Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1854-01-18
For the Portage Sentinel.
"$I4. 900" not enOughl

For the Portage Sentinel.
"$l4, 900, 900" not enough!
GENTLEMEN:-Permit me lin your paper to make
memorandum of the thoughts suggested by read
ing the Message Of our Governor. Compared
with former Messages, in is among the best ever
read by the people of Ohio. It briefly, yet clear
ly, enumerates the changes through which our
laws passing, and takes extraordinary pains to
show for what purpose Generous taxes are
raised, and how they are disbursed. The Cover
nor seems to sympathize with the people in their
''burdens," and hopes earnestly to see the day
when we shall be relieved, in great measure,
from the enormous amounts now required ''for the
support of the various governments under which
we live.' He appears to think he has made out
q case of sufficient enormity when he finishes the
table showing that the people of Ohio are ''drawn
upon" for upwards of $l4,O0O,OO0; and says, with
exclamation-point affixed, that this makes $25
on every voter, and nearly six dollars on every
inhabtant of the State. Now, Gentlemen, these
sums are none of them large enough.
At is not agreeable to find fault with paper
which has rendered so much pleasure as this Mes
sage, and especially with that particular part of it,
for which the people ought to be most thankful.
rected by the Governor himself in supplemental
Message He has undertaken to show how much
the people of Ohio pay 'for the support of the va
rious governments under which they lve,' and he
has made great mstake-I am not willing to
say Misrepresentation.
thank God for two things, just at this time;
the first is the fight at Erie and the other is this
Message and the table in it relative to the aggre.
gate at taxes which the people of Ohio have to
pay. Together, they will assist in calculating a
certain subject which treated of in your paper
some few years ago, under the head of 'sTaxes by
the yard,' and ''Sheriff sales equivalent to tax
sales.'' feel grateful that have at last found
a man who is willing to tell the people that the
federal government costs them any thing at al.
But for the people of Ohio "$5, 900 ,OOO,'' won't
do. No, Governor, you must correct that. 1t is
much more that is ''drawn from the people of this
State for federal concerns. ..-. ....
First, your mode of apportioning to Ohio the
100000 receiUed into the national treasury, is
unjust: for congressional district in Ohio con-
sumes larger amount of foreign imports than one
lying south of Mason and Dixon's line; and next,
even according to your mode, the sum of $5,O00,-
900 is not enough to assign to Ohio. Tn popula-
ton, Ohio is less than one tenth of the Union,
and by the rule of numbers, lhe amount should
have been nearer six million, saying nothing about
the chief mistake in the estimate.
When we told sympatheticafly of our ''an-
nual burdens," and how Generous they have be-
come,' it is not fair to set US crying for trifes.-
We profess to be sensible, intelligent men and
women of Ohio, and bear to- be told what we
have to do, under our simple republican system.
The "ive million dollars included in the sum of
$14, 1O1 l66, is what ''Uncle Sam received, not
what Ohio paid. That ''five millions was ad-
vanced by the importers of foreign goods, for the
people of Ohio, and they added the amount to the
price Of their goods, with at least fifteen per cent
profit on the money so advanced. The retail
merchants again advanced to the importers 'for
the dear people Of Ohio,'' the said sum Of sfve
Millions with the Is per cent on the same; and
then, upon the whole, they charge not less than so
per cent profit, and add the total to the goods they
bring into the State. Now the people go to their
stores and buy their goods-pay the fixed taxes,
and pay the merchants their profits for advancing
the money, all at the same time.
The ''fve Millions when drawn from the peo-
pie of Ohio in this way, has become-how much!
Amount received, $5,OOO,O0O
Importers profits at Is per CT, 100000
$5,75O,oOO
Retailers profit at 80 per ct, l,725,OOO