The Arizona copper camp., 1915-08-20
SENATOR STAPLEYS VIEWS.

Stapley, state senator from Maricopa
county, whose work in the recent leg
islature attracted the attention of tax
payers generally throughout the state
has the following to say of the
revenue bill:
Having seen so much in the papers
Of the valley lately in regard to the
appropriation bill for the state and
in the uncertain way it has left
things in, with the governors veto
and later to see that the tax commits
sion has made levy Of 55 cents on
the $1OO makes me feel that I cannot
and the peoples representative I wish
you would permit me to elucidate my
feelings in regard to this appropria-
ton bill.
In April the governor made a call
for the legislature to meet to make
appropriations for the state institu-
tions and also levy bill. Both houses
worked hard to perfect a bill that
would properly take care Of all the
departments including interest and
funding debts and most all heads of
departments were called into consul
tation and after we got the desired
! information then the appropriation
was decided upon for the different de-
partments and I am sure that every
department was taken care of amply
for two years. Also the school fund
Of 100000 per year was never in
conference at any time but both
houses felt that it should be cut to
that amount and that the counties
school tax that much higher for
school purposes, instead of having
the state collect part of it and then
refund same to the different counties,
apportioned according to their school
attendance, which Of course makes
some counties pay more for this pur-
ceive more than they paid in; and it
was to equalize this that the cut was
made, leaving ample funds to pay for
all free text books and state super
intendentt's office and expense and
if any balance was left it would re-
vert back to the same as in the past;
and it was understood when this law
was made. at the first session, that
they provided amply to inaugurate the
free text books system in the state,
as they did not know what it would
cost to put in the system; and that
future legislation could reduce it if
too much was appropriated and 1 was
told by those who helped to make
that law that this was the case and
it was noe to make it burdensome
on some counties for the ease of
others.
Now has the legislature any power
in W-making, or is it just farce to
spend the peoples money? When the
legislature makes an appropriation
for the state for all purposes and is
passed by more than two thirds ma
jority can it be vetoed and the
amounts raised? We understood that
y veto was to destroy, not to make
an appropriation, and it seems that
the tax commission has fallen in line
with the governors views. There
was vetoed, by the governor, twelve
sections and parts Of sections carry
ing appropriations, and twenty eight
repeating clauses, which should have
diminished the appropriations some
was Section SO which made our
auditor, the auditor of the state in
very deed but by the governors veto
our auditor is just in name only. No
matter now what items are in a bill
presented to the auditor from any de-
partment he cannot question the val
idity of the claim but if the foot
ings are correct he must pay the bill.
Now, just think of it; an auditor
without any power to act but just do
what the Clique" wants.
Then there was state levy bill
passed by the legislature carrying the
same amoutns for the different de-
partments Of state and was based on
a $400,000,O0O valuation. The appro-
priation bill and levy bill carried for
1915-16 $1,765, 1926, which would make
the tax levy on $4O0,OOO,OOO A cents
on the 500, but as the assessment is
on $420,00O,OOO the levy should only
be AZ cents on the $1OO. The levy
bill was filed by the governor with
the secretary of state and became a
law.
Previous legislators have made a
maximum levy BILL which was rs
cents on the $1O0, but only 44h cents
was levied. The law as it was ex-
planned to us was that the levy bill
should be a duplicate of the appro-
priA ton bill and the amount sspecifi-
cally stated for each department and