Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 20, Number 8, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 30 September 1898 — DEMOCRATS AND THE STATE DEBT. [ARTICLE]

DEMOCRATS AND THE STATE DEBT.

When Democratic legislators were confronted by the rapidly increasing state debt, they were at loss what to do, whether to increase the tax levy or tax valuation, so they did nothing. Governor Gray of their party urged them to do the former, for in his message of 1889 he told them that the present law fixing the levy at 12 cents had been in force 12 years without a change. "Such levy,” he said, “was only deemed sufficient to meet the usual and ordinary expenses.” He stated that the state could not establish new institutionsand construct them without increasing the levy or borrowing the necessary means. At that time it required one-fourth of the revenue to pay interest on the debt. The Democratic legislators left conditions as they found them and the state officers were driven to borrow $1,770,000 with which to half meet the demands of the state. The fiscal year of 1889, owing to the do-nothing policy, closed with this showing: State revenue tax 51,013,720.27 Delinquents 51.419.35 Temporary 10an1,770,000.00 But a Republican governor came in and two years later another Democratic legislature was willing to dodge the issue. He would not pertnit it, though, for in his message Governor Hovey very plainly and concisely nut the threatening conditions before it. "A sufficient revenue,” he said, “has npt been raised since 1877, and every year has added to our indebtedness, until today the state debt has reached the enormous sum of $8,540,615.12, with a still increasing indebtedness, unless some relief cun be obtained by legislature. With the, same system that has heretofore prevailed we will still have to borrow money to sustain our institutions and expenses of the state with an annual deficit of $300,000.” From that came the tax law about which the Democrats are making much ado, and which they never would have passed had not Detn critic, officeholders, directly intereste I with state finances, succeeded Republicans. Tiie Litter hud been constantly embarrassed by Democratic legislatures of painful succession failing or refusing to consider the state debt. It is extremely disapp inting to Democratic hopes to have the Indiana soldiers returning in good trim, ruddy, manly and brave. The party that always opens a calamity-box at the beginning of a campaign would prefer to have them starving, abused and helpless.