564 



MISSOURI. 



Our penitentiary system is a disgrace to the State 

 and to the civilization of the age. 



The Legislature recently assembled in this State 

 did nothing that deserves commendation ; on the 

 contrary, it passed a number of bills which merit the 

 condemnation of every one. 



The act in relation to poll-taxes is not only cruel 

 and unjust, crudely and carelessly drawn, evidently 

 the product of incompetent persons, but is clearly 

 and unmistakably unconstitutional. 



The act making it obligatory upon railroad compa- 

 nies to provide separate accommodation for white 

 and colored persons is one of the most barbarous and 

 disgraceful acts of that extraordinary Legislature. 

 We believe it to be unconstitutional and void, and 

 that the enforcement of it should be resisted by the 

 public in every lawful way that is possible. 



The Judicial District bill is also crude and care- 

 Jessly drawn. 



The privilege-tax law is one of the most unjust and 

 oppressive that could be conceived. 

 * Under the hollow pretense of economy and reform, 

 it has crippled the humane institutions of the State, 

 and sought to destroy the higher institutions of learn- 

 ing by withholding proper appropriations for their 

 support while expending large sums on other and 

 less important objects, and has been so unmindful of 

 its duties to the citizens and the public of the State as 

 to adjourn and leave the Capitol building in which it 

 assembled in such an unsafe condition as to be now 

 unfit tor occupation, and pronounced so, in less than 

 one month after they adjourned, by a competent and 

 experienced architect. 



There was no election for State officers or 

 members of the Legislature during the year. 

 At the presidential election in November, the 

 Democrats were successful by the usual large 

 majority. Seven Democratic Congressmen were 

 elected at the same time. 



MISSOURI. State Government. The following 

 were the State officers during the year: Gov- 

 ernor, Albert G. Morehouse, Democrat, elected 

 Lieutenant- Governor, but succeeding the late 

 Governor Marmaduke in December, 1887 : 

 Secretary of State, Michael K. McGrath ; Treas- 

 urer, James M. Seibert ; Auditor, John Walker ; 

 Attorney-General, D. G. Boone ; Superintend- 

 ent of Public Schools, William E. Coleman ; 

 Eegister of Lands, Robert Me Culloch ; Rail- 

 road Commissioners, John B. Breathitt, James 

 Harding, William G. Downing ; Chief-Justice 

 of the Supreme Court, Elijah H. Norton ; 

 Associate Justices, Thomas A. Sherwood, Rob- 

 ert D. Ray, Francis M. Black, Theodore Brace. 



Finances. On Jan. 1, 1885, the bonded State 

 debt, not including the common - school and 

 seminary indebtedness, amounted to $11, 803,- 

 000; on Jan. 1, 1889, it was $9,525,000, a 

 reduction of $2,278,000 in four years. The 

 debt in 1885 was drawing interest at 6 per 

 cent per annum, amounting to $708,180. Since 

 Jan. 1, 1885, $9,278,000 of this debt has ma- 

 tured, of which $7,000,000 has been funded in 

 5-20 bonds bearing interest at 3J per cent., and 

 the remainder has been paid. 



The $7,000,000 in bonds sold for a premium 

 of $86,321.43. The interest on the public 

 debt proper is now $396,500 per annum, or 

 nearly one half less than it was four years ago. 

 The school-fund indebtedness consists of one 

 6-per-cent, certificate of $2,909,000 and three 



5-per-cent. certificates aggregating $225,000. 

 The seminary fund consists of one 6-per-cent. 

 certificate for $122,000 and one 5-per-cent. 

 certificate for $407,000. The annual interest 

 payable on these certificates is $213,460. The 

 Governor says in his annual message : "Mis- 

 souri needs no financial policy in the future. 

 If the present rate of taxation is maintained, 

 of 20 cents on the $100 valuation for the pur- 

 pose of paying the public debt and the interest 

 thereon, the State debt proper will be paid in 

 eight or nine years. Every obligation will be 

 paid at or before maturity. There was in the 

 treasury to the credit of the interest fund on 

 the first day of the present year, after paying 

 all interest and due obligations, the sum of 

 $325,000. The net receipts to this fund the 

 present year will be at least $1,450,000, which, 

 with the amount in the treasury, will make 

 $1,775,000 applicable to the payment of inter- 

 est and principal of the public debt for the year 

 1889. Our public debt may be reduced the 

 present year $1,100,000. The next general 

 -inent of taxable property in the State 

 will probably aggregate $900,000.000, when by 

 provisions of the Constitution the tax levy for 

 the purpose of paying the public debt and the 

 interest thereon will be reduced to fifteen cents 

 on the $100, which will be ample to meet all 

 obligations of the State for this purpose. In 

 fact, within the next four years the State inter- 

 e-t tax can be reduced to ten cents on the $100, 

 and meet every obligation at maturity." 



Education. The Governor says upon this 

 subject, in his annual message : " During the 

 past four years more than 100,000 children 

 have been added to our public schools, and the 

 number is now 865,750. Our permanent 

 interest-bearing school fund on July 1, 1888, 

 was 10,538,125.08, and the sum actually paid 

 out by our people in the support of our public 

 schools for the year ending June 30, 1888, was 

 $4,843,323.15. The thirty-fourth General As- 

 sembly appropriated to the common schools 

 one third instead of one fourth of the general 

 revenue as had been done by former legislat- 

 ures. This cost the State over $50,000 and 

 only benefited the school - children 7 cents 

 each. It is doubtful if this small amount 

 benefited the schools as much as it depressed 

 the finances of the State." 



Charities. The State supports three asylums 

 for the insane one at Fulton, one at St. 

 Joseph, and one at Nevada. The construction 

 of the last named was authorized by the Leg- 

 islature of 1885, which appropriated $200,000 

 therefor, to which the Legislature of 1687 

 added $150,000. A further appropriation will 

 be needed to finish and furnish the building. 

 The State institute for the deaf and dumb at 

 Fulton suffered the destruction of its building 

 by fire in February, causing a loss to the State 

 of over $100,000, partially covered by an in- 

 surance of $65,000. There were 185 pupils in 

 the institution, who were accomodated tem- 

 porarily in the town, so that the work of the 



