Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1919-01-16

fts responsibility is attested by tbs
official report OF the state superIn-
tendent OF public schools and the
statements of many educators.
Members of the Legislature general
ly recognize that the ~inadeQuacy of
support. due to the prevailing low as
sessment OF property IN Missouri,
largely is responsible for the low
standard of the rural schools. Many
districts are given a taxable valuation
OF less than $4,000 upon which the
district can realize, when voting the
maximum Of IS cents on the 500 val
uation. but s195 with which to pay
teacher salaries These low valuations
account for Missouri's low teacher
wages which have produced wide
spread shortage of teachers in the
state.
One of the early subjects which will
be presented to the Legislature will
be ire ratification or rejection of the
proposed federal bone-dry amendment,
which already has been approved in
nineteen of the thirty-six states neces-
sary to ratification. Both political
parties are committed by party plat
forms to early action on the amend
ment.
What the Legislature will do with
the dry amendment cannot accurately
be forecast at this time. Many OF the
members even from dry counties, are
noncommittal, and there are likely to
be some surprises when the ballot is
taken. Some of the members are
known to believe that it is a blow at
state rights and the right of local de-
termination of purely police regula-
tons.
Seventy legislative districts and
sixteen senatorial districts voted wet
at the recent election on prohibition
and seventy-two legislative districts
and eighteen senatorial districts voted
dry.
The simplification of the code of
civil and criminal procedure, work
mems compensation, the revision of
the entire chapter relating to the care
of delinquent and neglected children,
woman suffrage, Acknowledgement of
the soldiers, redistricting of the state
senatorially and congressionally, home.
rule, revision of the state election laws
involving some changes in the state
primary law, will be demanded at the
hands of the Legislature.
Two other important subjects are
those Of a new constitution and the
submission of a proposed $50, 900, 900
bond issue to the voters for the con-
struction of permanent roads. The
new constitution organization already
is active and much pressure will be
brought to get through a bill calling
a constitutional convention.
In Gov. Gardeners message to the leg
islature he strongly recommended the
adoption Of a budget system of dealing
with financial matters, and along that
line the State Tax Commission calls
the attention of the legislature to the
fact that the passage Of "bone-dry"
legislation will cut off $4,000, 900 from
the revenue during the next biennial
period. The commission has not yet
prepared it's budget showing where to
raise the money.
Estimates for revenu during the
next two years are based on present
laws.
The legislature is warned as fol-
lows: ANY attempt to appropriate be-
yond receipts is necessarily null, void
and Intellectual, for the constitution de-
MES to the General Assembly the pow
er to appropriate in excess Of the
revenues"
One recommendation Of the State
Tax Commission which arouses gen.
eeral interest is the proposal to pay
Confederate pension for the years of
1917 and 1918. The last legislature
passed the laws and set aside the
money but the governor vetoed the
payment.
There are more than 1900 Confed-
crate veterans on the pension roll, ex-
Guiding the $50 who died during the
past two years. 1t will require $780,
600 to pay the Confederate pensions
now due and keep up the payments
for the next two years.
The past two legislatures paid off
these old heroes at so cents on the
dollar. The law requires that each
shall receive the sum of $40 per month,
provided they have resided in the
state for two years next preceding the
passage of the law.