The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-11-22
FINANCIAL CONDITION
 OF STATE OF ALABAMA
BY HERVEY w. LAIRD.

whether or not the heavy drains upon the treasury are subjects of approval or dis approval If one says that too much money was given to Auburn and to the University, and to the insane asylum, and to the Boys Industrial school, and to the Girls school at Montevallo, then one may reasonably say that the expenses have been greater than good business jus tifes.
 If, on the other hand, the other view is taken, and the conclusion is reached that even while the expenditures are quite heavy the demands of the situation were such as to make them reasonable, then there does not seem to be any great req son for condemnation of the present situ ation. No one for a moment criticises, no matter how much he may feel disposed to find fault, the increased appropriations for the care of old soldiers and the rural schools, and the appropriation for county high schools-these being regarded as so essential that they should have been pro- vided no matter what the cost.
 Salary Increases.
 There are those who would find fault with the fact that most of the employees i of the capitol from heads of departments down, were allowed increases in their sal aries While the heads of departments do not receive any benefit from these in l creases as no mans salary can be in- creased during his term of office, those who are employed from month to month, 1 or were appointed after the session of the legislature, are receiving the benefits. i Among these are the judges of the su- 1 preme court, all the working forces of the capitol, from chief clerks down. one or two heads of the most important depart ments who were appointed and the serv- nj nfc fO did lo1 sum, and there may be those who think that the situation did not justify it. However at the time it was regarded as thoroughly reasonable, in view of the fact that the state employees and officials had not enjoyed an increase in pay for more than 20 years.
 There are also criticisms of the crea- tion of a number of county and city courts which require high-price officials This, of course, rests entirely upon whether or not the business at each of 1 the stations requires this extra service.
 Question of Opinion.
 l So, after all, the condition of the treas ury and the shortage of the financial end of the situation harks back to whether i or not certain well-known and we'll l thought-out expenditures were justifable l under the circumstances. The retiring ad- l ministration left a considerable balance h1 ! the treasury a large part of which has 1 already been used up, and the outlook i is that the present fiscal year will bring i the state out in debt. ft IS thus seen that money will very likely have to be bor- rowed to tide over the situation, though i it is claimed that with the increase in tax and license receipts, whatever of deficit that does exist will be taken care of in due time.
 The state, like any other enterprise, has been forced from time to time to take somewhat of a look into the future in order to provide for what seems neces- sary at a particular time. If this view is taken of the present situation, and il is agreed that the demands from schools and education generally and the old sol dlers were such as to justify such extraor- dinary bushes practices, then 1t will be that the people will approve in the enc even though money has to be borrowed to make ends meet in the general wind up.