M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1856-01-17

anClht tIdnbhChOu suOul DC suggested 10
the most rigid accountable y, and all mis-.
applications Of the public money be- Sc.
vereIy punished.
Public virtue is essential TO the
maintainoncs Ofrepubician government,
and We is the most dan gs:ous ofTeude
whoatRmpVs TO undermi ne or dsstrop
il.
Tie people Of Ohio justly. complain
OF hgh public e1actions. They have
dspuled you to reduce them. Every
proptTIy holder in the State enj oins this
upOfgou as your first great dnty. But
re(oi,h, to be hanifinial- mnst take the
right direction.-To produce high taxes
or 10 connive at exorbitant fees or
salaGss, is wrong; but TO misdirect ed
deavbis TO correct public abuses is no
less hischievous. UnmatuTed wholesale
reductions Of fees and salaries are sure
to b. soon repealed. Such measures al.
way loose to the people the real reform
which they demand. True reform first
ascellainS carefully where extravigance
aud malfeasaDce exist. 1t exposes and
,corr5cts them. 1t screens no public
abue from merited obloquy. aud yet il
shields from Unjust, sweeping csnsu;e
the ipright public servant. 1t examines
into and therefore understands public
eyiIs, and the laws which follow become
in consequence Of their wise dircrim-
inalion, the permanent policy Of the
State.
Questions arising out Of and come q
ted with public revenue, have beer
vexa;ious in all ages and iu all govern
mems. They are SO ia ours. Taxes
whether leiviedb monarch's arbitrary
win, or through The legal action o
popular government, are unpleasant 4
those who pays them. The number o
those are anxious to share the expendi
lures OF the gov eminent, is far create
than those who volunteer to contri5ut
TO wards them Propositions to depict
the Treasury for objects OF speculation
ornament and pride, find frequentl
mure supporters than those acknowled d
ged general utility. The revenue Office
who collect the taxes rendered necessa
ry in consequence some ill.adyise
appropriation, is always blamed. Will
he who occasioned them, often escape
the public ceusure. The cons titgtio
wisely provides shat every law in
posing q tax shall state distinctly th
object Of the saIdsko which only it sha
be applied provision, in i
full meaning and Intent were proper
caIsied out so-aS- 10 enoble the publ
TO fix with certainty the responsibiIiI
of taxes upon those who really occasiO
them, 1t would, t3 S'sat extent, guar
against inconsidera!e public outlays.-
ProAigacy would be earlier exposed
and the required reform applied in sea
son to prove remedy.
We should discriminate between III
mere machinery for the collection {
taxes and the influences leading to, an
the authorities Greeting the levy
Our revenue laws should afford TO II
tax payers frequent and eahy oppo
tunities to watch, judge and direct ou
financial policy. The fewer indiret
and special taxes we have the less char
ces there is to conceal improper eXpeI
ditures, and the more certainly wi
the rise and fall Of direct taxes indi,
ate The financial quality Of our govern
ment. we are rapidly approaching ii
period when our direct property taxa
tion will afford such indications unlr:
we purposely counteract this tendency
Especial taxes are becoming imperative
their levy indeed being Of doubtfu
constitutienaity. The extraneous re
venues to the State Treasury are like
wise constantly diminishing, aud near
ly all our resource will soon have to
derived through the grand duplicate, =
We shall then, with Sreater certaint
and simplicity in our finances, have th
herring index above alluded 10.
The constitutional provision upo
the subject is guaranty against arbit
rary taxation. Heretofore such a qua,
ung has been secured to corporation
alone through judicial iuterPositior
nov they aud the people equally enjo,
1t by constitutional rule. In othe
GoEsrnments the taxing power is with
out limita tiOns;in ours it is also wisel
confined Within very narrow limits
Under such system financial abuses al
uoI be long concealed, because the an
cunt Of taxation will indicate to eac
taxpayer the degree of economy or wa
, lelulness that may at each period cha
acterize the Government. The fac
tha! taxes are one thing, the tax la
another, will than become apparent I
all; aud we will lvok 10 the Geneu
Asse bly,, and TO the local authOritie
OF the State, for reduction Of take
rather than TO Executive officers. An
attempt to reduce the taxes in the aG
gregate BY mere change in the mod
aud manner of collecting them, wi
prove as lult.le as an attempt TO chang
the weather by breaking the boromete
Real retfencnment, TO have lastiu
effect mustspring from and be maintain
ed by General Assembleys whose econC
my and watchiulness shall reflect th
wishes Of frugal anu enlightened pee
pie.
| feel great sOlicituGe that the syste
| OF requiring all State expenditures
every description to be brought undo
the revision Of the chief financial oti'
er Of the State, shall be strictly an
permanently adhered TO, This is dl
manded BY the constitution as we'll
by sound policy. II operates as a p''
vsniatiYe of malpractices which ha
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