Arizona weekly journal-miner., 1903-01-28
WEEKLY JoURNAL-MINER end
HE GOVERNORS MESSAGE.

4GG ONLuNOtt - WG SOhOIs
 Governor Brodie's first message to the legislature Is a plain, practical and sensible document.
 The governor does not indulge in any literary flights, or any lengthy and meaningless preambles but settles doSs to business from the opening paragraph.
 The first proposition which be takes up is the financial one, and he gives in detail the present financial condi- tion of the territory, the principal item of which and the one most inter esting to tax payers, is the fact that the total debt of the territory is 1,065, 461. 90 and the aggregate indebt- edness of the various counties is s1, 512, 953. g, the aggregate annual in terest of the counties being S75.- 647.64.
 Yavapai county leads in its indebt- edness, with s31O, 163 7s and an annual interest of S15, sos 19. Marricopa is second on the list with an indebted ness of over s267, 900 and Navajo and Santa Cruz do not appear on the list with indebtedness. Referring to the high rate of taxation the governor says:
 ''The time is now ripe, believe, in the history of Arizona, when the mat ter of the reduction of the rate of tax ation should be taken up by the legis- lature of the territory in a spirit of fairness, and ways and means devised by which the result so much to be de- sired may be realized
 One of the remedies he suggests to reduce the tax rate is to levy tax on the product of mines. Another one, and one which must certainly commend itself to all fair minded cit izens is an amendment to incorpora- tion laws, whereby the fees will be di- verted into the territorial treasury in stead of into the pocket of a single official.
 Under the present law the territorial secretary is said to receive any where from s35, 900 to $50, 600, an amount en- tirely out of proportion to the respon- sibility or the work of the office whereas, with all the liberality of the laws, the territory derives no revenue whatever. The secretary in addition to this is paid a salary from the gen eral government and the legislature two years ago provided for an assist ant secretary at good salary to be paid out of the territorial treasury.
 Governor Brodie's suggestion on this question is certainly an excellent one and one which must commend it. self to every member of the legisla- ture. The governor recommends that all articles of incorporation be filed with the territorial auditor and the fees received from them be turned into the territorial treasury.
 He adds: "A complete listing of all property in the territory subject to taxation, in conjunction with the means above outlined for an increase in the revenues, will. to my mind, se- cure to the territory at greatly re- duced rate of taxation, an amount necessary to cover all legitimate ex- penses of government and do away for all time to come with a floating debt. and in addition provide means for the redemption of our bonded indebted ness without manifest burden to the taxpayers of the territory"
 The governor also calls the attention of the legislature to the necessity of establishing some unfailing method of collecting the tax known as the poll tax, the full amount of which collec- tion goes to the support and mainten- ance of the public school system of the territory, s and adds:
 "In 1901 there was collected as a !, poll tax and turned into the school fund, the sum of s465, 553 64, while in 1902 there was collected as poll tax and turned into the school fund only s23, 942. 51, a most notable decrease in the revenues from this source: to which your attention is most earnest l ly invited, remembering that this | method of taxation reaches many citi- | zens who would otherwise aid in no way in the support of the territorial l government ''
 He also recommends that a law be . passed placing all county officials on salary and compelling them to turn | all fees into the county treasury and | that county assessors in all counties | be made elective instead of appointed. | He also recommends the formation of | supervisorial districts in the various counties and that where more than one representative to the legislature is elected, they should be apportioned to the various districts.
 He recommends caution in the mat ter of an eight hour law, and recon mends primary election law provid- ing for primaries of both parties on the same day and at the same places.
 While it contains other matters of importance these are among the more prominent features of the message.