Amador ledger., 1903-07-17
COSTLY GOVERNMENT.

From official figures furnished by
state controller Colgan it appears
that it has cost the taxpayers of the
state SO, ,446, 773 SO to conduct the
business of the state during the
fiscal year ending June 80, 1903.
Reckoning the population at1, 800, 900
this gives US 81 per capita for the
cost of maintaining the state govern
ment. California has easily held the
lead as the most extravagantly gov
erned state in the Union. 1t is not
only maintaining its unenviable dis
tinction in this regard, but it is
steadily pulling further away from
all competitors. Without attempt
ing to give exact figures, we shall be
quite within the mark in saying that
this is fully three times the average
cost per capita throughout the
Union. Truly, California is big
hearted state. She prides herself
on doing things on grander and
more liberal scale than other por-
tiOns of the commonwealth. The
financial intoxication born of the
flush pioneer days has held sway in
governmental affairs through all
the years of statehood. The disease
has become chronic, if not incurable.
What hope of reform can be reason
ably entertained, when session after
session our represen tatives are sent
to the legislature imbued with the
idea that their reputation as states
men will be measured by their sue
cess as raiders of the public treasury
for the special benefit of their con-
stituents That retrenchment is
the crying need of the hour they all
admit, but each member is fully de-
termined that the cutting down
process must begin elsewhere than
in his own political household in
fact, his particular locality needs ad-
ditional financial bracing from the
public treasury to insure its sturdy
health, and the statesman's political
fortune.
Our whole system is permeated
with the same prodigal spirit To
the state rate must be added nearly
ten dollars per head as the average
cost per year in Amador county for
the support of the local government.
We have a total of $17 per head an
nually for government in Amador
county. The per capita for federal
purposes would materially increase
these figures, but this we will not
consider here, for the reason that t
it bears equally upon all sections of
the country. Instead of applying
the brakes to this carnival of ex-
travagance, the evil is growing more
acute year after year.
California is making strenuous
efforts to gather population. There
is room for millions of additional
homes within her borders. Promo
tion committees are at work to in
duce emigrants to settle here. And
every argument of climate, produc-
tiveness, and healthful surroundings
can be truthfully urged to induce
settlement. There is but one thing
that we cannot honestly claim -
namely, an economical administra-
tion of public affairs. Is this the
one thing needful? Notwithstand-
ing the work of immigration COM
mlttees, the state is not growing in
population as rapidly as her re-
sources would seem to justify. Many
homeseekers come, a large percent
age do not settle. The question of
taxation is our vulnerable spot. The
head of family seeking a location
is not apt to overlook this vital sub
ject. And the prospect of being
held up at the rate of dollar and a
half per month per head for local
government is something new to the
general run of immigrants. Califor-
mans are used to this style of living,
and think little of it. New comers
are not used to it, and probably do
a whole lot of thinking about it.
There is no gainsaying that the
most effective work that can be done
for California today is to climb down
from the top-lofty perch, and get on
common ground with other states.
Progress in this direction must nee
essarily be slow, but to make a
beginning is the hardest part of the
work.