The Savannah morning news., 1901-09-08
THE STATE TAX RATE.

] THE STATE A@aA RAJ IL
We have no objection OF course to
our expressions of opinion being criti-
cised, but it would be interesting to
know why the Macon Telegraph went
back to Aug. rs, and picked out an
editorial of ours for comment. 1t is
all right for the Telegraph or any other
paper to go back a year or more. II 1t
wants to find matter for comment In
the columns of the Morning News, but
to do so without some special reason
would seem to be prompted by desire
to accomplish special purpose.
But what is it that the Telegraph
complains of? 1t seems it doesn't
agree with us that the Legislature is
responsible for the increased rate of
taxation for the present year. We said,
in substance, that it was responsible
because at it's last session II made APP
preparations which exceeded the states
revenue about 100000. To meet this
extraordinary state of affairs an in
creased tax rate became necessary.
In the course of our article we said
the Governor was not to be blamed for
not keeping down the tax rate-that
it would not have been advisable for
him to veto the appropriation bill. We
also said the Legislature ought not to
have adjourned until the appropriations
were brought within the revenue.
The Telegraph thinks, in making
these suggestions, we showed lack
of familiarity with the constitution,
because the Governor, has the right to
veto any particular appropriation, as
well as the entire appropriation bill,
and because the Legislature is adj
journed by limitation.
1t may be that we were not as fresh
from reading the constitution as the
Telegraph was when 1t published its
criticism, but il does not seem to us
that we made any misleading mistake.
We did not suggest that the Governor
could veto particular appropriation
because there was no occasion for do
ing so. There was no appropriation, as
far as we know, that could have been
stricken out of the bill without doing
injustice to some great interest. The
items of the bill-those which could
best stand scaling-should have been
scaled down until the appropriations
were within the states revenue. The
Legislature could do this scaling; the
Governor could not. Hence we put the
blame for the higher tax rate on the
Legislature, and we think we cannot
Justly be charged with a lack of ia
miliarity with the constitution for do
ing so.
It is true that the session of the
Legislature expires by limitation. and
last year 1t may have continued for
the full number of days, but IL
the limit had been reached before an
appropriation bill had been passed the
Governor would have called an extra
session Immediately. Therefore our
statement that the Legislature ought
to have brought the appropriations
within the revenue before adjourning
was not far out of the way-was, in
fact, permissible under the circum-
stances. That it was so is supported
by the failure of the Telegraph to take
exception to ii until our article had
been published about ten days.
If the Telegraph makes no more Sc
rious breaks in dealing with constitu-
tional questions than the Morning
News does it will in the course of
time have the reputation of being
pretty good constitutional lawyer.
1t seems that the Atlanta Constitu-
ton has taken occasion to express its
opinion as to where the responsibility
rests for the increase in the tax rate.
1t says that the Telegraph places it
upon the Governor the Morning News
upon the Legislature. but that as a
matter of fact, the people are respon-
sible. because they voted 100000 adj
ditional annually for pensions. We
still insist, however. that we made no
mistake in saying that the Legislature
should not have appropriated more
money that the amount of the states
revenue