Mexico weekly ledger., 1901-01-31
I1H1Ss~s' fnil
6RoLMCIANS


the most important committees of
either branch OF the Legislature. Each
and every member thereof, before he
can act intelligently or vote correctly
on any one of the many appropriation
bills that come before it, should in
form himself fully and accurately and
In detail as to the probable income Of
State treasury, as well as TO the GER
tain and probable disbursements; the
various sources from which the
State draws its money to pay expenses,
and the probable amount from each.
Many members do not thus inform
themselves rs thoroughly as they
should, and some are 50 hard worked
along other lines that they do not have
the time to study the Auditors report
very closely.
Let me say in this connection that
an erroneous idea prevails with many
people as to the work of a legislator.
If he half tries to acquit himself well,
his work is arduous and he has
no tina to while away. The fact that
some members come here to have a
pleasant time and to count the stars
as they shine on the midnight plain,
makes the work OF Others o ardu-
GUS still.
The Auditor is the officer who fur
nishes nearly all the information about
the States finances. On him the
Governor, as well as the people, must
rely. He says that during 1899 and
1900 the income of the State treas
ury was "a, $50, 773.72, and its disburse-
ments for the same years were s4,641,-
55l.53, leaving a balance of cash on
hand January l, 1901, s179, 222.19 He
then says that during the years 1901
and 1902 the income will probably be
$1,000, 900, and the disbursements Of
all kinds will probably be 81, 1862, S30.95
ia very close ~shave"-and the latter
sum does not include the sums for the
erection of new buildings and the
many desirable Improvement calledfor
by the public institutions of the State.
The reduction of the State revenue
tax in 1892 from 20 to 10 scents, with the
financial depression that followed, re-
suited in a decrease inassessments and
in the revenue, and weare now feeling
the effects. The Committee on Appro-
priations are having a ''hard row to
hoe" in so shaping the appropriations
as to prevent a deficit, and at the same
time ward off all serious detriment
to the States interest. To do these
two things demands a osestudyof the
sources Of the States revenue and a
very close scrutiny Of all propositions
to appropriate public money. If any
one thinks these two things can be
done as ''easily as falling off a log"
Just let him follow the House Com
mittee on Appropriations from this
day until the gavel of the Speaker adj
journs the House in March.
Just here, let me say that there is
one item of costs that has yexed the
State officers at Jefferson City for
years, and the yexation increases--I
mean the terminal COSTS Of the
State-one of the most b%urdensome of
all the charges against the State. Two
years ago the Legislature appropriated
$4OO, 900 to pay the criminal costs, and
$4,000 more to pay a deficit on that
point following the years 1897 and 1898,
and yet there is now adefciency in the
criminal costs of the State amounting
to $3.50, 900. What is to be done about
this criminal cost business, comes up
as one of the most important matters
before the Legislature. The Amend
ment to the Constitution, adopted by
a vote of the people in November last,
abolishes, to a considerable degree,
the grand jury. This will not reduce
the criminal costs of the State, for the
reason that the counties, respectively,
pay the grand jurors, and the sheriff
for summoning the witnesses before
the grand jury. The State pays the
criminal costs that accumulate in the
Circuit Courts and with the higher
courts. 1t is evident that something
must be done along this line. Honest
and law-abiding men are unwilling
to be taxed too heavily to meet crimi-
nal costs, that lawless men may be
punished. Six hundred and fifty
thousand dollars for criminal costs in
two years. Three hundred and twenty
five thousand dollars per year! And
the prospects are that these costs are
expanding" at a great rate. An opin-
ion prevails that the prosecuting at
torneys can do much to lessen these
costs by refusing the summoning of so
many witnesses; that Circuit Judges
do not examine the criminal costs bills
as carefully as they should; that too
much mileage is often allowed the
witnesses; that trials are not had as
quickly as they should be had; that
continuances are too readily granted,
etc. l find some members are think
ing OF creating, in some way, a crimi-
nal court in every county for the
prompt trial of all misdemeanor cases,
etc. They find, however, many stumb-
ling blocks In the way, and nothing
will be done in that direction. q.
Some real estate agents, as we'll as
other persons, are sharp, and always
on the lookout for number one"
They get commissions from the seller
and the buyer of land in the same
transaction. They adopt their plans
like the old negro set his coon traps
to ''catch 'em gwine and a-coming."
MI. Clay, of Audrain, has introduced
a bill to put a stop to this double
dealing on the part Of such agents, and
II caught at it, the contracts shall be
uncomfortable, and il double commits
sions have been paid, the vendor and
vendee may sue and recover double
the amount so paid.
As the law now is, when a husband
dies, leaving children, his widow gets a
sharein his personal estate equaltothat
of child, but nothing is givena widow
er Of a deceased wife's personal es-
tate, Mr.. Wallace, Of Rails, thinks
this is not just to the widowers. His
bill proposes to "even up the distri-
buttons of the personal estate of the
deceased one, be it husband or wife,