Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1855-06-01
Lei the People Consider.

Let the People Consider.
The people of Ohio must pronounce their
verdict, not onl y on the great national issue
of Freedom or Slavery in new Territories
and new States, but must at the same time
settle several important questions of State
policy, in which they have deep and d.
rect interest. To enumerate and fully dis
cuss all those questions Of State policy,
would require more than one newspaper
article, and we must at present content our
selves with merely h;nting few things, and
invite the people to investigate further for
themselves.
The first thing then, is the system of lis
ting and taxing property. Of all the out
RACES committed by the rulers of the State,
this stands out most oppressive, unjust and
audacious. Oppressive, because it is unjust,
and unjust because it is oppressive, and au-
dacious because it has been persisted in,
BY the powers that be, when relief has
been petitioned for and the remedy lay in
the hands of Gov. MEDrLL. The reader
undoubtedly knows that the Legislature
did intend in framing our present Tax Law
that individuals listing moneys and credits
for taxation, should be permitted to deduct
from them the amount Of bona fide debts,
such individual owed at the the time of en-
listment.
It will be recollected that this deduction
was afterwards interdicted by the Auditor
of State, because the Court decided that
in as much as banks were not allowed to
make such deductions by law il was uncOn-
stitutional for individuals to do it, for the
constitution demanded uniform system of
taxation. Thusby laundering legislation
the people are receiving those spiteful
strokes of the sceptre which we're aimed
at banks We should have less 10 complain
on this point, if after discovering this grand
mistake, our rulers had used any effort TO
correct it, and relieve the masses of the
people from the oppressive consequences.
The decision spoken cf was made year
ago last winter. The Legislature could
have met at any time since, and when once
together, four days decent application to
business would have brought the relief
and this year our people might have been
paying taxes upon some just basis. Every
body knows that the Governor has been
repeatedly called by public assemblies in
various parts of the State to convene the
General Assembly for this express purpose.
He has refused to do SO. complacently smok-
ed bis cigar, travelled at leisure, enjoyed the
world quietly, and slumbered while the
people we're groauirg under outrageous
wrongs.
Now you are requested By the faitItfH to
vOte for tie same auditor and Governor,
and # you don't do it you wiR be turned
out Of the party!
Our State expenses are increasing in ev-
cry department, at rate far exceeding our
increase in wealth and population.
The party in power has seemed to have
a system Of policy easily described and
comprehended, but base and sordid. It
consisted in getting more money from the
people into the Treasury and getting it out
again with astonishing facility. The keep
ing of the public funds. the Penitentiary,
the New State House, the New Asylums,
and that "Scarlet Lady of Babylon" the
Board of Public Works, are all, under pres
ent management, dens of corruption, where
the hard earned money of the people is
wasted; places "where moths and rust do
corrupt and where thieves do break
through and steal"
Take the facts here mentioned and see
if they do not prove that our State Gov
ernment is not, Ist: Tyranical; Cd: Cruel,
unjust and lazy; Sd: HOpelessly corrupt
Let these things be considered, let our
people cease quarreling, or contending
about where man ought to be born, or
what language his mother taught him; let
the masses of honest, hard working tax
payers all over the State, look to their own
interests and not to the interest of ambi-
tious politicians