schools were primarily IN.
tended for the towns and cities usually
have school systems of their own, woul>
not, if schools were taught at their doors