er press, and the
details which may be desired with a view to legislation can be best
obtained from the reports themselves.

I also refrain from making many recommendations. Believing that too
frequent changes of the laws and too much legislation are serious
evils, I respectfully suggest that upon many subjects it may be
well to defer legislation until the people have acted upon the
question of calling a constitutional convention. If such a
convention shall be called, it is not improbable that the General
Assembly will be clothed with powers essentially different from
those conferred by the present fundamental law in respect to the
judiciary, railroads, intemperance, and many other important
subjects, and that the legislature itself will be so constituted as
to secure to minorities a fairer representation than they now
enjoy.

The balance in the State treasury on the 15th of November, 1869,
was $438,060.14; the receipts during the year were $4,399,932.53;
making the total amount of available funds in the treasury during
the year $4,837,992.67.

The disbursements during the year have been $4,071,954.57; leaving
a balance in the treasury, November 15, 1870, of $766,038.10.

The estimates of the auditor of State for the current year are as
follows:

Estimated receipts from all sources, including balances,
$5,670,205.10; estimated disbursements for all purposes,
$5,163,976.01; leaving an estimated balance in the treasury,
November, 15, 1871, of $506,229.09.

The public funded debt of the State on the 15th of November, 1869,
after deducting the amount invested in loans not yet due, was
$9,855,938.27. During the last year there has been redeemed of the
various loans, and invested in loans not yet due, the sum of
$123,860.36, leaving the total debt due November 15, 1870,
$9,732,077.91.

The fund commissioners were prepared to pay off a larger amount of
the debt than has been actually discharged during the year, but
none of the bonds of the State were due, and some of the holders
demanded ten or twelve per cent premium, and others refused to
surrender their bonds at any price.

The constant and rapid increase of taxation demands consideration.
The following table, showing the taxation for different purposes
in 1860 and i