7. The State highway commission in the law is given the right to administer any Federal money available for work in this State, in accordance with any statute passed by Congress. 8. The system of State highways is comprised of the main traveled roads in each county, selected by the local county board in such manner as to make a complete system connecting at the county boundaries, and running into every town in the county. 9. The State has an annual appropriation of $350,000 for State aid. This will undoubtedly be increased by the legislature convening next January. W. O. HOTCHKISS, Very truly, yours, WYOMING. State Geologist. Hon. JONATHAN BOURNE, Jr., THE STATE OF WYOMING, United States Senate, Washington, D. C. MY DEAR SENATOR: In this State good roads are under the control of the county commissioners of the several counties. The State is prohibited by its constitution from engaging in road building, etc. The last legislature, however, provided for the survey of certain highways across the State-to be done, however, at the expense of the counties across which the highways were to run. The legislature also passed a law providing for working convicts on these public highways, at the expense of the several counties. The purpose of this was to give a certain class of trusties in the penitentiary out-door employment. This, as you know, can amount to but little, as the small number of convicts in a State with a small population can not do any very comprehensive work. The little we have done with convict labor has been very satisfactory. The convicts as a rule have acted very honorably and the trust that we have imposed in them has not been misplaced. About the only mishaps we have had have been through disreputable men coming in contact with the convicts and furnishing them with intoxicants, but even this has not dwarfed my confidence that the men can be successfully worked on the highways, and to their satisfaction as well as to the satisfaction of the State. There has been some talk of trying to secure an amendment to the constitution by which the State could issue bonds for road building, but I doubt very much whether this would meet with a favorable vote from the people. In the greater part of the State the natural roads are very good, and with some drainage to prevent the accumulation of water in the roadway after heavy falls of rain or snow these roads can be made reasonably good for all purposes. A great deal of interest is being taken in the matter and every county is having meetings and some work is being done by volunteer labor in several of the counties. The small amount appropriated for the working of convicts on the roads is placed in charge of the State board of charities and re form, consisting of the governor, secretary of state, State treasurer, State auditor, and State superintendent of public instruction. The above, I believe, answers your first six questions. 7. No. But I have no doubt the next legislature would be glad to pass a law, and if necessary cause to be submitted a constitutional amendment to the people. 8. Already answered. 9. The Government has built two or three short stretches of road, notably the one from Cody to the Yellowstone Park. There is also a military road from Fort Yellowstone to Fort Washakie. The Government is working also upon a road through the Hoback Canyon and up the Snake River, south of the Yellowstone Park. 10. I am doubtful in my own mind whether the Government should enter into the construction of highways within the boundaries of the States. In other words, I think that kind of work can best be done by the States or the counties in the States. Very truly, yours, JOSEPH M. CAREY. EXTRACTS FROM STATE CONSTITUTIONS ON LIMITATION OF STATE DEBT. The operation of any plan of road improvement having as its basis the borrowing of money or the pledging of credit by the several States must take into account the provisions of the respective State constitutions relating to State debt and the pledging of State credit. In order, therefore, to present the necessary information in an accurate and comprehensive form, literal extracts from State constitutions have been prepared by Mr. J. E. Pennybacker, statistician of the committee, and are here given, together with such explanatory memoranda as seemed desirable. These extracts show that 27 States, namely, Alabama, California, Connecticut, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vermont, Washington, and Wyoming are not barred by their constitutions from borrowing money for aiding road improvement, while 21 States, namely, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, West Virginia, and Wisconsin would require constitutional amendment to borrow any considerable amount of money for aiding road improvement. The extracts are as follows: ALABAMA. ART. IV, SEC. 32. The general assembly shall not borrow or raise money on the credit of this State, except for purposes of military defense against actual or threatened invasion, rebellion, or insurrection, without the concurrence of two-thirds of the members of each house; nor shall the debts or liabilities of any corporation, person or persons, or other States be guaranteed, nor any money, credit, or other thing be loaned or given away except by a like concurrence of each house; and the votes shall, in each case, be taken by the yeas and nays and be entered on the journals. SEC. 33. The State shall not engage in works of internal improvement, but its credit in aid of such may be pledged by the general assembly on undoubted security by a vote of two-thirds of each house of the general assembly. ARIZONA. ART. IX, SEC. 5. The State may contract debts to supply the casual deficits or failures in revenues, or to meet expenses not otherwise provided for; but the aggregate amount of such debts, direct and contingent, whether contracted by virtue of one or more laws, or at different periods of time, shall never exceed the sum of $350,000. * * * In addition to the above limited power to contract debts, the State may borrow money to repel invasion, suppress insurrection, or defend the State in time of war. ARKANSAS. ART. XVI, SEC. 1. Neither the State nor any city, county, town, or other municipality in this State shall ever loan its credit for any purpose whatever; nor shall any county, city, town, or municipality ever issue any interest-bearing evidence of indebtedness except such bonds as may be authorized by law to provide for and secure the payment of the present existing indebtedness, and the State shall never issue any interest-bearing treasury warrants or scrip. CALIFORNIA. ART. XVI, SEC. 1. The legislature shall not, in any manner, create any debt or debts, liability or liabilities which shall, singly or in the aggregate with any previous debts or liabilities, exceed the sum of $300,000, except in case of war to repel invasion or suppress insurrection, unless the same shall be authorized by law for some single object or work to be distinctly specified therein, which law shall provide ways and means, exclusive of loans, for the payment of the interest of such debt or