Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1901-01-17
GOV. WHITE SPEAKS.
His Inaugural Address Delivered
To the Legislature.


08O 0S3W0Xuy A0VO08308 A0G6G0G0U000S Ana
Ecoaomy. Rsapportionment Mat =
ter Of Great Importance.
Governors Whites address at the OPEN
Ing of the legislature was substantially as
9ollows:
Gentlemen: The very able and COM
plete message OF the retiring governor.
together with the reports OF the state of
Ulcers. which will be placed upon your
desks, fully inform you Of the conditions
OF the state and OF it, various institu-
tions.
desire to call your attention principal
" to the one subject that deem to be
one Of the most importance for your
consideration at this; session.
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 Indebtedness.
at the same time they permanently To-
Gated large number Of state institu-
tions. They literally endowed them with
grants of lands, which grants, however,
were not available for the building up Of
these institutions and your predecessors
have built them up largely from taxa
ton.
These institutions are great credit to
our state and believe are not In advance
Of our needs. but they are. perhaps. In
advance Of our ability to secure, by taxa
ton under the existing laws, means to
build, equip and maintain them, and pro-
vide for their growth. Almost since state
hood 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 Jan. /, 1895. by reason Of excessive
appropriations and lack of revenue there
were due and unpaid claims against the
state amounting to about $4,000 The
governor that year vetoed appropriations
amounting to more than 100000 and q
number Of your institutions were sur-
ported for two years by private subscrjp-
ton and yet this administration begins
this new century with an empty treasury
4 and $4,000 Of unpaid vouchers Besides
all this time we have levied taxes up to
the limit permitted by law.
Gentlemen Of the legislative assembly,
We owe duty to our constituents 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 must materially increase
our receipts or we must materially cut
down our expenditures, or both. The
former we can Ill afford to do on the
heels Of an almost complete failure Of
crop. There is a natural increase Of the
revenues, but on account Of this failure Of
crop believe the receipts for the past
two years are a fair index of the prob
4 able revenues for the ensuing two years.
! This amounts in round numbers to $685.
200. Our expenditures, based upon the
present, laws and the appropriations Of
the last legislature, amounts to 1852, 900,
or nearly $4,000 more than the probable
revenues. These expenditures are OF
three classes: 5aa
amounts of which are fixed and limited
by law. These at the present time. for
!. the biennial period, amount to $3S6,000.
Second: The standing appropriations.
the amounts Of which are unlimited and
are governed by the operation Of the law.
These we can quite accurately estimate
from the amount Of previous years and
will probably be $250,0o0 and,
Third: The biennial appropriations Of
the legislature, which vary with the
needs of the state institutions. The APP
propriations Of this class for the past two
years amount to $326,0O0
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 I
believe that by reason Of the imperfect
knowledge by our legislators of the
amounts appropriated by these appro-
priations, is due to the fact that our ex-
penditures have so often exceeded our
Z receipts. I do not believe that this or any
other Of our legislative assemblies would
deliberately 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. I
am opposed to the appropriations of
money by standing appropriations: and I
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. It was undoubtedly the intention
of our constitution makers that ''gen-
eral appropriation bill. embracing the ex-
penses Of the executive. legislative and
y JUDICIAL departments OF the STATE, interest
on the public debt and for public schools
be passed at each session and that all ex-
penditures be authorized and based upon
the condition of the treasury. and the
probable receipts. Your predecessors have
sSn Kind to San TneX nSye
revenue and have also left you a legacy
Gentlemen / 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
the statutes. take a fresh start and let us
see II the finances Of the state cannot be
placed and kept ON business basis.
your consideration I submit to you the
following recommendations for the APP
preparations for the ensuing years in lieu
of all other appropriations.
APPROPRIATIONS RECOMMENDED.
Salaries and expenses
state officers .............. $4,000 A3,20
Salaries Of supreme and
district judges ........... 1900 1900
uty and assistant ........ 1900 10000
60