San Antonio light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1911-1993, 1923-04-04
THAT MOUNTING DEFICIENCY

When the recent session of the Texas
Legislature convened, state officials an
nounced that the state government was
facing a deficiency" of several million
dollars. They didn't say how much, and
some people wondered why. Now. in
the light of the most recent report from
Austin. the only wonder is how they
could have known whether the state
treasury would be Short" or long of
money. Perhaps past tendencies served
as a guide.
1t wasn't long before the estimators
began to raise the ante-nlillions at
throw, just like that, without any show
of bashfulness. 1t would have put any
mere Betchcr-millon Gates to shame.
Four. five, six million dollars the state
would be "in the hole'-unlcss some
thing was done about it. Not for
moment was anybody allowed To forget
the only remedy for the states awful
financial embarrassment. More revenue
would have to be raised from some
source. Apparently the governor and
some members of the Legislature didn't
care what source, or sources, 50 long as
the money was Forthcoming. The state
government needed the money" and
the program of tax legislation presented
to the Lawmakers seemed to have been
formulated largely on that basis.
But many OF the legislators refused
TO be led around by the nose, or kicked,
showed, pushed or catapulted into reck-
less raising of revenue. They had a
queer notion that the welfare of the prop
erty owners, the taxpayers, ought to be
considered. How unprogressive!
However, two revenue measures were
enacted. But nobody seemed TO 6now
even approximately how much money
in the aggregate, they would produce
One of them, the automobile license law
.. it was calculated. would yield a paltry
million and half, or some such matter
But apparently not even the author o
The sulphur tax bill had any idea OF how
much or how little that measure would
add. to the states funds; it was re
ported that he postponed inquiry abou
the states production of sulphur unit
his bill was well on its way toward pas
sage. Adjournment left the money
nceders" unsatisfied.
Then the governor-in temper, some
, charged-proclaimed another special SEES
sion. to convene % hours after the clcsC
of the regular meeting. But it LASTED
only an hour and some minutes. The
legislators were going home. Some o
them were "sore" because the govern
had beat them out of the extra mileage
allowance which they could have col
lected if he had called the special session
to convene two hours later. Taxpayers
would like to believe, however, that thu
majority of the revolving law-nialler'
Z were actuated by spirit of economy.
p Now comes another raise of the ante
The governor has called another extra
;. ordinary session of the Legislature, t.
convene April 16-and now the stat
government is facing a deficiency" o
Sl0000,000! Most extraordinary! j
this estimate based upon the recent trans
fer of S3,000,0O0 from the general fun'
to the available school fund? If sc
then how is the extra million to be &C
! counted for-the difference etween III
: former observation-disclosures maximum @
100000 and the latest guess at the siz
. of the deficiency with which the state
threatened?
II is impossible for the people, VIII