as a whole, was decided by the bid of the community that showed highest appreciation of the advantage of being the home of the institution. Appropriation of state funds for the support of the institution were at first justified on the score that they were reimbursements for losses suffered from the land fund of the university due to careless administration by the state. As recently as the nineties a governor who was reelected reiterated arguments in his messages for withholding state support from the university and the state agricultural college. In a somewhat similar grudging spirit did the state come to assume its normal attitude of responsibility for the dependent and unfortunate classes. Its more recent biennial budgets show now that it has fully committed itself in all these directions.
Almost equally hesitating was the public opinion of the state in its recognition of the function of the state government to secure conditions of justice and equity through the regulation of the power of monopolies and through the keeping up of the plane of competition. A railroad commission and a bureau of factory inspection are, however, now supported in good working order.
The more tangible interests of the people have been more sedulously fostered. A consistently liberal policy has been displayed towards agencies promoting improvement of the basic industry, agriculture. Fish and game, subject to common exploitation, are cared for. The social and business advantages that accrue from a growing population, and from a larger utilization of now vast idle resources, have been anticipated and comparatively large outlays of state funds have been made to advertise these resources to the world with the view of increasing immigration.
A table of classified expenditures of the state government exhibiting more in detail the course of development of this side of the state's budgets will be found in the appendix to this sketch. From it the comparative costs of the different lines of the state service as they have expanded can be readily ascertained.
