Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1856-01-18
N0s5l..4

rdlSSs Will lew exemptions dDQ QcQlcLlOnS
leaves very little opportunity for Individual
eyasionssr Its assessments and Valuation
are moro easily perfected; they may be
made quicker and yet be far less linguistic
rial. Such system must eventually rec
ommend itself TO all as the one best adapted
to our circumstances as a people. Under
it the measures of taxation would be based
upon general principle-that principle
would be enforced by the people themselves.
They would watch and expose individual
failures to list, and thereby carry out the
honest object of the law. Then the .peo-
pie will soon habituate themselves to hook
for and detect the true cause of any increase
in the taxes, and their referlnatory efforts,
being rightly directed, would always be
successful. ~. 49,. $500,
u The preceding remarks are not intended
to preclude all amendments to our tax law.
On the contrary, it is admitted that several
might be made which would render them
mere efficient. The assessments and valu-
Iations of personal property, especially,
should be accelerated, 50 that little if any
property could be listed twice. There is no
reason why, by proper subdivisions, it could
not be done within few DAYS. This would
not increase the expense. The phraseology
of the tax law might also be made more
definite inmany instances. The word cred
its should be so qualified as to include only
such outstanding dues as have assumed a
definite shape and value. Thus equalizing
and perfecting our tax laws, and regulating
Iand reducing the taxes themselves, by i'm
posing proper restraints ON the authorities
that levy and expend them, We shall have
true public economy, light expenditures,
and wise distribution of the same togeth-
Ter with a faithful application of the peoples
money to the frugal purposes Of a demo-
cratic government. H--- .a ri,-t b
! Intimately connected with tho tax laws
| is the custody of the public money between
its collection and disbursement. The mon
ey collected upon the grand duplicate in one
year is not disbursed until the year follow
ing, 50 that much of our public revenue re-
mains one year and more in the.State and
County Treasures. Evils have arisen from
! this which require early attention. Our
revenue officers have thus been tempted to
use the public funds for purposes of private
emolument. The pernicious influences that
must necessarily flow from such malfeasance,
to say nothing of the danger to which the
public treasure is exposed, are too obvious
for comment.
Nor would it change the matter by de-
posting the public funds with banks. The
best treasures ola free and intelligent peo-
pie are their own pockets, and no govern
ment has any right to deprive its members
of their means one moment sooner or lon
ger, than is unavoidably necessary for the
public service. From these considerations,
| would respectfully suggest that our assess
ments, valuations, and every thing connect
ed with the making up of the grand dupli-
cate and the subsequent collection of the
revenues, be so arranged as to bring the
collection and disbursement of our taxes
within the same year. After careful delib-
Grafton l can see no insurmountable obsta-
Gle to such an arrangement. The accelera-
ton of the assessments IS, as already sug-
gested, dictated by other reasons. Every
thing relating to the preparation oft the grand
duplicate being paid by the day and the
amount of work, it IS easily seen that the
expenses of accelerated action would not be
greater than at present. If, in addition to
this, the taxes could be collected semi-annu-
ally, instead of annually, as they now are,
they would be far less severely felt by the
people. Their present collection occurring
at the very period when money is most need
ed for the produce and provision business
Of the country, aggravates their exaetions.
AT all events, the most stringent laws
should at once be passed against the pri-
vate use of the revenues of the State which
no well organized government will permit
for moment.
Several of the appeal cases in reference
to the question of the bank taxation are still
pending before the Supreme Court of the
i United States. l have no official informa-
ton as to the time when a final decision
may be expected.
Two cases, the Piqua Branch Bank, rs.
the Treasurer of Miami County, and the
Ohio Life Insurance and Trust Company, Us.
the Treasurer of Hamilton County, involv-
ing the right of the State to tax Banks,
were tried il the Supreme Court Of the Uni
ted States, at the May term, 1s54-George
E. Pugh and R. P. Spaulding, appearing as
counsel on the part of the State in the first
case, and for it in tho second. The court
was not unanimous in either decision. The
cases are both reported at length in the 10th
volume of Howard's reports. ----.-
cannot disguise the humiliation feel
at seeing the sovereign State of Ohio ar
raigned and placed on trial before that tri-
bunal by certain corporations within her own
boundaries, because in an hour of misplaced
confidence, she bestowed upon them undue
privileges and exemptions. She has viola
the no contract with these corprations,
while they have scarcely made an effort to
accomplish the purposes for which they
were created. Instead Of furnishing cur
rency equal to, and redeemable in specie,
they have too frequently flooded the coun-
try with deprecated bills.
The taxes on the people of the State have
been nearly trebled since these institutions
wero established. They have borne the ex-
penses of an extensive and costly system Of
internal improvement: Avenues of COM
merce, of industry and trade, have been
opened in every part of the State, and Wills
these banking corporations are the great
| r. -a,-o.oI n~4o.