640 



MISSOURI. 



large quantities in "Washington, Jefferson, and 

 Franklin Counties, and the other regions where 

 lead abounds. When ground in oil and mixed 

 with a small proportion of white lead, it makes 

 a cheap paint very useful for many purposes. 

 Much of the so-called white lead in the markets 

 contains more tiff than lead, for large quanti- 

 ties of it are exported from the State. A bill 

 was passed not to forbid the mixture of tiff with 

 white lead, but requiring that the proportion of 

 the cheaper material in the mixture shall be 

 marked on every package sold in the State, 

 whether manufactured there or brought from 

 other States, so that purchasers might know 

 what they were buying. The bill peremptorily 

 forbids the mixture of the earth in bread, con- 

 fections, and other articles of food, under severe 

 penalties. 



A resolution designed partly to secure fair 

 voting, and partly to thwart the Federal su- 

 pervision of State elections, was offered in the 

 House, directing the Judiciary Committee to 

 inquire into the expediency of changing the 

 present method of voting by ballot for the 

 living-voice method, in which every voter an- 

 nounces the name of each candidate he votes 

 for. This was the fashion that prevailed many 

 years ago, and is still in vogue in the old 

 States of Virginia and Kentucky. In all the 

 other States it has yielded to the system of 

 ballots, the object of which is to prevent any 

 one from knowing how the voter votes except 

 himself. The resolution also directed the com- 

 mittee to inquire into the expediency of hold- 

 ing the State election on a different day from 

 that on which the Congressional election is 

 held. 



For five years the State revenues have been 

 falling short of the amount needed to defray 

 the expenses of the State government and pro- 

 vide for contingencies. The public expendi- 

 tures in some departments have been reduced, 

 but still a deficiency annually occurred, which 

 had to be met with a short loan in the shape of 

 revenue bonds. The explanation of this defi- 

 ciency is to be found in the increase of the 

 number of recipients of public charity insane, 

 deaf and dumb, and blind and the conse- 

 quent increased cost of the charitable institu- 

 tions ; the large sum necessary to defray the 

 cost of criminal trials ; and the decrease of the 

 State valuation of property from which taxes 

 were derived. The State rates of taxation are 

 limited by the Constitution to 40 cents on the 

 $100 one half for revenue and one half for in- 

 terest and principal of the State debt. The in- 

 terest-tax yields enough for payment of the an- 

 nual interest on the debt, and something more; 

 but the revenue-tax does not yield enough for 

 the demands on that fund. One fourth of the 

 State revenue has to be paid over for the sup- 

 port of the public schools, and this leaves only 

 15 cents on the $100 for all other expenses. 

 If it were increased to 20 cents, there would 

 be no deficiency ; the revenues would be ample 

 to meet the expenditures, and the Treasury 



would be in an easy condition. But as the 

 Legislature has no authority to increase the 

 tax-rates on property, the needed additional 

 revenue must be sought for in special taxes and 

 licenses. Among the schemes devised was the 

 bell-punch tax, the failure of which is men- 

 tioned above. A bill for a poll-tax of $1 was 

 introduced, but failed to become a law. A bill 

 was also passed by the House, authorizing the 

 issue of $8,000,000 four per cent. State bonds 

 of small denominations, in imitation, except in 

 one respect, of the Georgia law. (See "An- 

 nual Cyclopedia" for 1878, GEORGIA.) The 

 intent was to gradually replace the six per 

 cent. State bonds as they 1'ell due with four 

 per cents, and thus save two per cent, in the 

 annual interest. The new bonds were to be 

 6s, 10s, 20s, 50s, 100s, 500s, and 1,000s, a little 

 larger than greenback bills, with small annual 

 interest-coupons attached. They were to be 

 payable at the pleasure of the State after five 

 years from date, but not due till twenty years, 

 and with the coupons were to be receivable for 

 State interest-taxes. They were to be sold or 

 disposed of at not less than their par value, and 

 to be liable to taxation. Only five votes were 

 cast against the bill. Another bill, to issue 

 $250,000 small funding State bonds of the de- 

 nominations of $5 and $10, was voted down by 

 the Houses after which the vote was recon- 

 sidered and the bill referred to a special com- 

 mittee. 



There was quite a difference between the 

 views presented to the Legislature by the 

 State Treasurer and the State Auditor. Ac- 

 cording to the latter, the State assessment, ex- 

 clusive of the railroads, for the present year, 

 was $523,982,773 a decrease of $32,586,051 

 from the assessment, and of $60,736,402 from 

 the equalized valuation, of 1877. Estimating 

 that the State Board would increase the as- 

 sessment $10,000,000, the reduction from 1877 

 would be $50,000,000. In other words, there 

 would be $50,000,000 less taxable valuation in 

 the State to raise taxes from during the two 

 years 1879-'80 than there was in the previous 

 two. The tax-rate (40 cents on the $100) is 

 fixed by law and can not be changed, so that 

 the Auditor estimated that the decrease in the 

 valuation would cause a reduction in the reve- 

 nues of $200,000 a year, or $400,000 for the 

 two years. On the other hand, the State 

 Treasurer submitted to the House, in answer 

 to a resolution adopted on May 6th, an official 

 statement for the four months ending April 

 30th. It stated that the receipts of the Trea- 

 sury from January 1st to May 1st were $1,677,- 

 455.02, and the disbursements $1,213,872.08. 

 The total balance on hand at the latter date was 

 $936,045.86, of which $704,383.98 was credited 

 to the interest fund, $201,372.16 to the school 

 fund, and $11,502.02 to the revenue fund. He 

 estimated the amounts to be drawn against the 

 revenue and interest funds for 1879-'80 at 

 $5,100,000, or $100,000 less than probable re- 

 ceipts. This opinion was finally adopted by the 



