The weekly soliphone. (Paragould, Greene County, Ark.) 1907-1918, 1915-03-19
THE LOGICAL RESULT OF INCOMPETENCE.

That Arkansas faces crisis in her finances not
paralleed since the days of the reconstruction is now
evident to the observant citizen. And it is none the
less apparent that if heroic treatment is not applied
the situation is going to become alarming,
The responsibility for the depleted condition OF
the general fund and the lack of adequate
to keep the institutions of the state running upon rea-
sonaby efficient grounds perhaps not be charged
to any single individual but is the direct and certain
result of Anticipated methods of financing, made doubly
intoerable by the administration of demagogues and
incompetens who have cursed the state for than
dozen years.
In his message to the general assembly last JAN
uary Governor Hays handled the financial situation In
general way giving approximately the deficit at that
time existing, and estimate of the appropriations
needed insure efficiency in the various state depart
ments and institutions He admitted the were
insufficient and that the deficit would be materially in
creased after the appropriations made, but neg
lected to suggest any remedy for the situation as 1t
his plain duty to do. Being the chief executive
of the state and having general supervision over all
the departments OF government as we'll as the state IN
situations, in position to demand from every subordi-
nate official comprehensive report on the condition
of his particular department he might acquan him
self with the details of the state government and be in
position to make specific suggestions for the
ton of evils he utterly failed to up to his
plain duty and shifted to the general assembly,
posed of men who had opportunity to familiarize
themselves with the intricate problems of state fl
nances the responsibility of unraveng the tangled
skein Suggested remedial measures frowned up
on by the chief executive and the word sent out
that he would veto either bond issue or a raise in
the tax rate.
This attitude upon the part of the governor
essary discouraged further efforts to provide for
increase in the of the state to devise
for caring for the already large deficit that is running
the states credit and forcing the market value of her
paper down to shamefuly low figure. Disclosures
made by investigating committees exposing wanon
travagance in many of the departments showing large
sums of public funds withheld from the treasury with
the evident purpose Of converting them to personal
profit further served disgust members of the gem
eral assembly with efforts to provide more revenue
The impression became prevalent that no matter how
much money the taxpayers contribute to the general
fund it will be juggled and misspent and result in no
permanent relief.
While ordinarily it would be extremely unfortu
nate for this idea to gain currency and receive serious
consideration in the minds of thinking citizens it is
now perhaps the ray of hope penetrating the clouds
1t ought to serve to wake the people up to full
sense of their responsibility and cause the scales to
fall from their eyes. They have permitted the sap
heads and political topwaters to gain their confidence
and have placed in positions of trust who neither
by training nor instinct capable of administering
the functions of popular government. Perhaps spirit
of suspicion and disrust will be helpful in that it will
cause the average voter to be careful in the future
exercise of the elective franchise,