Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 16 May 1908 — ENORMOUS INCREASE IN COST OF STATE GOVERNMENT. [ARTICLE]

ENORMOUS INCREASE IN COST OF STATE GOVERNMENT.

It is not easy from the bookkeeping in the state offices to determine the exact financial of the state. “ Doubtless this is the reason* why the financial statement was omitted from the published acts of the legislature of 1905. But the state auditor’s report for 1905, which few people see, sets out the total receipts and disbursements for the fiscal year ending Oct. 31, 1905, as follows: Receipts $9,260,827.07 Disbursements .... 9,127,868.36 The report of the state treasurer for the fiscal year ending Oct. 31, 1906, sets out the total receipts and disbursements as follows: Receipts $9,702,867.76 Disbursements .... 9,099,212.32 (The disbursements included nothing on the state debt.) The report of the treasurer for the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 1907 (only eleven months, due to a change in the law as to the ending of the fiscal year), shows the following as to total receipts and disbursements: Receipts $9,159,625.83 Disbursements .... 8,067,001.71 (The disbursements included nothing on the state debt.) It will be remembered that the heavy receipts and disbursements for 'lhe' month of TJctober are not included in the 1907 statement because of the shortening of the fiscal year. No full comparison, therefore, can be made of 1907 with other years. Perhaps It was to prevent an understandable comparison that the fiscal year was changed. In marked contrast with the above report of Republican management is the report of the fiscal year ending Oct. 31, 1894, the last year the state offices were occupied by Democrats. The financial statement for the year 1894 is as follows: ... .... Receipts $6,848,967.65 Disbursements 6,458,456.36

Excess of Disbursements 1905 over 1894..;. 2,669,412.00 Excess of Disbursements 1906 over 1894.... 2,640,755.96 This enormous increase in annual expenditures is out of all proportion to the real increase in the cost of administering the state’s affairs. The multiplication of needless offices, boards and commissioners, the increase in official salaries and reckless appropriations of money in all directions are some of the reasons for the growing burdens that have been put upon the taxpayers.