Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1901-01-17

the reports of the state officers which
will be placed upon your desks, fully
inform you of the conditions of the
state and of its various institutions.
l desire to call your attention prin-
cipally to the one subject that l deem
of the most Importance for your con-
sideration at this session, namely,
THE FINANCES OF THE STATE.
The makers of our constitution in
their wisdom saw fit to place a very low
and inhexible limit to our state indebt-
edness, at the same time they permanent
ly located large number OF state in
stitutions. They literally endowed
them with grants of land. which grants,
however, were not available for the
building up of these institutions and
your predecessors have built them up
largely from taxation
These institutions are great credit to
our state and | believe are not in adj
vance of our needs, but they are, per
haps, in advance OF our ability to Sc
cure, by taxation, under the existing
laws, means to build, equip and main
tain them, and provide for their growth.
Almost since statehood our expenditures
have exceeded our receipts and as an
| inevitable result our DEBT limit was soon
reached and we have for some time had
an empty treasury and bills long past
due.
On January I, 1895, by reason of eN-
cessive appropriations and lack of rev.
enue there were due and unpaid claims
against the state amounting to about
$4,000. The governor that year We
toed appropriations amounting to more
| than 100000, and number of your
institutions were supported for two
years by private subscription and yet
this administration begins the new CEN
fury with an empty treasury and $780,,
900 of unpaid vouchers. Besides, all
this time we have levied taxes UP to the
, limit permitted by law.
Gentlemen of the Legislative Assem-
bly,: We owe a duty to our constitu-
ents to amend this condition and to
place our state in position to pay all
claims on demand.
There are but two ways this can be
done; either we mist materially increase
our receipts or we must materially cut
down our expenditures, or both
The former we can i'll afford to do on
the heels of an almost complete failure
of crop. There is natural increase of
the revenues but on account of this fail
ure of crop believe the receipts for
the past two years are a fair index of
the probable revenues for the ensuing
two years. This amounts in round num-
bers to $o35,ooo. Our expenditures
based upon the present laws and the
appropriations of the last legislature
amount to $oo2,ooo or, nearly $4,000
more than the probable revenues. These
expenditures are of three classes:
First: The standing appropriations,
the amounts of WHICH are fixed and lin
tied by law These at the present time,
for the biennial period, amount to
$386ooo
Second: The standing appropria-
tons, the amounts of which are unlim-
tied and are governed by the operation
of the law. These we can quite acct
rately estimate from the amount of
previous years and will probably be
$25oooo, and -.
Third: The biennial appropriations
of the legislature, which vary with the
needs of the state institutions. The ap-
preparations. of this class for the past
two years amount to $326,ooo.
You will notice that more than two
thirds of these expenditures arise under
the first two classes or from the opera
ton of our standing appropriations and
! believe that by reason of the imperfect
knowledge, by our legislators, of the
amounts appropriated by these appro-
priations, is due the fact that our ex-
penditures. have SO often exceeded Our
receipts. Il do not believe that this or any
other legislative assembly would de-
liberately and with knowledge appro-
pirate more money than they reasonably
might expect to receive from our ordi-
nary sources of revenue ;.
That such appropriations have been
made more than once. the record of our
unpaid bills is the indisputable proof.
l am opposed to the appropriations of
money by standing appropriations and
believe where possible, all appropriations
should be made in specific amounts and
that every dollar of the revenue should be
paid on bills acted upon every two years.
1t was undoubtedly the intention of our
constitution makers that general apr
preparation bill, embracing the expenses
of the executive, legislative and judicial
departments of the state. interest on the
public debt and for public schools" be
pdSseu at each session ana tlat all ex-
penditures be authorized and based upon
the condition of the treasury and the
probable receipts. Your predecessors
have been kind to you. They have APP
propriated more than two-thirds of
your revenue and have also left you a
legacy of $4,000 of unpaid bills.
Gentlemen, I believe this to be all
wrong. You are held responsible for
the financial condition of the state for
the next two years and every expense of
the state should pass in review before
you Wipe every standing appropria-
ton from the statutes, take fresh start
and let us see if the finances of the
state cannot be placed and kept on a
business basis.
In line with this idea and as basis
for your consideration 1 submit to you
the following recommendations for the
appropriations for the ensuing two years
in lieu of all other appropriations.
APPROPRIATIONS RECOMMENDED.
Amount Old Ap.
Recon-. propria-
Purpose. ended tin or law
Salaries and exDcnses