The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-06-30

But there is one thing about which you can trust the General Assembly. Now. distrust that body or any Leg islature elected by the people in some things. When it comes to voting a large debt or spending much money, l distrust the body. distrust them about paying the Governor competent salary, and. therefore, on this floor. I have advocated that this body should fix the amount of annual salary for the Governor, because 1 know how loath a legislative body is to make an expen- allure of that kind. But there Is one thing In which you can trust them. don't know that ever knew of an ex- ception, possibly there may have been one. It Is said that. our last Legtsia- ture was more eXtravagant than any other. Their acts show for themselves, but they acted just like men always do whether in Congress or in the state Legislature. You pile up revenue in the Treasury beyond the need of the Government, and any body, Congress or a Legislature, will make appropria- tions. They want to get the surplus there That was the case in 1929, when there were s29,600.000 in the treasury of the United States, for which there was no use, and Congress undertook 70 pass an act then. or soon after, to di- vide it up among the States according to population. They found the Presi- dent wouldn't veto 1t, that taxes law fully collected never leave behind any implication of a right to refund any portion of them. So they could not pass such an act as that, but they de- vised a scheme, and they divided It with the different States according to population, and that is the source from which we got this. over half a million dollars, upon which we are paying permanent interest to the educational fund. It is money that we got from the general treasury which we are supposed to be liable to pay back at any time, but which never will be paid DECK. NO" that is always the inclination where there Is a surplus in the treasury, the Legislature, whether National or state, is going to get it out and that accounts for the recent action Of the last Lesis- lature that appropriated more meney than the treasury would furnisn. anu the delegate from Lee, who slts III my rear introduced a bill in the Senate to nro rate the appropriation. and 1t was passed for that purpose. so that 'e"v could not, in the aggregate, spend more money than was in the treasury. hut there is one thing on which we can al ways trust the Legislature and that is to reduce taxes whenever they can:
 MT. Robinson-Didn't Governor Jonn- ston recommend a reduction of taxa tion at the last. session during nis ao- immigration, and didn't the Leeisia- ture decline to do 1t?
 MT. Oates-Probabiy he did. Govern. or Jofinston's policy. however all through his administration, was 10 pile up every dollar he could In the treas nary. | have not a question that ne was honest in it. He thought that was the great thing to do and never spend any money.
 MT. Jones (Montsomery1-I would like 10 ask the gentleman if he counts If A surplus when there Is a large amount of money in the treasury that is not immediately due and payable but which will be paid out in the or derly course of disbursement
 MT. Oates-I never count anything as certain until it is there. l..-
 MT. Jones (Montgomery)-But do you call 1t a surplus if you have a million dollars in the treasury on the nrst or January and shortly after the hrst or October you will have 1t all paid out?
 MT. Oates-No indeed. There has been a great deal said, Mir. President, in reference to our State system of bookkeeping, and 1t Is a little compli- cated. Reports have been made and in- vestigations, so called, had on supposed deficiencies in the treasury. For in- stance take the first of January. or any particular day in the year. and find the amount of the State debts at that time, add the amount which is in the treasury at that time, and take the one from the other is no test. Not at all. The fiscal years, from the first of Octo- Der to the last of September is the test. Taking the cash assets of the State. as received. and paying all of the debts, if anything is left, that is a sur plus, and nothing short of that. and if there Is not cash enough to pay the debts, that is a deficiency. That is a plain proposition which everyone ought to understand,
 I was proceeding to say, sir. that there Is one thing upon which you can depend on the Legislature. and that Is to reduce the rate of taxation. when- ever they think it can be done, and sometimes they strain the, point to dc 1t, just as in the case, when they had an abundance of income, at the begin ming of the administration of my friend.
 Now. sir, when we go back and look at the history of legislation in Alaba- ma. we find this most abundantlH ve- rifed. Let me call your attention to the fact that every trust fund that has ever been turned over to the State of Alabama has been covered into the treasury and used for the general pur- poses of the State. You go back to the University. richly endowed by lands, worth millions of dollars. and part of 1t went one way, and part of 1t went I know not where. Then go to the other great school, Auburn, and the bonds are down there now in the treasury which were issued from the State to that in- stitution. It had land script. I remeni- Der 1 had the honor of being a rep resentative here and tried my best to get them to send a discreet man to To- cate that script on the rich lands in Kansas and Nebraska that are now worth fifty dollars an acre. but they could not see it, and disposed ofit at one dollar and a quarter an acre, and! issued bonds. fifty odd thousand do@ lars. bearing eight per cent. and those' bonds are down there. That is the ba- sis of the appropriation now from the State treasury to that college! Then in the sale of the sixteenth section land, every dollar realized from it has been covered into the treasury. Every trust fund that was ever conflded to the State of Alabama has been disposed of and covered into the treasury and used for the general purposes of admin istration.
 Then members of the Legislature, taking advantage of that fact. have gone home at it's adjournment, and said, "ain't I a statesman; don't you see we have reduced your taxes" but