Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1915-01-14
MAJORS MESSAGE
IS COMPREHENSIVE
BUSINESS PAPER
NEEDS OF STATE SET FORTH
= AND ALL MISSOURI is
CONGRATULATED.
IS SATISFACTORY;
4 FUTURE FULL0F PROMISE

Atks New Legislature to Take Such
faction as Will Place Our Grand
Commonwealth in the Front Ranks
Of Prosress-No Opportunity for
Advancement to Be Overlooked,
State of Missouri, Executive Depart
ment, City of jefferson, Jan. s, 1915.
To the Senate and House of Repre-
sentatives of the Forty-eighth Cen
eral Assembly: !
Article 5 of the constitution of Mis-
souri, among other things provides
''the governor shall, from, time to time,
give to the general assembly informa-
ton relative to the state of the gov
eminent, and shall recommend to its
consideration such measures as he
shall deem necessary and %expedient."
AS chief executive Of the common
wealth | have no political or partisan
measures to present. The governor
of a commonwealth should have none.
The people Of the commonwealth
have been given q good, clean public
service. The record has been written
and can speak for itself. The great
masses Of the people, irrespective Of
H x.1lfAf0n1 M T4iac in aupru cantinn nf
the state, are satisfied with the labors
of the administration. In handling
the states affairs it is purely a mat
ter OF business on the one hand and
the securing of constructive and pro
gressive legislation on the other.
There are many things which / pur-
pose to present in this message for
the consideration of the legislature,
subjects which the Democratic, Re-
publican and Progressive parties have
each declared in favor of in their
state platforms, and to which l shall
later refer. The departments created
by the last legislature, in each in
stance, took the place of some depart
ment which was abolished. The pub
lie, service commission act abolished
the railroad and warehouse commits
sion, the board of pardons and pa
roles abolished the pardon attorney
and his department, and the highway
commissioner supplanted the state
highway engineer.
state Finances.
One of the important matters in the
conduct of the states affairs is the
condition of its finances. It will be
news of public interest to know that
during my administration we paid
debts made by the preceding admins
tration in 1911 and 1912 and left UNI
paid in the sum of $~622,572.33. My
administration had nothing to do with
the making of this Indebtedness, but
was called upon to pay and did pay
the same. The appropriations made
for the biennial period which closed
on the 31st of December, 1914,
amounted to $12.S84 ,142.64. A large
amount of this sum-, however, was
merely paper liabilities which were
not expected to be called for, and
which were not called for, as it repre-
scented appropriations made solely and
purely to meet contingencies which
might possibly arise, but which did
not arise. The revenues for the same
period amounted to $40, 700, 1861 I. The
states indebtedness for t~ransacting
its business in every department dur
ing the biennial period just closed and
presented for payment amounted to
$7,300,548 20. Each and every claim
was paid promptly, and there is now
on hands a balance of $534,944,13.
The estimated revenues available
for the payment of appropriations for
the years 1915 and 1916 will be ap.
proximately $11,50O,000 The legisla'
ture must take this into consideration
in making appropriations, because ]
will not permit the appropriations to
exceed the reasonable expectancy OF
the revenues. Should the %appropria
lions go beyond, ! will have no hest
fancy in vetoing the same, to the end
! may know the state will meet its
obligations promptly and its credit
maintained.
This administration has been called
upon to pay many extraordinary obi
cations, aside from the usual depart
mental expenses, among which was
over $4,000 for building and equip
ping the temporary capitol 1t was
constructed in the latter part Of 1912
but was paid for in 1918. Again, we
paid more than 100000 out of the
general revenue to meet certain road
claims in rs or 26 counties which had
been vetoed by the governor proceed
ing, but which were just obligations
resting upon the state.
Management Of state institutions.
Some of the state hospitals for the
insane have industrial training depart
ments, and are conducting same with
benefit and profit. Each institution
has improved It's system and appa
ratus for treatment of patients.
The Institution for the sfeeble-inind
ed and epileptic, at Marshall, is just
completing a new cottage for patients
thus adding another unit to the sys
tenn. The superintendent has s. treat
ed the patients and managed the in
stitution that he has been able to re
duce seizures over 50 per cent. This
wonderful change for betterment
brought about by Or. Wilson is phe
nomenal, and the colony in this re
A Simple One.
aWhAt Is your theory about the high