The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1899-05-17
The VETO AK.
The Governor Cuts Down Appro-
priations to Meet the
States Income.
THE SCHOOL FUND ITEM,

]
ductIon For the Next Two Years.
Special Correspondencel
Harrisburg, May l6.-Governor Stone
/ is making a remarkable record by the
| courageous and unsparing use of the
veto power vested in him by the consti-
tuition. He is welding the veto AK
J right and left. He seems absolutely in
/ different to the influenceof thepolitical
leaders when passing upon matters of
! legislation. His experience in congress,
/ where he was recognized as one of the
most methodical and painstaking men,
bers on the floor of the house, has been
! of invaluable service to him in per-
forming this important branch of his
work as the states executive officer
! Governor Stone has been placed in
! peculiar and very embarrassing posi-
! tion. The several measures which he
| advocated to raise revenue to meet the
/ standing obligations and current eX-
/ penSes of the state were all defeated in
/ the house of repre- Hntatives by COM
! bination between the Republican insur-
! gents and the Democrats. The influ-
ences back of these Republican guer-
]
| because of his vetoes Cf appropriation
! bills, which he is obliged to do by rea-
son of the failure of the legislature to
carry out his various schemes for rails
! ing funds to meet these very demands
upon the generosity and charity of the
! commonwealth. Despite his heroic ac-
| tion, the governor has been unable to
cut down these miscellaneous appTo-
priations to allow the revenues to cover
the full amount of the appropriations
made to the schools. He has found it
necessary to reduce the general school
appropriation S5O0000 q year. and in
doing so has written veto message
which gives in detail the history of the
increase in the school appropriation
from 1874, when the sum was the mini
mum fixed by the new constitution.
Sl000,0 ,000 In 1887 an agitation was
started that resulted in increasing the
! annual appropriation of S15C0,C09, and
for the two years following the public
! schools received that amount each
year. In 1885 the appropriation was in
creased to S2,000,000 annually, and this
was the amount Of aid extended by the
state for two years, when in 1891 the
friends of the common schools were
successful through agitation in having
the annual appropriation increased to
$4,000, 600.
MORE THAN ANY OTHER STATE.
This is larger amount" says the
governor than is appropriated by any
other state in our great country for the
support of common schools, and ii was
|
ther attempt to increase it would be
made. In 1898, however, bill was in
troduced into the legislature which au
thorized and required directors to fur
nish free text books to the pupils in
our common schools. At that time a
very large number of the districts
throughout the state did not provide
free text books for the pupils The in
PRODUCTION of free text books necessar-
lily involved the expenditure of large
sums of money, and the friends of the
measure succeeded in securing an addi-
tional S500,000 for this purpose. Fol-
lowing these precedents each succeed
ing legislature has appropriated S5,-
100000 annually for the support of the
common schools.
the governor, "in this connection that
the appropriation of S5,5)0,000 does not
include the appropriations made for the
maintenance and support of our or
phan schools, normal schools and eX-
penses incident to the support of the
department of public instruction, the
payment of salaries of county superin-
tendents and the appropriations made
from time to time to other worthy ed
ucational institutions Adding the ap-
preparations made for the purposes last
enumerated to the annual appropria-
tion for the support of the common
schools we find that more than $6,000,-
600 are paid out OF the state treasury
each year in support Of the cause of ed
ucatiOn. When we take into consider.
alton the fact that the net revenues OF
the state amount to little more than
S11 C00 600 each year it will be readily
seen Low generous the state has been
in de!ing with the school question.
PROUD OF SCHOOLS, BUT EMBAR.
RASSED..
/, "These large and magnificent appro
priations to the common schools have
, gone On from year to year until oul
treasury is left in a condition of finan
! cial embarrassment and we are now
confronted with the practical question
. whether OF not we can continue t
| make these appropriations without Sc
{ riousiy affecting the credit of the com
monwealth. I am proud Of our com
9 mon school system and in bettermen
Of our schools. If q large deficit die
c not GiTc-6- exist in our treasury OIL
account Of these appropriations, and /
i the anticipated revenues of the stat,
= would justify their continuance,
should most cheerfully give my ap
proval TO this section of the general ap
= p-opriaticn bill. cordially com
+ mend the intelligent purpose and pa
5 triotic devotion OF cur citizens to th'
C common schools Of the state, but ever!
s honest man must concede that it is i'm
u possible for the state to give ava.
9 more money than it receives, no mat
u u ter how worthy the purpose for whicl
the money n2y be expended. 1t is ali
:, solute'y nee e5sary to reduce the ap
y preparations made by the Legislature
N and il has seemed to ne that sine
~ free text books have alresdy been pro
\ vided aud paid fer out Of the genera
\ appropriations made since 1898, tn
" annual appropriations could b. reduce
# $500 0G0 = year without doing any in
10 justice 10 the schools
sr lin ny inaugural address | calle
Of the attention. of the legislature 10 tn
o. tgis of