The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1915-12-31
THE MORAL OF IT

been decided by the Supreme Court Of
Missouri. The court upholds the
State officials in their decision that
grain inspection fees, factory inspec-
ton fees and fines collected in anti
trust actions are not "ordinary reve-
nues," and not subject to the educa-
tional apportionment law. It finds
that beer, oil and other department
fees, however, belong to the general
reevnue fund, and that one-third of
them, therefore, belong to the schools.
This will give back to the schools of
the State 1894, 1922 which was di-
verified by the ruling made by the Au-
ditor in accordance with the opinion of
the Attorney General.
It is matter Of general congratu-
lation that this question of interpre-
alton Of law of vital Importance to
public education is laid to rest. But
this outcome does not in the least eff
feet the principal lesson of the school
fund controversy. That is that the
State of Missouri needs such re-
casting of its financial machinery as
can only be accomplished by the re-
vision of it's Constitution.
There is involved here no question
either of the ability or the fidelity of
our State officials. The utter absence
from our law, constitutional and sta
tutory, of any adequate device or ar
rangement to bring the spending and
the taxing end of our government to-
gether is crying evil and should be
remedied. Our Legislatures gayly
appropriate millions of money in ex-
cess of probable receipts and light
heartedly adjourn, leaving the matter
to the Governor and his veto power.
: Obviously, if the duties of the Legis-
lature are to be handed over to the
Governor, he should have power to
!, proportion reasonably the various
amounts, scaling down excuses. But
the Governor has not power, under
: the Constitution, to do the reasonable
: and desirable thing.
;, 1t is an AK that the law puts int
Z his hands-not a surgeons knife
He must either let given item in al
appropriation bill stand or cut it of
b altogether If there has been waste
. full appropriation for necessary pur
pose the Governor must either permit
, the waste or halt an essential work o.
service. So, in practice, the Govern
:, or cuts out certain items altogether
many Of them with inward wrath anC
! disgust, as he sees important services
i handicapped while waste is permitted
: elsewhere through unnecessary lib
erality-and then exacts agreement
from department heads that they viii
not exceed certain minimum cxpendi
: lures until he discovers whether tn,
! revenues viii permit
1t is an open secret that after hay
ing done their best, Missouri's las
two or three Chief Executives have
been on needles until they found tha
they had guessed right. For an in
spired guess is all that is possible
under our unbusiuesslille laws; Their,
F, is a large element of luck, after judg
ment and experience have done thei
utmost.
vi The difficulty which threatened whel
the school-fund problem appearoJ
IS a small matter in comparison wit
= he situation in which the finances o
ne Missouri viii some day be found, j
7 we do not provide our State official
with financial machinery adequate t
n he financial needs Of the giant COZ
4 1oration we call the State of Missouri
i The Republic has not INDUCED in on
: word Of special pleading in the pres
r. emit case. We have not needed to. TIL
- 5est defense of the officials attacke
was straight tale Of the difficultie
!, they have faced and the inadequat
II and hampering laws to which thes
y difficulties are due. There will be n
80 security against similar troubles III
to til the present Anticipated system
done away. To pretend that ther
will is either partisan special pleadin
or the ignoring Of plain dangers. LC
7 us have new Constitution.--St Lou
Republic.