Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1854-10-02
For the Grant County Herald.
Raves and Taxation.

tAIt'"oONN 'AO oCtDtcCl, OF UOJlceQ all the
appropriations obnoxious to censure. 9th
ers were made equally culpable, equally
wrong. My object at the outset was, to
call the attention of your readers to the
manner their money was squandered bv
our State officials. They now see how
some Of it goes. They now see what fol-
ly, what weakness, what corruption abounds
at Madison. The evidence is before them.
The picture needs no coloring from fancy.
Severe justice touches it with hues sufi-
GENTLY dark, In all conscience. The State
affairs are grossly mismanaged there can
be no earthly doubt. For some more than
six years we have been living under a State
government Our taxes have been enor
nous, yet they have failed to keep pace
with the expenditures. We have been
constantly running in debt What should
we say Of that farmer or that mechanic
who should suffer his expenses to exceed
his income year by year? Would it re-
quire the gift Of prophecy to foretell his
RUM Would we not condemn his irnpro-
violence and his recklessness, and say that
he was incabable of having charge of any
business, and ought to fail? Turn to your
State; what do you find there? Running
in debt from the start and each year adj
ding more and more to the legacy of the
year before it. Who can tell it's debt to-
day? l cannot, and you cannot, and
have yet to meet the man who cam
some say it is 100000, some 100000
and some 100000; what it is. God only
knows. Our rulers know that it is best
to keep dark, mum is the watchword.-
Occasionally we get glimpse at the scenes
behind the curtain, as in the acts of the
last Legislature. We can find too on the
Statutes Of 1853, Chapter SIS, such acts as
this, which throws some dim light on our
condition: 'For the purpose of defraying
the extraordinary expenditures, loan of
fifty thousand dollars is authorized to be
paid i'll 1858" Interest at per cent.
per annum on the debt. EatraordsnorQ!
extraordinary indeedII They might call
expenditures demanding such loans And
why Is it! Why is this or any other loan
required? All! why is it surely? Sim
ply because We have elected the wrong
men to office. We have entrusted our
State affairs to men either incompetent
to properly protect the public interests, to
guard the Treasury and its funds, or too
corrupt to do it. That is the reason and
the only reason. No calamity has befallen
our State to plunge us in debt.
We have been as a State in the full en-
joyment Of profound peace. No civil
commission has disturbed U.s. Our haryests
have been rich and abundant; industry
IN all departments Of business has reapedI
its full reward. Our mines Welded UP
then riches; health and plenty blessed us i
our people increasing in numbers beyond
all precedent, Notwithstanding all that is
done by mob administration of our pub
lie affairs to drive all emigrants from our
borders; and yet we are constantly going
deeper and deeper in debt: Farmers, me-
ehanlcs, merchants, taxpayers Of every
cass, what is to be done? Are you salts
lied with things as they are? Are you
Wiling to pay into the pockets of few
dishonest swindling scoundrels $4,000 a
year! or will you move for reform? You
have tried one set Of men six years, and
what is Jour condition as a State? Com
ple.ely Feece6 You know it, and you feel
t. Now will you apply the correction
Perhaps some Of you have followed me
through the sickening detail Of the plum
derng by the last winters Legislature
That IS but a specimen of what we shall
have the coming winter unless you ava
ken up to your duty. Now what is to be
Iohel | will not presume to counsel, but
lwlll tell what am going to do. You
can follow my example if you think my
course wise and prudent, if not mark out a
better way. In the first place | am going
With all my heart and soul for the amend
mea to our Constitution, making the ses-
aons of our Legislature biennial. If that
amendment is carried, and I hope and be-
Aeye 1t will be, we shall have taken one
step towards reform. Then | am going
10 vote for no man fer the Legislature
%6oSe pricate life aad conduct are not
Such as to convince me that if elected he
VIII set his face like flint against all IN
necessary offices, and all squandering of
the public funds. | don't intend to vote
Tor Wing, Democrat, Republican, Free
Soler, or what not, but for an honest man.
A man may be good partizan, unscru-
pulous and uncompromising, yet if not ho-
nest, he will be poor legislator. Though
he speak with the tongue of an angel and |
make the worse appear the better reason,
yet if he have not honesty he is as sound
ing brass and tinkhng cymbal. AWAY
with all such from the halls of Legislation.
A protested politician, one always looking|
for an office, hanging on to the skirts of his
party, with no means Of an honest livli-
hood; too proud or too lazy to labor at
something and somewhere, is to me the
most despicable Of all mortals. Good Lord
deliver the State from all such, now and
forever Yet it is that class that has bro't
1t into its present condition. Their inter-
est is hostile TO the peoples. The more
officers the more legislation, the more
;;quandering Of money there may be, the
oetter for them. Don't let one be
sent to the Legislature. Let those 90 to
whom the per diem of $3.50 is not all in
all and who will not protract the session
Indefinitely to get it. And next year let
US go IN for the election of some honest,