The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-11
MESSAGE DEALS WITH MONEY.
GOV. GAMBLER URGES THE ENACT
MENT OF REFORM MEASURES.

Special Message Presented Yesterday
Calling Attention to the Treasury's
Deficit and the Present BURDEN
some Taxes. and Emphasizing the
Lcssened ABILITY of Property own
crs to Pay Tnxcs-DispOsitiOn of
Men to Evade Taxation by Conceal
ment Touched Upon.
Atlanta. Ga. Nov 1O-Gov. Gambler TO-
day sent to the legislature a special mes
sage dealing with the states finances. He
gees deeply into the apparent deficit in
the treasury. and urges the legislature
to take measures Of reform.
The message says: For several years
past a spirit Of liberty in the appropria-
ton of money from the public treasury,
not warranted by the stringency of the
times and the ability of the people to
pay taxes, has been apparent, and fire.
uuent large supplemental appropriations
have been made at the second session of
each legislature for the payment of which
no adequate provision has been made
I'VE have, in our anxiety to provide for
the necessities of the institutions ans OBJ
jects for which il is the duty of the state
to provide lost sight of the constantly
growing inability of the people to bear the
ever-increasing burthen of taxation. Our
annual appropriations from the treasury
and the annual rate of taxation have in
creased year after year, while all values
have shrunken, and the prices of our an
nual crops and of labor and of all the
products of labor have gone continually
lower and lower, and the ability to pay
off all these has grown constantly less.
lowing to the continual increase in the
shrinkage in values and the disposition
of men to evade In hard times the demands
of the tax gatherer, and to conceal from
him such property as can be concealed,
the annual resources of the state have,
year after year, fallen short of the esti-
mates. From these causes and the addi-
tional fact that, in some instances. appro-
priations have been made without adequate
provision for their payment, there will
not be an the treasury on Jan. l, money
enough to meet the demands on it; and
this, too, In the face of the fact that the
rate of taxation and the aggregate amount
of taxes collected from the people is the
largest in the history of the state.
1t is TO ADVISE you or this grave Situa-
ton that this communication is sent you,
in order that you in your wisdom may
provide by proper legislation TO meet the
emergency and prevent a recurrence of
the condition that now confronts us. In
order to be fully advised of the real con-
diuon of the treasury as il now is, and
as it will be on July 1, /, on the 7th inst,
addressed to the state treasurer COM
munication calling for a statement of the
actual available cash balance in the treas
ury on the first day of the present month,
the probable receipts at the treasury from
all sources between that date and July l.
next, inclusive. and the probable disburse-
ments on all accounts on and prior to the
last named date, so as to show the condi-
ton of the treasury on July l, 1899. This
date has been selected because at that
time the cash balance In the treasury is
usually at its lowest.
THE statement asked for was promptly
sent to this department by the treasurer
"a ic ne fol1nurS