STATE GRANGE OF ILLINOIS. 69 



State taxation, of say fivo millions, comprised about, one million for sciiool 

 purposes; one-half million or more to support our charitable, penal and 

 educational institutions; one-half million more to paj' the expenses of our 

 legislative, judicial and executive branches of government; one million 

 to payment of indebtedness; one-half million to completing the new State 

 house; one million to payment of local bond funds, and miscellaneous 

 objects took the balance. All in all, our financial condition as a State, 

 thanks to the Constitutional prohibition of debt, and the necessity of pay- 

 ing as we go, is the most satisfactory sight I meet in this review. 



Of the county taxes and their expenditures we are not so well informed. 

 I know of no information that can be called official, of a late date. At 

 the beginning of 186!) our State Auditor reported the following county 

 debts: 



Railroad Debts f 2, 152,566 



Other than Railroad Debts 6,807,288 



Railroad Subscriptit)ns (not yet debts) 7,078,933 



Total 115,538,797 



Three-fifths of our county debts were fur railroads. 



Under the new Constitution, counties are prohibited from levj'ing more 

 than seventy-five cents on the hundred for county purposes; but as the 

 assessments have been considerably increased this permits heav^' expend- 

 iture. Farther aid to railroads is prohibited, and the result will bo, I 

 hope, that counties will hereafter build, own and operate their own local 

 railroads. 



Our city debts at the same time, according to the same authorit}', were 

 as follows: 



Railroad Debts | 1,961,250 



Other than Rnilroad Debts 13,080,704 



Ritilroad Subscriptions (not j'et debts) 1,354,500 



School Debts 316,000 



Total $16,715,554 



About one-fifth of these were railroad obligations. 

 Our town and township debts: 



Railroad Debts $1,696,028 



Other than Railroad Debts 473.528 



Railroad Subscriptions (not vet debts) 4,474,400 



School Debts ' 10,702 



Total 16,655,658 



About eleven-twelfths were railroad debts. 



Take these debts and their increase since that period, and the interest 

 alone would absorb a considerable part of the amount raised by taxa- 

 tion. 



A very large part of the local taxation, however, I am glad to say, is 

 expended on the public schools. The amount raised by advahirem lax in 

 districts on the assessments of 1873 was $."i,658,182.91 ; the ex|»enditures 



