The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1908-04-14


THE Newark "Sunday CALL" re-
Gently said 1t appears from the re-
port of State Treasurer Voorhees, that
there has been deficiency in State
accounts, when he has reported large
surplus. He attempts to explain this,
but the public. accepts the fact and
condemns the mismanagement with
out asking for excuses The plain
truth Is that there has been gross ex-
travagance at Trenton, and there
have not been competent financial Of
ficers to sound the note of alarm"
Those who are familiar with the
facts know that State Treasurer Voor-
hees has repeatedly sounded the note
of alarm, as has Ex-Governor Stokes.
But it has fallen on deaf ears. AS
Treasurer VOORHEES, says, "This pro-
cess of spending more than your in
come cannot continue without de-
ficit," and the State has no right to
live beyond it's income, or spend more
money than it receives. no matter
what the object of the expenditure.
In his annual message in 1904, Gov
ernor Murphy reported that the bal
ance in the treasury on October 3lst,
1908, was So, 951 1877 IT, the largest in
the history of the State" 1t had been
growing for ten, years. In 1904 there
was a falling off of $40, 718.19; in 1905
of S82, 520.S5. Then the raiders made
themselves felt, and in 1906~the de-
crease was $773, 50674, and in 1907,
1854, 1925. That means that in the
last two years the State spent 81 $780,
219.69 more than it took in.
What the showing will be next No
vember no one can predict, but there
are schemes now before the Legisla-
ture that will require fully three-quar-
tiers of million of dollars, including
the $4,000 for canal from Cape May
to Bay Head, but not including the
several new institutions it has been
proposed to create, nor the increased
sums demanded by the State hospitals,
reformatory, prison, epileptic village
and various other institutions.
1t is time a halt was called in the
policy of extravaganza. Hitherto in
official reports attempts have been
made to apologize for the rapid fading
away of the treasury balance. In 1906
the falling off was explained as due to
an expenditure OF over 100000 in i'm
provements and additions to various
institutions, an increase of nearly
100000 to reduce taxation, and the
failure of the State to receive another
wind fall of 1922, AIS 80 from the Unit
ed States Government for interest on
Civil War bonds.
Last year the excuse was that $780,,
900 of railroad taxes were held up by
litigation, and that there had been
extraordinary disbursements made to
increase the accommodations in our
humanitarian, charitable and penal
institutions and reformatories- of
which are now demanding still larger
appropriations.
AS has been many times explained,
the state requires balance OF fully
81 .000,0 600 at the beginning of fiscal
year to carry it along until February,
when the revenues begin to come in.
Otherwise, instead of having money on
deposit at low rate Of interest, it
must borrow from the banks at or 6
per cent, as was the custom up to
about thirteen or fourteen years ago.
The balance on November 1st, last,
was 81 1920, OBS. From that date until
February about 1924, 900 was spent
and only 1929, 949 received into the
treasury.
The cry of the Newark and New
York papers that the bosses are OPP
posing reform is true to this extent
They see that the proposed commits
sions will take large sums from the
State Treasury without corresponding
benefits, and they have the courage o.
these convictions in sounding TIN
alarm and conserving the interest 0
the State.