The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1855-10-03
Communications
For the Spirit of Democracy.

What the Know Nofhings Will DO.
Mr.. EDIToR:--A writer in a late num-
Der of your paper has given rapid
sketch of what the Democrats have done.
Mine must be the humber task to portray
what the Wings and Fusionists will do, if
sinister arts restore them to power.
First. They will probably attempt to
restore annual sessions of the General
Assembly. They will be strongly tempted
to do this. Because it would be anti-pro-
gressive. Because it would be anti-dem-
ocratic. Because it would crafty their
love of power and public life, of Office and
emolument.. Because it wonld afflict as
Of the loaoer million, with q new deluge of
hasty creeds and ill-digested statutory
lenactments, itwould afford opportunities
to the apper ten, to obtain special adyan-
tages, corporate gains and exclusive priv
ileges as they formerly did under the old
Constitution. gs 2i1.,s
They will probably repeal the School
Tax. They viii be under strong tempta-
tions to do this They have faised "a
mighty yell about taxation. "a Tkey have
made the welkin ring with their con-
fplaints. They have resorted to fraud and
ttrickery most unscrupuiously. Now for
I 1nI fo.ff- n Ckof - A.,
on the thousand dollars of assessedyaln-
alton Of taxable property Our tax for
theIcanal debt one dollar and for school
and school library purposes, one dollar
and sixty cents on the same amount of
taxable property. The first-named and
smallest tax is for two purposes, the'pay-
ment of the civil list that u.s. the salaries
of officers who spend their time in the
actual service of the State; and secondly,
for the maintenance of the benevolent
asylums, lunatic, deaf and dumb, and
blind; the erection of the new State House
and two new lunatic asylums, the public
printing and other purposes Without
pretending to. minute exactness, it is safe
to say that the civil list, the actual pay of
government officers, is about one-third of
the sum nominally collected as State tax,
that is, about twenty cents on the thous-
and dollars of tax valuation. Suppose
the Fusionists to get into power, and re-
duce salaries ons-third, if such thing
We're possible, without stopping the wheels
of government they would save to an or
dinary, average taxpayer, about one 6p-
! penny-bit per annum. Such reduction
must be printed and published in order to
be known. 1t never could be discovered
from the tax receipts. But there will be
! no reduction. 1t is madness to expect it.
The men who promise it we'll know that
they are deceiving and deluding theopeo-
pie. The tax of one dollar in the thous.
and for the payment of the canal debt
cannot be reduced. The debt itself is
the offspring of the folly and weakness ol
former times; but all parties agree that il
must be paid; If we stave off the pay.
, ment OF the principal, we pay more inter,
est so that the thing is as broad as it is
long; and under the provisions of the
present Constitution new debt can never
l.
be created.
The school tax is very heavy tax,
and being much the largest, would admit
of the largest reduction. But if the
Wings get into power, will they reduce it,
. | cannot tell. Their inclinations would
: probably be on that side, for the rich ma
bobs could school their. own children, and
they would be very willing to see the
children of the poor grow up in ignorance
and barbarism, to, be "hewers OF, wood
and drawers of water" ready on all oc-
casions to Go their hard and rough labor.
But their unquestionable inclinations do
not in my mind, give any assurance that
they would reduce the school tax. They
would probably be afraid of an outburst
of popular indignation. But one thing
is certain, if the Fusionists get into power;
they will either reduce the school tax, OF
they will stand forth as detected impos.
tors and deceivers of the people = Men b
Ohio. Is It worth while to make the ,ss.sai-
ous experiment? sa @ &sz
Hitherto we have dealt with probabiH-
ties. Let us now come to certainties.
They are doing their utmost to wither
our honor and destroy our prestige, as
the first and greatest of tolerant and lib-
eral protestant nations. If we suffer them
to work their will upon our Catholic fell
low citizens, we must hush our voice of
remonstrance to European despots and
bigots. We. can no longer say to bigot-
II ed prosecuting Portugal Spain Tuscanv