The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-05
Other
Claims Against
the State.

usually been valuable assistants in urg-
ing economy in the administration of gov
eminent, yet some of them appear TO
overlook this matter when presenting
their own Gains against the State. Self
interest is often morally blind.
Newspaper claims (some unauthorized)
aggregating over 900 have been pre-
scented against the State for the mere
public attention of the constitutional
amendments voted upon at the last cleo
ton. When the newspaper proprietors
now urging these claims properly reflect
upon the matter their good sense Will,
think suggest that even newspaper
claims against the State may be excessive
and in that sense unjust.
have approximately estimated that the
people of this State are taxed under the
present election system at the rate of
about 81 so for every ballot cast and
counted at each general election. 1t is
astounding that such expense should go
along for years unchallenged, II we are
now to have primary election law, such
primary elections should under no cir
cumstances be made a tax upon the peo-
pie, as under the present general election
system otherwise it would largely in
crease the present eXtravagant tax bur-
dens.
Some immediate action should be taken
to relieve the people OF this state from
the enormous expense of conducting cleo
tons, rather than increasing them.
This administration is confronted by
against the State, amounting to about
81 500 600, for commissions alleged to be
due such counties from the State for col
lecting State taxes.
Although these commissions were abol-
ished by the act of the Legislature, APP
proved February 3d. 1893, contracts have
been made by these counties with attor-
neys to enforce the collection of such
commissions.
The spirit of the county officials which
inspires these demands is neither patriot
ic nor businessike. The officers of the
counties should remember that these suits
if successful will return to plague the
inventor" in the form of increased tax
alton. The people of the State will be.
through taxation whatever amounts may
be expended by the several counties for
the compensation of counsel and the pay
ment of the other expenses incident to
the litigation; and since the counties form
a part of the State it is clear that they
will gain nothing by the litigation, but
sustain a loss of whatever sums are paid
in their attempt to collect these commits
sions.
Furthermore, should these suits sue
coed, the State Treasury would be drained
of the necessary money to pay its cur
rent expenses for at least six months,
and until the receipt of money from the
Of the technical points raised by the in
genuous counsel for the counties against
the State is that the act of February %,
1893, last referred to, was not passed by
a vote of tWentyone Senators. As
Stunning that the Supreme Court should
decide that it could look behind the en-
rolled bill (Which, however, should not be
law, my personal examination of the
original rollcall shows that the act in
question was passed by the requisite vote
of, namely, twenty-one Senators, but
mistake arose in the printing by the omis-
sion of the name of one Senator
This leads me to say that laws passed
by the Legislature should be most care
fully and closely examined in both Sen
ate and Assembly before final action
thereon; otherwise serious errors may
arise. entailing expensive litigation, as in
this instance, and also possibly leopard
iZing public rights.
The State Treasurer is obliged by law
TO pay all warrants of the Controller out
of the funds drawn
e y upon and to report
List of Warrants these payments to
the Controller at
Furnicbad the last of the
~ 49, Ai0u month.
Section 433, sub
olate treasurer. division IS, of the
X x Political c e,
% specifying the du-