The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1855-08-29
Taxation.

School Law, and seeks the opportunity to
complain of high taxes merely to cover
his opposition to that Law, which he is
afraid to attack openly.
The county of Monroe, for the year
1854, paid into the State Treasury, for
general revenue purposes, to pay for prin-
cipal and interest of State debt, for school
and all other purposes, the sum of $14,-
1913 81, and received from the State for
School purposes the sum of $15,063 A,
or eight hundred and sirty. four dollars and
.forty-seven cents more than we paid. This
is the working of the new Constitution
and the new School Law. Have the peo-
pie of Monroe any right to complain of it?
It is easy to see, however, where the
money goes that is paid into our County
Treasury, and why it is that our taxes are
increased, if such is the fact. In the last
few years we have built new Jail, and
have purchased farm and built County
Infirmary, and at the same time scores of
new school houses are being built all over
the county. These expenditures will fully
account for all our apparent high taxes.
But when we deduct from our tax receipts
the amount paid for all State purposes,
land which should be deducted, because
we get it all back, and more too,) it is not
true that our taxes are increasing, under
the new Constitution, but the very reverse.
A reference to the increase of the pay
| of members of the Legislature from So
to 81 per day, and to the increase of the
salaries of judges from $1,000 to $1,000
per year, is on argument suitable to the
capacity of q bar-room politician. If all
| the members of the Legislature, and all
the Judges of Courts (whose salaries are
paid out of the State Treasury were to
serve the State gratis, it would not reduce
our taxes l cents on the dollar; that is,
| if mans taxes are now ten dollars, they
would not be 5 cents less if the Supreme
and Common Pleas Judges and members
4 of the Legislature "worked for nothing
and found themselves" These are facts
capable of demonstration from the books,
and if occasion requires we will prove
them.
But we wish to show how much the
taxpayers of Woodsfeld are affected by
1.-THE increase of the salaries of State offi-
lcers. We will take the case of man
whose taxable property amounted to
1 81 900. The total levy in this place, fol
tIs54, was 81 5Ia cents to each hundred
dollars; so that the tax on $1,000 was
last year SIS Is. The per cent. levie6
by the State for general revenue purposes
4 was seyen cents on each hundred dollars
tno more. On taxable property amount
ing to 81 900, therefore, the tax for salS
purpose was seventy cents. Of the amour
raised in the State by this levy, less thai
on: fifth pays all the expenses of the Leg
islature and Judges; but say one-fifth t
make the calculation easy. One-fifth
l70 cents is IA cents. So that the tax
payer Of Woodsfeld who paid last yea
SIS Is taxes, paid but fourteen cents to
wards paying the expenses of all the mem
9 bers of the Legislature and all the Judges
. I'VE have taken the expenses of the Leg
g islature of 1854, as our data-there be
Il ing no session this year, Now suppos
. nnder the new Constitution that thes
salaries have been increased, on the oil
: salaries, 33 per cent, the total increas
= to this SIS Is taxpayer is the enormou
sum of three and one-hayf cents! Ia0o an
= one-third mills, on every dollar!! or les
= than one quarter Of a ce'stH What a
enormous increase, truly. Why JUST thin
, Iof these rascally loco-focos! They hay
increased our taxes by raising the pay
n Senators, Representatives and Judges tt
is astounding sum of one-quarter Of a ce
on every dollar of taxes we now pay!
These figures are drawn from the do
70 uments, and we challenge their refutatlo
ne We are no advocate of high salaries,
es the same time we think it looks rath
a mean and niggardly in the great al
,. mighty State Of Ohio to be more miser
than her sister States in paying her publ
iofficers.
If any of our citizens are opposed
~ the new School law, as we suppose sol
- are, let them say SO, and not seek t
- petty subterfuge of charging high taxes
! the result of high salaries. 1t is too pi
!, full as well as not being true, for one clai