The Wolf Point herald. (Wolf Point, Mont.) 1913-1940, 1924-09-18

current years revenue. In this mes
sage to the Special Session, 1 said:
yet despite these repeated warnings
of impending disaster and in direct
contravention of the constitutional pro-
visions prohibiting appropriations in
excess of the current revenues, the
tentative appropriation bills o call
for one and a quarter million dollars
in excess of any possible revenu for
the coming fiscal year, and also an
additional one and m quarter million
dollars of appropriations for the fiscal
year succeeding.
"Under the constitution and the stat
utes you hold the purse strings to the
states treasury. l do not. The Legis-
lative Assembly alone can create and
increase the state Indebtedness.
Upon you now rests the sole respon-
sibility of determining whether or not
a deaf ear shall be turned to the cry
for relief from increased public indebt-
edness coming from the people of this
state.
81 know of no legerdemain of finance
whereby executive offices can coin dol
lars out of thin air, even under the
direction of legislative appropriation
bills made against al empty state
treasury.
every legislative appropriation bill
for carrying on the work of the state
government since and including the
year 1918 has exceeded the yearly rev
enue of the state.
During these five years apropria-
tions have been made by the legisla-
lures in excess of the receipts, until
now the overdraft approximates three
million dollars. The present program
now contemplates a further increase of
the state Indebtedness of more than
two million dollars.
'"The present Assembly has already
passed a most drastic measure impos-
ing severe penalties on city and county
officials for spending in excess
of the current city and county
revenues and yet calmly proceeds to-
wards appropriating more than two
million dollars in excess Of the state
revenues for the coming biennium."
When the session had finally adjour-
ned, / found that while the Legislature
had scaled the original contemplated
appropriations to the extent of $780,
600, the appropriation bills, as finally
passed, still were about 100000 in x
cess of any possible revenue.
Used Veto for Economy
In the exercise of the constitutional
power of the veto, that had been used
by the Governor of Pennsylvania ten
years before, under a constitutional
provision exactly like our own, and in
a last effort to curb legislative appro-
prfations, l gave a percentage veto cut
to the legislative appropriations of
5000, 600. But the Supreme Court, by
a divided vote, held that the percent
age veto was not permissible. When
the Legislature reconvened, my at
tempted percentage veto was sustained
in the repassage of the new %appropria-
ton bills, exactly as l had vetoed them.
thus finally cutting down the original
total appropriations by 100000, as /
had first tried to do by the veto.
Facing the financial situation that
we did four years ago, in order to
make buckle and tongue meet and for
the purpose of trying to equalize the
burden of taxation among all forms Of
wealth in Montana, 1 recommended to
the Legislature that we take a small
toll from the yearly depletion of our
natural resources-oil, coal, and met
ais; that we also-adopt a modern form
of an inheritance tax, and also assess
for taxation Pullman Cars and private
a lines, the Pullman Car Company
having heretofore escaped all taxation
in Montana. This was in accordance
with the policy adopted years ago in
nearly every other state.
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