The Democratic sentinel and Harrison County farmer. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1851-1852, 1852-05-05
The New Tax Law.

acted under the provisions Of the new Con
stitution. It's equitable system of levyin:
taxes upon every class of citizens alike, say
the Plcayune, cannot fail in recommending
1t to every lover ofhonesty and justice. II
leading features are-First, the large amoun
OF property, heretofore totally exempt from
the prying eyes of the assessor, it brings
upon the tax duplicate, subject to taxation
and-Secoqdly, its exemption, in the hand.
of every individual subject to taxation, pro.
perty to the value of two hundred dollars.
These are important provisions to the tax
payers of Ohio, and such as will tell here
after, benefcially to the laboring portion OF
the community 1t is estimated from the
mostreliable sources, that this law will bring
upon the tax duplicate of the State, liable to
taxation, about twenty-four millions of dol
lars, which had been, heretofore screened
from assessment, by the majical potency ol
corporate grants and special privileges claim
ed by wealthy monied associations. This
large amount will be added to the aggrega .e
of taxable property" in the State; and thus
while bankers and other moEey-making as
sociations are dividing their annual profits,
varying from eight to fifty per cent, they
are compelled by this just law, to "face the
music. " and pay their fair proportion of the
public burdens in the same manner that they
are paid by the farmer, the merchant, and
the mechanic. Had this been the case last
year, instead Of getting off with the pittance
of about one hundred and thirty thousand
dollars, they would have paid into the State
treasury the neat little sum of two hundred
and forty five thousand, five hundred dollars
In the present state of the finances Of
Ohio, and in connection with her public
debt, this large amount is an item of toe
much importance to escape the notice and
appreciation of the intelligent and homes
tax payers of Harrison County; and if the
present Legislature had not consummatet
another single measure during the session
this one prominent act should endear every
member, who was active in its enactment, tt
the lasting gratitude of every friend to equa
rights and equal burdens.
Secondary to this crowning act of the lie,
gislature is the cquable exemption from tax,
alton, to each and every tax payer of two
hundred dollars worth of property. While
this provision recognizes the spirit ofthe act o.
1916, it designates different rule of appli
cation, By the law of 1916, the articles thai
were exempted from taxation were ennume
rated in kind; as sheep, hogs, looms, sad
die, &c, while the present law simply speci
fes the amount so excluded, and leaves the
selection of the articles to the choice of the
owner
Under the old law. persons not owning the
kind of property exempted, derived no ben.
eft from such exemption; but under the pre-.
sent law, where It is the value that is ex.
empted, every person may enjoy its benefit
providing he has the amount of property il
covers.
These are, in fact, the only two points il
which the present tax law varies materially
from that of 1916, and perusal of the act
wllshow at once, that it was one LEADING
object OF the trainers Of this law, and of the
Legislature by whom it was passed, to ease
the pressure which has So long borne down
the energies and crippled the resources Of
the working classes, by compelling those
over whose immunities the law threw wider
range Of protection, to "walk up'' and con-
tribute their just quote in defraying the ex-
penses Of the government And who will
gansay such just measure? The people,
the honest working portion of community,
have too long "borne the heat and burden
Of the day." it is full time that those who
have fattened on the spoils should bear a
portion of the burden.
RE- The following proceedings of the Le-