Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1845-1854, 1854-02-01

spectators. JOHN HARMON.
CHr The following communication should have
appeared last week. 1t was received the week
previous, too late for insertion, and was mislad
and overlooked last week:
For the Portage Sentinel.
GENTLEMEN
Should you publish the notes sent you few
days since, OH the subject Of taxation, illustra
ted by the Governors Message, should be glad
to add one other view of the matter.
BY referring to his table showing the aggregate
of taxes paid, as he says, by the people of the
State, it will be seen that the first item in the sum
of the S14,000,0OO, is five million of dollars. This
last sum is not paid to any treasurer whatever Ell
ther State or federal. 1t is paid to men, and col
lected by men, who fix their own salaries and es-
tablish their own fees, as have heretofore sho Hn
These fees salaries, profits, the people pay, just
as much as they do the amount actually received
at the custom house for what foreign goods the
error in stating that Ohio pays only five million
towards the expenses Of the federal government
But let this go. Suppose the sum to be cor
rect, and most interesting question arises, soho
pays this "five million dollars!" Who pays this
diluted, homeopathic portion of what the federal
government really costs the people By taking
certain sums from the estimate made in the Mes
sage, which are not paid into the hands of county
treasurers it will be seen that five million is also
about the amount collected by said county officers
This amount, we know, is levied on the property
of the State, as equally as possible it is claimed,
and collected once year at the different county
seats.
Much dispute has arisen, however, relative to
the collection of state taxes; and the Democratic
party have had to contend with capitalists, and is
always seeks to avoid taxation and enjoys facli-
ties for avoiding it that do not belong to any other
species of property. Generally fraudulent in its
accumulatons, it loses its distinctive char
acter. 1t is always seeking to fling the burdens
of government off from itself upon some Of the
other elements of society. The democratic party
claim to be the advocates of equal taxation, and
seem determined to bring upon the list the capital
that has sought refuge in banks. The millions of
church property in the State, Catholic and Protes-
tant should also be willing to pay, or be made to
pay, for its protection. t'e aHf
Aside from the grossest selfshness there is re-
really but one opinion among men in the matter
Of State taxation, namely, that bank property, and
all other property, should be equally valued and
equally taxed.
But where are the efforts to produce equality in
the collection of the first five million dollars which
the Governor calls the share of Ohio in the fed
eral expenses! The people of Ohio pay it. And
have the banks rebelled against any portion of
this amount! Not at all. They pay no share of
| it. Capital pays no part of it. The eight hun,
dred million duplicate has nothing to do with it.
1t is levied upon consumers. 1t is substantially
per capita tax, and bears no proportion to the
wealth ofthe payer 1t is paid chiefly by laborers,
and draws largely upon the necessities of the poor
er classes | know two families living not far
apart. One pays about five dollars annually into
the State treasury-the other about three hundred
dollars. Their irrespective shares in the GIVE mill
ion dollars" which the message calls the federal
tax, ,ooald be about equal. The poorest familypur-
chases and consumes as much as the other during
the year-hence must pay as much of that amount
In the proceedings of the Convention that met
at Columbus few days since, to celebrate, among
other things, the praises of democracy and equal
ity generally, we find the following resolution
Resolved, that in the new Constitution we rec
ognize as the principles cardinal in the democrat