Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1898-01-19
BRAKES MESSAGE.


tatives of the people Of this great COM
monwealth.
Great interests Of the ,state-educa;,
tonal, agricultural, financial, commercial
and otherwse-have been intrusted to
your care and consideration, in the be-
lief that they wi well guarded and
judiciously provided FOR; that while you
will Glossy adhere IN practice to the
principle of economy, and aim to be dill
igent in tightening the burdens of taxa
ton, you will not fail to make suitable
and liberal provision for the state insti-
tutions and the advancement of their
interests to the end that Iowa may never
be found tagging behind in the forward
movement of Christian civilization and
the onward march of progress
Continuing. the chief executive con-
graduates the people of Iowa upon the
improved condition of the state and the
country at large, and the evidences of
bestowai of which blessings they are
asked not to neglect an expression of
gratitude to the Great Ruler. The MEM
bers of the Twenty-siXth general assem-
bly, are commended for their ability and
loyalty to the interests of the state. and
for the publication of the magnificent
volume of laws which constitutes the
With this brief introduction the gov
ernor enters upon statement of the
of the fact that the events of the past
two years clothe the subject with UNI
usual interest at this time. Briefly, he
1.-THE receipts into the general revenue
of the state amounted during the term
to A,lOl S1S'Si, and the ssxpenditursa,s- oI as
764.33.The expenses were therefore $685.
3S7.49 in excess of the receipts. There
were warrants outstanding at the e.. b ssG n
making the total amount of expenditures
to be met 81, S05 7l4.5S. The cash on hand
at the beginning of the term was $312,-
S5741, which added to the amount of re-
ceipts above stated, made the resources
of the treasury a,414, S4.25. Out of this
sum warrants were redeemed to the eX-
tent of 4.35S. 213.S5, and interest was paid
on warrants to the extent of $19,34L4,
making the aggregate disbursement A,.
the close of the term, therefore, amount
ed to $36, 672.96. and the aggregate of the
outstanding warrants to SAT 500.73. max
ing the net floating debt $40, Spit.
'This amount of Indebtedness is largely
the effect of excessive appropriations
made by the Twenty-siXth general as
semby, yet not altogether so. This fact
is well brought out in the report of the
auo.tor of state. But for the destruc-
ton of the main building at the Institu-
ton for Feeble Minded Children, an ex-
penGiture amounting to 10000 during the
term, and more subsequently, would have
been avoided. The extra session of the
general assembly the labors of which.
in my opinion, aundantly justify the
cost, entailed an expense including the
publication of the new code, of sl7O487.53:
The advance of one quarters support
for the hospitals for the insane, a meas
ure. in the interest of saving expense,
make the floating debt greater by $685.
51S53 than it would have been had no
such expenditures been incurred. With
out these expenditures the debt would
have been only $72309.24.
"The Twenty-sixth general assembly
made provision for meeting much of the
extraordinary expenses incurred by addi-
tional leyies and levying certain ind rect
taxes not heretofore known in this state.
One of these was that on capital stock
of corporations; another was that on col
lateral inlQrit1nCpS. Provision
made for taxing express companies.
Moreover the fees for notarial commits
sioners of deeds in other states were
made much larger. An increase in the
amount of taxes to be collected from
insurance companies is also made by the
new code. Mainly because of the tax
on corporations and the increase of the
fee to be paid by notaries public, the
moneys turned into the treasury by the
secretary of state during the fiscal term
amounted to $2S2l6.70, an increase over
the preceding term OF more than $4,000:
from that source during the current term
will amount to $4,000, gain of nearly
100 per cent. Other additional taxes
these additional receipts came in during
the latter part of the fiscal term under
review and some of the laws providing
for such increased payments into the
treasury did not become operative until
after that term had expired. the addi-
lions to the revenue from these sources
may be expected to be much larger in
the future"
Speaks of Appropriations,
Governor Drake does not look upon the
appropriations of the Twenty-siXth gen.
eral assembly as unwarranted, for the
needs were such as must have been met
soone ror later. He further justfies the
action by saying that the time was a
favorable one for public Improvement,
and he is persuaded that the difference
between prices at which contracts were
let during the past two years and those
likely to prevail for some years to come,
is nearly sufficient, taking all of the con-
tracts which have been let. to more than
reimburse the state for all the interest
1t will pay on the warrants issued since
the last regular session.
He adheres to an opinion expressed in
a former message that the manner of ev-
through the endorsement of warrants
with the date of presentation, from
which rate they draw interest is open
TO serious objection, particularly when
the amount of the debt of that charac-
ter becomes large In his judgment
debt should be fully contemplated when
for meeting the same. To trust to re-
ceipts to meet expenditures when 1t is
know they will be inadequate, is not
"I concur with the spirit of the sug
gestion of the treasurer of state, that he
be empowered to dispose of the indorsed
as preferable action that the treasurer
be authorized, when IL becomes apparent
that the moneys In the treasury are
about to be exhausted, to sell the states
obligations whether in the shape of in
terest bearing warrants, such as were
issued when the war debt was extin-
gushed in 1881, or of short time revenue
bonds, for the purpose of temporarily
replenishing the treasury Such a sys-
TEN would have an advantage over the
present plan of contracting Indebtedness,
because the amount of II and the interest
TO be paid with the time of payment,
would be fixed and known. and because
also that the obligations would draw
lower rate of interest either directly or
through the premium received from the
sale of the obligations.
Failing the adoption of this sugges-
ton. / would recommend, as suggested
by the treasurer. that the warrants as
TO payment be classified. This could be
done by providing the funds in the treas
ury shall be first used for meeting the
regular expenses of the state government
as provided by law, especially giving
them precedence over warrants for pub
lie improvements"
Better provision should be made for
the collection of the collateral inherit
ance tax. IL might be well TO give the
counties and interest in II and make IT
the duty of some county officer to attend
TO the same locally as the state treasurer
does at large. II is recommended that
steps be taken to bring about the system
of drawing interest on public funds as
another source of revenue. with the ar
gument that the rule which has been
I'd Cd ~ g.