The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1855-01-31

of individuals must be listed-other-
wise the burdens of taxation cannot be
equal upon the property of bankers and
of individuals.
Your memoralist is advised by coun-
sci that he might obtain reliefby an APP
peal TO the courts, and obtain an injunc-
tion against the collection of said tax
But your memoralist is well aware of
the necessity that the taxes should be
punetually paid for support of the Gov
eTnment of the State in all its depart
ments-and is now and ever has been,
to contribute the just proportion
of all taxes necessary for that purpose,
and, after duly considering all the CIR
cumstances, has come to the conclusion
that he will voluntary pay the whole of
the taxes charged upon his property saw
ing by protestation, the right to recover
back the same if relief can be obtained
in no other way. But your memorial
list. entertains the hope and belief that
your honorable body will, upon due re-
Election, so amend the law as to remedy
the evil complained of for the future.
Here we have the opinion of one of
our oldest citizens-g Of the best
LatoyerS IN the State, a man who, for
strong common sense, and vigorous
thought, has no equal among us,) and
who pays the largest tax of any man in
Northern Ohio, that the 10th section of
the law of April 10, 1852, is %unconsti-
tntidnal. In this opinion, expressed to
the Legislature before the question was
agitated By the people or Courts, Mr..
Chase will not be charged with selfish
ness. He is assessed this year on per-
sonal property, money and sredits, and
it is mostly on +" Credits" on S85,644,
with tax of S1,452.
Judge Walker, of Cincinnati, at the
late tax meeting, said:
He admitted the Supreme Court to be
the court of last resort on questions of
the construction of our Constitution
A new Legislature could not help the
matter, because the Supreme Court
Judges were their masters. The Legis-
lature has declared, and repeated that the
people may deduct their debts; the court
says they shall not. Here was an issue
in which the court was indeed supreme.
Was not the 10th section repealed by
the decision of the court, and was any
of the Legislature necessary after
that decision was made?
The Ohio State Journal, in noticing
the proceedings of the Cincinnati meet
ing, says" Either the Court must
its decision, or the constitution
must be changed"
Your "* y correspondent seems to be
{ amused because some of the speakers
at the Court House {" discussed the
question of city taxes and city expendi-
When our city expenditures
demand S300.O00a year, it may be
g amusement % for your ''e" but it is
death to taxpayers. Our business is with
our city expenditures, not with the Au-
of State. 1 have no political
fellowship with that gentleman. We
stand OF entirely different " platforms /; "
yet, on this "tax question, /" for which
he has been SO much abused for his in
structions in regard to "cerdits,n he has
only discharged his duty as an officer of
State, after it was made known to him
by the Supreme Court. He should not,
in my opinion, by any longer censured,
and he would not have been, if he had
sent with his instructions the decision of
the court.
: When our city taxes increase from
some $4,000 to-nearly 5000, 900 in five
years, it is time that people began TO
look at matters |" at home and Messrs
Foote, Bolton, Starkweather and Adams,
for the course they took at the Court
House, deserve the thanks of the pub
lie, for directing the people to the only
really "great matter in controversy, our
,ity taxes and city expenditures" The
Supreme Court will lake care of the
Auditor of State, and we must take care
Of our Gown household"
Now "*,n what are you and your at
doing in this tax matter? Re-
commencing tax payers who "refuse "
to make " oath F" t. their " returns" or
who refuse to make any return, tt as
SCISSORS at all, to fee lawyers and 60 into
our county Courts, and solicit the Judges
of these Courts, to o2errule a decision of
the Supreme Court of the State, on q
grave question of Constitutional Law !
J. A. B.
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