liability as it falls due, and also to pay and discharge the principal of such debt or liability within 75 years of the time of the contracting thereof and shall be irrepealable until the principal and interest thereon shall be paid and discharged, and such law may make provision for a sinking fund to pay the principal of such debt or liability to commence at a time after the incurring of such debt or liability of not more than a period of one-fourth of the time of maturity of such debt or liability; but no such law shall take effect until at a general election it shall have been submitted to the people and shall have received a majority of all the votes cast for and against it at said election; and all moneys raised by authority of such law shall be applied only to the specific object therein stated or to the payment of the debt thereby created, and such law shall be published in at least one newspaper in each county, or city and county, if one be published therein, throughout the State, for three months next preceding the election at which it is submitted to the people. The legislature may, at any time after the approval of such law by the people, if no debt shall have been contracted in pursuance thereof, repeal the same. (Amendment adopted Nov. 3, 1908.) ART. XIII, SEC. 13. All bonds hereafter issued by the State of California, or by any county, city and county, municipal corporation, or district (including school, reclamation, and irrigation districts) within said State, shall be free and exempt from taxation. (New section. adopted Nov. 4, 1902.) COLORADO. ART. XI, SEC. 3. The State shall not contract any debt by loan in any form, except to provide for casual deficiencies of revenue, erect public buildings for use of the State, suppress insurrection, defend the State, or, in time of war, assist in defending the United States; and the amount of debt in any one year to provide for deficiencies of revenue shall not exceed one-fourth of a mill on each dollar of valuation of taxable property within the State, and the aggregate amount of such debt shall not at any time exceed three-fourths of a mill on each dollar of said valuation until the valuation shall equal $100,000,000, and thereafter such debt shall not exceed $100,000, and the debt incurred in any one year for erection of public buildings shall not exceed one-half mill on each dollar of such valuation, and the aggregate amount of such debt shall never at any time exceed the sum of $50,000 (except as provided in section 5 of this article), and in all cases the valuation in this section mentioned shall be that of the assessment last preceding the creation of said debt. CONNECTICUT. There appears to be no constitutional provision relating to State indebtedness. The State has issued bonds for the construction and improvement of highways. DELAWARE. ART. VIII, SEC. 3. No money shall be borrowed or debt created by or on behalf of the State pursuant to an act of the general assembly, passed with the concurrence of three-fourths of all the members elected to each house, except to supply casual deficiencies of revenue, repel invasion, suppress insurrection, defend the State in war, or pay existing debts; and any law authorizing the borrowing of money by or on behalf of the State shall specify the purpose for which the money is to be borrowed, and the money so borrowed shall be used exclusively for such purpose; but should the money so borrowed or any part thereof be left after the abandonment of such purpose or the accomplishment thereof, such money, or the surplus thereof, may be disposed of according to law. SEC. 4. No appropriation of the public money shall be made to, nor the bonds of this State be issued or loaned to any county, municipality, or corporation, nor shall the credit of the State be the guaranty or the indorsement of the bonds or other undertakings of any county, municipality, or corporation be pledged otherwise than pursuant to an act of the general assembly passed with the concurrence of three-fourths of all the members elected to each house. FLORIDA. ART. IX, SEC. 6. The legislature shall have power to provide for issuing State bonds only for the purpose of repelling invasion or suppressing insurrection, or for the purpose of redeeming or refunding bonds already issued, at a lower rate of interest. SEC. 7. No tax shall be levied for the benefit of any chartered company of the State, nor for paying interest on any bonds issued by such chartered companies, or by counties, or by corporations, for the above-mentioned purpose. GEORGIA. ART. VII, SEC. 3, PAR. 1. No debt shall be contracted by or on behalf of the State, except to supply casual deficiencies of revenue, to repel invasion, suppress insurrection, and defend the State in time of war, or to pay the existing public debt; but the debt created to supply deficiencies in revenue shall not exceed, in the aggregate, $200,000. SEC. 4, PAR. 1. All laws authorizing the borrowing of money by or on behalf of the State shall specify the purpose for which the money is to be used, and the money so obtained shall be used for the purpose specified, and for no other. IDAHO. ART. VIII, SEC. 1. The legislature shall not in any manner create any debt or debts, liability or liabilities, which shall singly or in the aggregate, exclusive of the debt of the Territory at the date of its admission as a State, exceed the sum of 13 per cent upon the assessed value of the taxable property in the State, except in the case of war to repel an invasion or suppress insurrection, unless the same shall be authorized by law for some single object or work to be distinctly specified therein, which law shall provide ways and means, exclusive of loans, for the payment of the interest of such debt or liability as it falls due; and also for the payment and discharge of the principal of such debt or liability within 20 years of the time of the contracting thereof, and shall be irrepealable until the principal and interest thereon shall be paid and discharged; but no such law shall take effect until at a general election it shall have been submitted to the people and shall have received a majority of all the votes cast for and against it at such election; and all moneys raised by the authority of such law shall be applied only to the specified object therein stated, or to the payment of the debt thereby created, and such law shall be published in at least one newspaper in each county, or city and county, if one be published therein, throughout the State, for three months next preceding the election at which it is submitted to the people. The legislature may, at any time after the approval of such law by the people, if any debt shall have been contracted in the pursuance thereof, repeal the same. ILLINOIS. ART. III, SEC. 18. The State may, to meet casual deficits or failures in revenues, contract debt, never to exceed in the aggregate $250,000; and moneys thus borrowed shall be applied to the purpose for which they were obtained or to pay the debt thus created, and to no other purpose; and no other debt, except for the purpose of repel |