The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1844-07-05

II c0ulu not De eXpeCttu Wat tiS i'o'o~'s "S
be very forward TO vote away the money OF their
constituents especially for uncertain speculations
in distant parts of the State.
This principle of human nature was well known
10 the Spectators who wished to plunge the State
into what they called magnificent system Of in
ternal improvements, making the rich and favored
sections of the State, richer, and the poor ones
poorer. Thus draining and drying up the resour-
ces of the one, to overflow the other, and taking
from the necessities OF the TO add to the SUPER
fluities of the other. In accordance with these
views about nineteen years ago they got an act OF
Assembly passed to authorize the State Auditor
every year to assess and levy the people sufii-
cient amount of taxation to pay the interest on the
canal loans, be they large or small He according
ly every wear, determines how much is necessary
to be raised by taxation in order to pay the interest
on our speculations, sends round his ukase to the
county auditors, and the thing is accomplished
The people are thus taxed at the sole discretion
of single individual, to pay for set of specua-
tons, wild, visionary, and utopian as ever employ
ed the idle brain of fanciful dreamer. Such is
PROPERTY and STATE ENTERPRIzEs; consider
ed as local affairs they are the offspring of greed
and cunning.
Our present State Auditor is most able, hon
est and efficient officer, but the taxing power is
power unfit to be exercised by any one man, what
eve, may be his moral qualifications or attanments
Again, suppose the office of State Auditor to be
filed as it may be filled, by ignorance, imbeciity
folly and knavery, and then what security have the
people against the abuse of this most delicate and
important trust? Is any man weak enough to sup
pose that it will not be abused! The state of our
finances and the manner heretofore pursued OF
keeping the account of our canal expenditures
certainly afford no guarantee against the abuses Of
the taxing power. In January last, resou-
ton offered by the representative from Monroe
county, passed the house Of representatives,, call
ing upon the Auditor of State for tabular state
ment of the original costs of all our public works,
the annual cost of repairs, the amount paid to
officers, agents, superintendent and aborers, the
cost of machinery and all other items OF expendi-
ture. The answer of the State Auditor was, that
such report could be compiled, that previous to
1910 the accounts of the expenditures on our pub
lie works were not kept in the Auditors office but
in various banks and places along the line of our
canals and public works where the fund commits
soners deposited the proceeds of their loans, sub
ject to the drafts of the board of public works
He complied with the resolution of the House as
far as he could by sending us the amount OF out
lays since 1910. What chance here exhibited,
for contrivance, intrigue, speculation and pecula-
ton suppose State Auditor influenced by cor
rupt or improper motives to abuse the taxing pow
er for sinister purposes What chance to pursue
him to an account for his malversations, through
the chaotic confusion of our financial affairs. How
discouraging is all this to the faithful and dgent
representative of the people in the General Assem-
bly,, who, instead of having access to public
office where comprehensive and authentic infor-
nation on the whole subject of our finances could
be obtained, is obliged to gather information by
fragments as time and circumstances will permit.
The constItudonallty of thus delegating the
taxing power away from the peoples representa-
tives to single individual may well be doubted,- -
its inexpediency cannot admit of doubt A great
proportion of our enormous and almost insupport-
able public burthens may be ascribed to this cause
The members of Assembly would not have been
bold enough to saddle the people with such load
of taxes, or if bold enough to do it the people
would have dispensed with their services shall
resume this subjecti in my next.
Reader, if you will accompany me through these
researches, you will be convinced that as ancien,
tyrants prevailed by force, so modern spectators
prevail by fraud. OSCAR.