The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1910-05-06


If this state. They have right to
know it directly from you gentlemen
who have such an interest In this
matter of taxes in particular and in
their welfare generally. You must
tell them specifically how to lower
their local taxes as we'll as their state
taxes il yeu really wish to solve the
tax question in Kansas.
The increased appropriations of
the last legislature were more thar
covered by the following six items:
First: Excess coal for charitable
institutions
Second: Memorial building for
soldiers of the Civil war.
Third: State Agricultural college.
Fourth. State University. .
Fifth: State Normal schools.
100 high schools throughout the
state.
Durirg the last two years there has
been ,an increase in the volume OF
business in many of the departments
of the state. The cost of living,
which Is very important item il
the expenses Of our state, has in
creased enormously. And every
| fair-minded Kanssn who has
famllyto support can judge by his
own increased expenses how muct
more money was made necessary tc
furnish food, clothing and housing
in decent and respectable manner
for nearly SIX thousand perSohs
who are wards Of the state.
Referring to the six above nameo
items for which practically all the
increased appropriations were made
it may be of interest to know thai
the entire body of the Legislature
went to Manhattan and investigated
the needs Of the Agricultural Col
lege, and also went to Lawrence to
visit the State University to see for
themselves the requirements of that
institution.
It's up to you Messrs. Ftzpat-
rick, Albaugh and your associates
to state which one of these appro
priations you would cut out. viii
you say that the appropriation OF
500 900 to erect a memorial build
ing for the veterans of the Civil war
should not have been made? Or
that the necessary provision for fuel
at the charitable institutions should
have been withheld? Or that teach
ers should not have been provided,
aud new buildings erected for more
than eight hundred additional stu.
dents in the state educational iusti-
tutions? Or that normal courses in
one hundred high schools through =
out the state should not have been
provided for?
My advice and recommendation
to the chairman of the Ways and
Means committee of both the House
and Senate was to take care of the
actual requirements and necessities
of all state Institutions In decent
and respectable way but to cut the
appropriations as low as it was pos
sible without impairing the eff ficiency
of the lnstitutions2 1t required
weeks of the most arduous labor,
both by day and by night, on the
part of the ways and means com
mitteeS of the House and Senate to
determine what the needs of the
great institutions of our state are.
The request, as l remember, from
the various institutions and depart
ments were cut down nearly three
million dollars by these committees.
1t was by opinion at the time, and
l have no reason to change that
opin on, from what information l
had, that the general appropriations
of the legislature, taken as whole,
were conservative and intended han.
es;ly to be economical. The amount
of the appropriations made fox t
state penitentiarY, state university,
state agricultural college and all in