The weekly Lancaster gazette. (Lancaster, Ohio) 1852-1855, 1854-01-12

These facts should have their due weight in
determining al financial qucsiioHs The tax
4 ing ami appropriaiing powets are the most I'M.
I pc.tant functions Of GoyerHrent. High taxei
do not always Indicate unnecessary extfsya.
gance. and for many Of our cxactions, at tbii
time, we may plead the force Of circunslan-
ces.
We arc young aad rapidly growing peo.
I pie; we have every thing % create, all oui
public buildings TO erect, and large and oner-
Gus debts to disehatge. II is nevertheless,
true, that our financial system is without those
salutaIy checks which experience has shown
TO be necessary in all public transactions; MOI
will il be denied, appFehend, that greater
degree Of economy may be htt0ined. The
Recommendation already made. viii, II adopt.
ed, do much 10 secure this end.
Our taxes are now LEVIED upon uniform
and equitable basisj--tiiey should be expend-
ed under the strictcst acceuntsbility. Satisfy
the people that the funda drawn from them,
are properly and econopiesly applied, and
the taxes now compiained Of viii be cheer
| fully borne.
The very large amount which has been
drawn from the people of this State during the
past year, for the suppoFb 6fthe various gov
eInments under which they live, will certain
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pressed the subject OF our expenditures upon
your consideration.
Estimating the revenue OF the General Gov
ernment at S5s. 100000, it will produce for
each member Of congress about $3.50, 900.
| There are twenty -one members
from this State, making about S5.000,0o0
State, County, Township aud u
Chy taxes T,s0l,16G
Fees ofCounty officers estimated
at 10000 per county 100000
Special taxes, as Auction Duties,&c 100000
Fess of Justices Of the Peace,
Constables, &C., 100000
Making total Of Si4, ,l66
This is an annual burden, eqal TO one half
the value the whole State fifty years ago, and
requires tax Of S25 ON every voter and Of
nearly six dollars on every individual in the
StateL When burdens become so onerous, il Is
proper that every outlay should be examined
with the strctest scrutiny.
My predecessors have had frequent occasion
to remark upon the safety and dispatch with
which the taxes are levied, collected and dis
bntsed, by the County and State officers. De-
falcations have been of rare occurrence. Our
treasury system bas, therefore, served as a
NOODLE for other States, and in many respects
for the General Government.
/ n
of the large towns, however, Of bankers and
brokers paying interest on depohits. The
State surely has no objection to this when con
fined TO the Transaction Of private individuals.
But il is also charged that these establish.
ments sometimes become the repositories OF
public officers, and that large sums are tins
realized by speculating upont the money Of the
people. These representations may have
their origin in mere suspicion, but they have
called fortha feeling of dissatisfaction and
alarm, that can only be allayed by the adop-
ton Of such measures as will prevent the pos
sibility of so dangerous practice. The pres
ent statutes are defective in this particular, and
require revision. The public money should
be guarded with the utmost care, and all ap-
plication of it, except to the purposes fol
which it was raised, should be Strictly pro
hibted by law.
An objection has sometimes been made tc
this policy, that it locks up the treasure of the
people. This objection, when examined, will
be found TO be without any real foundation. lr
thissState, as already observed, the revenues
are chiefly raised from direct taxation, for Ger
tain well known purposes and payable at pc
RODS entirely within the control of the Legis
lature. Atno period is it necessary 10 keeT
any considerable amount on hand, while oui
treasures might most Of the time, convenient
t1y, be empty 0HuSI lHtSc CIRCUMSTANCES
There surely can be no difficulty in SO modify
ing the laws that all danger Of defalcation oi
improper use of the public funds will be avoid
ed, and the money of the people, at The same
time, be left in their own pockets, until re-
quired for the public service.
You will preceive the necessities Of these
remarks, intimately connected as they are,
with the public debt and lis final payment.
/ The entire debt of the State outstanding
Nov. 18th 1858, was as follows:
FOREIGN.
Five per cent stock payable Jan. lst,
Is57......... $50. ........s 10000 oC
Five per cent, stock puyableJn Jan, lst, >.
1861. .ss....,.'.''t'.' 1,U29,UVO "
Total Eve per cent stock, ....... 1,I75,OOO OF
90 1857, 7,......... ........"...s ,sl2,ls3 q
Six per cent. stock payable Jan. LIST,
1861. s.r...-... 49, b,bbb,35o d
Six per cent stock payable Jan. LIST, =,
1871, ...--, .....'... z, lo3,o0l "
Six per cent stock yabe Jan. lst,
1876 '...-... -..- ...'.'''''' l,6OV,VVu W
Total six.per cent stock .1s.74s,ooo Il
Total. .14,9l7,OoO II
DOMESTIC.
Ohio canal stock, faith and credit bonds,
loan OF 1912, ,.--.........'..-.y- $50 y
Miami extension loan bonds, loan OF
1912. .....,.. ...''.'. ''.''''' J<o
Canal, school ami ministerial bonds
loan of 1885,. :. ...... ...-.'.' - 100 "
National road stock =. ............... 57S 6
Total over due ......-....,.. s2,44S z
Miami extension canal stock, faith &
credit bonds payable after 1882; S224, 500 O
Miami extension land bonds, payable
after 1862. go. '-'''s fftloo "
.9ss, ,6s5 90
Total. .............. 500, ,l2s I
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