The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1847-09-18

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ing the Peace, for administering justice
for the preservation Of SOCIAL oRDER.-
National governments have furthe
function to perform-that of defendin,
the whole nation from the aggression
of foreigners. Aided by these Princi
piles, it is easy to discover when taxa
ton is rightful, when wrongful. Taxa
ton is the price of SOCIAL ORDER. ]
is not to be wantonly levied on the cit
izen-norlevled at all except in return
for valuable privileges conferred
Where government lays a tax to tn,
amount of few hundred dollars. ant
Herewith pays the salary of a Judge, thu
appropriation is rightfuI, for the labor
of the judge are directed to the preser
vation of social order.
But suppose order and quiet to have
been of long standing, until the govern
ment has become rich and unmindfu
of first principles. Then set of mer
spring up, who banker after peculiar
favors and advantages from their gov.
ernment, which, in the nature Of things
can never become common to all then
fellow citizens. At the instga,ion ot
these men, the government takes hall
a million of dollars out of the common
treasury of the eighty.three counties
and there with digs The Warren County
Canal. How does the construction OF
this worthless ditch tend to the preser.
vation of social order in the other 80
counties of the State? Does it repress
either fraud or force within their bound
aries? DO the inhabitants sleep more
securely? Does 1t contribute to their
wealth, their happiness, or their safety?
This petty piece of legaIized plunder is
minute, indeed, in amount, but it illus
tratcs the princi pie Of the whole svs-
tern. 1t ought to have been resisted
and prevented-and that upon princi-
pie. A small tax upon tea brought on
the revolution. Moral wrong can new
er be politically right or really expedi-
ent. On the contrary. moral rectIlude
and real expediency will in the end be
found to coincide. We, as a commu.
nifty, have paid dearly for our depar-
lure from this principle. 1t Isl matter
Of history, unquestioned and unques-
tionable, that all our really valuable
ines of improvement would long since
lave been constructed by commerce,
lpon principles of economy and frugal.
ty, without the sacrifice of one dollar
~ the taxpayer; SO that the burthen
If our immense public debt, and the an
loyance of our rigorous and enormous
axation, are mere gratultous, unrecom-
'ensed sacrifices. The money might
IS we'll have been thrown into the O.
:ean; and then we should have escaped
he mortifying reflection that we have
'een enrichng set OF sharp, cunning,
nscrupulous, unconscientious adven.
urers, who have swarmed upon US from
lie four winds Of heaven, to rake to.
ether sudden and ill,gotten fortunes.
The system being radically wrong,
is not surprising that its abuses soon
,ecame so fragrant as 10 attract the o.
ice OF the Democratic representation
n the General Assembly. According.
y that body, at the session of 184l-2,
treated commission of three eminent
md enlightened citizens to enquire into
he abuses & malversaticns of the State
gents connected with our miscalled
public works. The novelty of the oc.
;asion, the want of adequate powers,
md above all, the secession of the whig
members of the Assembly, by prevent
ng these defects from being remedied,
a great part of the good el-
ecls that might otherwise have arisen
rom this measure.
But the subject was not permitted TO
leep. On the 9th Of March, 1874, Ro.
'ert FiIson, Of good old democratic Co.
lmblana, moved in the House OF Repre-.
enlatives for a commission of three.
lothed with adequate powers for the
anne purpose. He was voted down by
relentless whig majority, who about
he same time indefinitely postponed
he Senate Bill, intended to check the
udacious insolence o: rioters, who.
shen the State works happened to
ispease them in the mode of construc-
on or otherwise, would meet and d..
roy them, and would thus not only
ompel the State agents to construct
,eir works in compliance with the
,hims Of a mob, but would thus secure {
ful ther and larger expenditure of mo-
ey in their neighborhood. The imme- {
ate occasion Of the introduction of I
,e bill, thus cavalierly dealt with by
lie wings in the House, was the de S
ruction of the embankment OF the {
Iercer County Reservoir. in ls43, by
mob OF more than one hundred. Not {
ally has the outrage remained to this i
~ unpunished, but, oh humiliation! the ,
images were all repaired out of the t
IS l..