The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1919-07-17
Will GOVERNOR
CALL SESSION?
ANSWER WAITED
State Institutions Including
Easthaven, in Dire Need OF
Money.

INDIANAPOLIS, Ind, July IL
Whether Governor Goodrich will call
special session of the legislature
seems now to depend upon whether
the eighteen state institutions can
manage TO subsist on revenues that
have been increased only 6 percent
since 1917, whereas the cost OF main
tenance. due to abnormal prices, has
increased all the way from SO to 100
percent.
The governor announced three
weeks ago that he had decided to call
a special session to ratify the federal
woman suffrage amendment and take
care OF the straitened institutional fl
nances Of the state. Since that time,
however, the political aspects of spe.
cial session have given rise to state
ments by Republicans we'll informed
on political conditions that meeting
OF the legislature now would be I'M
wise, and might precipitate trouble
both for the state administration and
the party.
Party leaders friendly to the gov
ernor do not deny that II Lieutenant
Governor Bush takes an antagonistic
attitude toward matters brought be-
fore the special session, he may pro-
long the session unnecessarily by a
deadlock and at the same time make
capital that would be eagerly appro-
prtated by Democratic opponents.
But the 1919 legislature. not fore
seeing the sharp advance in prices,
provided for an emergency mainten-
ance fund Of $4,000 to be used by the
governor to assist the institutions
Notwithstanding the skimping that
h1 Iz ~P
forced to practice all the emergency
fund has been apportioned to the in.
stitutfons. In addition to the $3.50, 900,
the governor has turned over to the
institutions $4,000 from his emergency
contingent fund and $6,4s1 from the
civil and military contingent fund
Institutions Broke"
AS the regular appropriations Of the
x. fGtal year will not be available
ii October l and every cent OF
money available in this fiscal year
ha9 been placed at their disposal, the
records In the auditor of states office
show that Indianas institutions are
broke"
Two Of the state institutions will
not be able to pay all their July bills
on August 1. A larger number of ths>c
Will not be able to pay any Of the Aug
ust bills on September l and not more
than three or four will be able to fin
ISL the fiscal year without going into
debt.
According to the estimate made tc
the visiting committee by the auditor
Of state prior to the 1919 Legisla ture
II is estimated that the deficit in thu
maintenance funds Of state institutions
for the present fiscal year. ending Sep
lNnr
pears now that this deficit will mater
1alize TO within a few thousand dollars
AS $165,000 Of the deficit has beer
taken care OF by the emergency funds
there will remain an accumulation IL
unpaid bills at the end of the yea
amounting to about 100000
These bills can not be paid out o
the 1919-1920 appropriations. TIL,
only way that these debts can be pait
Is by an act of the Legislature appro
priating funds for the purpose Their
is plenty of money in the state treas
ury. but it can not be used legally il
helping out the institutions. The ba
ence OF revenue in the state treasur
Wednesday was $2,O13,21762
Ran $4,000 Short
During the last fiscal year. endin
Sept. 81, 1918. the institutions "a
$l44,O0U short. Under war condition
the governor and auditor assumed res
possibility for obtaining the none
needed. The money borrowed the
was met by an appropria ton by tn
last legislature. 1t is said that Go,
ernor Goodrich and Otto l.. KLAUS
auditor. have taken the stand tina
they Will not attempt to provide 70
the deficit this year as they did las
under the rThoxy
no legal right to obtain funds to al
sist the institutions when all apprt
lpriations are exhausted.
AS the condition Of state institutio
finances seems to make it imperativ
that legislative action be taken, thos
who have analysed the situation d,
clare that y. special session can not b
avoided and that II such a session !
held it must convene before the en-
OF the fiscal year in order that tn
debts of the institutions can be pait