The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-12-22
rur r1NANc1AL CnAn.

No wonder the Senate Finance Com
nittco adjourned Saturday. Had they
thrown UP their hands in despair and
declined to attempt tho drafting Of an
appropriation bill we should not have
| blamed them
Exactly what the press OF tho state
predicted has come TO pass Precisely
what every wcll-informcd voter nm.
J ticipoted has been fulfilled That little
surplus IN the treasury has stirred the
I boards Of every institution and every
/ department. TO attempt a grab. During
tho few days the committee was In ses-
50. coo. 600 more than the Assembly can
hope TO provide.
Did these requests represent crying
needs, we should regret tho inability
OF tho State to meet them. But as 1t Is
some Of the statements filed with tho
committee contain everything that the
boards dream or procuring In years to
como They felt that tho times were
ripe for large appropriations. and they
decided TO pluck when they might
Not only So but unless the condition
OF some OF our State institutions is far
different from what VIC have observed
on more or less frequent visits. some
OF These estimates OF needs" are heav-
ily padded. This. we presume. is duo
TO that philosophy which teaches that
tho bost way to get liberal approprla-
ton is 70 ask for an absurd one.
But whether they represent Eross
gaucc and Observation-Disclosures Of some o.
these requests is deeply 10 be dcplored
How can we cvor hone TO establish n
sound fiscal policy Of general develop
nent II every board and every depart
tnent asks for more than It knows Il
can get or will Givo TO accurate csti-
mate Of its Immediate needs7 Were we
on the Finance Committee we confess
that VIC should feel disposed to deny
ans Increase to any board which Is
unreasonable In It's demands This pol
icy, II agreed upon. might reduce TO
proper figures tho inflated estimates Of
some Of the boards
But our readers win probably ask
why II is, even with allowance for all
ment promise 20 be heavier than ever
before within bounds. tho answer is
not difficult to give Automatically.
under tho present organic law OF the
state. considerable percentage OF that
revenue derived from new assessments
goes directly 10 tho support Of the
public schools Thus. while we may
seem to have moro money in the treas
ury. we arc forced TO devote q very
large part Of It to the fundamental
work OF education. study OF tho aD-
preparation bills and OF tho Auditors
renorts Will show that the largest sin
gle item Of Increase has been thls-one
which no lover OF the state will regret.
Along with this have been larger
approximations for causes dear to tho
people-notnbly. for public health. the
treatment OF tuberculosis ana the like
Wiu mono Of these expenditures Will
the average wcn-informed citizen nnd
fault In the same way. practically
every activity OF government has
grown with the people and has become
more expensive
- QUIZ "l"' OelleI thnt most or
the excess in the budget since 1903 has
been woll spent Blu, this increases
rather than dimin.zhes our present re-
spons!bil!ty II we have been provi-
dent We must be economical If we
have Invested wisely in the past. We
cannot now too sternly frown upon the
for,s to lead the state into ex,rava-
rant and Ml-t!med ventures. We must
watch and ward moro carefully than
ever