The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1916-05-05
AN IMPROBABLE wRANGLE

President A. Ross Hill of the Mis-
Eouri State University and State Au-
ditor Gordon have the past week been
engaged in an Improbable newspa-
per controversy over State finances.
1t. appears that the Auditor has re-
fused to draw warrants for certain |
acquisitions made by the University
on the general revenue fund of the
State, holding that the depleted con-
dition of that fund will not admit of
it; that the bills or acquisitions for
which he refuses to draw warrants
are not preferred claims and to pay
them would embarrass the Treasury
in meeting claims which, in his con-
struction Of the law governing appro-
priations, have priority.
Since January, according to Pres
ident Hills contention, these unpaid
bills amount to $4,000, and the Au-
ditor has Disseminated against the
University in his policy of drawing
warrants. Auditor Gordon declares
that he has practiced no discrimina-
ton, that all the State institutions
are treated alike in this matter, and
warrants for University salaries have
been regularly drawn and paid, con-
trary to Mr.. Hills charge that war
rants for teachers salaries have been
discounted at Columbia banks, are UNI
paid and drawing interest.
We know nothing of the merit of
this controversy between the head of
the State University and Auditor
Gordon, over which partisan Republi-
can papers and politicians are trying
to manufacture campaign capital and
create the impression that the State
Treasury is bankrupt, all on account
of Democratic mismanagement OF
rascality. Instead of bankruptcy
there are several millions in the
Treasury belonging to the Capital
building fund, the State school fund,
ETC., and only is the general revenue
fund low. The latter fact is generally
known, we believe, and it is not an
unusual condition. Our Legislatures
have been in the bad habit Of making
haphazzard appropriations far in ex-
cess of the estimated revenue of the
State, to satisfy the besieging Off
Gals of the various State institutions.
This has been going on for years and
under every administration the Gov
ernor has been compelled to exercise
his constitutional authority to cut out
many appropriations in an endeavor
to bring the total of the appropria-
tions within the States revenue for
the biennial period between sessions
of the General Assembly, and is sell
dom ever successful in doing this.
The remedy doesn't lie in such
wrangles as that in which Mr.. Hill and
Mr.. Gordon are engaged, nor III dema-
gogic partisan elimination and re-
elimination and appeals to political
prejudices for campaign effect, for
the same conditions have existed and
the same shifting practices resorted
to under both Democratic and Repuh-
lican administrations. One would be
as guilty as the other if there were
personal or official guilt in the matter.
Each has doubtless been trying to do
its best under a bad system to pro-
tect the credit of the State-a system
which the people and their General
Assembly alone can correct and which |
they should lose no time in reform
ing.
To keep our many worthy State in /
situations up to the high standard that
should be maintained, the State must |
have sufficient revenue to meet the
necessary expenses. The State tax
levy in Missouri is only IS cents on
the 500 assessed valuation, the small I
est of any State in the Union. It is
bur local taxes that are a burden, if |
burden they can really be called, and
not the State tax, and the latter
should be raised until it will, with the
other sources of the States revenue,
create sufficient fund for the ex-
penses of an economically admins
tered State government, say about %
cents on the 500 assessed valuation;
and then it would probably be lower
than that of any other State. There
is no good sense in priding ourselves
on having the lowest State tax rate