The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1845-06-07
sATuRpAY. JUNE 4. 1915.
For The Spirit Of Democracy
NEW TAX LAW.

soon tire Of discussion fairly and can.
didly carried ON. If extensive discus.
sion had taken place twenty years ago,
we sheuld not row owe twenty mil
l;ons Of dollars for money borrowed oil
eastern and foreign capitalists, te be
expended en set of spectators as
base and as immoral as any visited by
the sunbeams. But these things were
done in the dark, as far as the people
of the eastern counties were concern
ed, and pay day has now come round.
As ! we'll know, that not one single
democratic member of the House Of
Representatives can successfully de-
e nd himself from the charges brought
against this law by the friends Of the
money interest, both designing and mis-
taken, lmust naturally feel some SYM
pathy with set Of men with whom ]
acted and toied so long And this SYM
pathy is the more natural as they are
attacked for the performance of a most
painfal ard disagreeabIe duty, perform
ed with reluctance, though some of
shem have materially diminished that
sympathy by destroying the evidence
of PART of their action, at the instiga-
ton Of men, not elected by the people,
nor responsible 10 them, nor worthy Of
their confidence.
Fellow citizens, under these circum-
stances, enireat you to listen to me
rs the defender and apoitgist Of the en-
tire democratic delegation. may have
erred, may have been mistaken, may
have done wrong, but greater anxiety
TO serve YOU, OF more sleepless dill
gencc in that service you never will
send to the public councils.
In order to understand our motives,
let it be remembered that the General
Assembly does not possess the complete
power Of taxation in Ohio. That bo-
ay can only determine what kind of
property shall be subject to taxation,
The State auditor fixes the rate. sup
pose had voted for such law as this
and then come home amongst you,what
execration would not have deserved; {;
yet the man, who twenty years ago
voted for this law and the satellites OF
the spectators, who since that time have
voted away millions and millions Of
your money, are walking uncensured
amongst you and some of them mouth
ing about the new tax law: humility
would become such men.
The melancholy situation OF our f.
nanciu affairs last winter left us moth
ing but ch olce of difficulties. Honor,
patriotism, State pride, self respect, the
plIghted faith of the State, and above
all u warm regard TO her true in
terests called upon us in thunder tones
10 keep our young and mighty and
opulent Buckeye State OFT of the list of
base repudiators, the stencil of whose
mcanness ascends up to Heaven. We
must therefore make a call either upon
the farming interest or the money in.
terest of the State for larger contribu-
tions. lconless bad not courage to
call on the farming interest for any
thing more. That interest is univer-
sally difiused over the surface o. the
State. And be il rem ,mbered that the
bur,hens upon it for canal purposes
both IN rate and amount have tourfoded
in the last ten years. The money in-
terest consists Of q smaller number Of
individuals more uneq qually dillused over
The surface OF the State, bat in proper
tion to their numbers incomparably
more wealthy and able TO contribute.
Yet notwithstanding the enormous
wealth Of this opulent class of men. they
had under the cd law contributed for
their peculiar species C! property or
amount of money about equal to one
half Of the horse tax alone!
Under these circumstances we had
reason to believe that if the immense
mercantile and money capitals of such
cities as Cincinnati and Columbus and
Dayton and Cleaveland and Chlicothe
and Portsmouth. and in one word of
rhe Miami and Scioto valley. could be
made to contribute something like their
fair share OF the public burthens, we
might attain two most desirable objects.
These objects were to pay the interest
on our public debt, secnre n small sink
ing fund, and at the same time cut down
the rate Of taxation on the farming in
terest.
One Of our objects, nay our principal
object was to cut down the land tax,
the house FAX, the horse tax and the
cattle tax, and So confident were we,
that we have at length contrived plan
TO make the merchants and The money
lenders pay their due proportions Of