The Ashland union. [volume] (Ashland, Ashland County, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1857-01-14
ASHLAND, ASHLAND COUNTY oHIO WEDNESDAY MOI


State House Commissioners, of the sev
eral Boards of the Benevolent Institu
4 tions. of the Directors of-the Penitenti
arya aand of nearly all the other oficer
and Boards who seem to fall within itl
reqairments. These Reports are nov
ready, and subject to your disposition
lEhe long delay in printing the Report:
/ Of the Public Officers after the Assem-
bling of the Legislature, and the conse
quent want of necessary information re-
latiug to public affairs has, heretofore
proved most serious obstruction 4 to
legislative business. congratulate you
upon the almost complete removal OF
this obstruction under the salutary oper-
| alton of the act of the last session; and
| suggest the extension of its provisions
SO as to embrace every officer and board
having charge of any department of
the public service not now included by
| it. 2 -ttH -I r1-ls .--t cas-.
I refer you to the Reports of the
State 4 uditor and State Treasurer for
full information concerning the inan-
cial condition of the State.
The State of the Public Debt, the
amount and distribution of Taxation,
and the uses OF revenue, with necessarr-
ly engage your careful attention.
The Debt of the State had its origin
in Internal improvements. Nearly the
whole of it was contracted to defray the
cost of the State Canals, and to provide
for subscriptions in aid of Turnpikes,
Railways and Canals projected and con-
trolled by companies. Whatever may
be thought of the policy of these under
takiDgs, no one doubts the duty of the
State to. fulfil with scroupulous exacti-
tude her duties to hercr editors. On
this subject, happily, there is no diver
sity of opinion in Ohio.
To pay the interest of this Debt to
reduce and finally extinguish the princi-
pal :: to provide for the necessary ex-
penses OF the State Government and
Public Institutions and to defray the
charges of County, City, Township and
District administrations, are the legiti-
mate objects of taxation. To insure
responsibility for the disbursement of
revenue. and thereby promote economy,
the Constitution strictly enjoins that no
money shall be drawn from the Treas
ury except in pursuance of specific ap-
preparations made by law The faith
ful observance of this provision should
be ensured by your care.
1t is the duty of the Public Officer
to disburse appropriations, honestly,
economically, and solely for the purpos.-
es to which they are applicable. He
has no right to 60 beyond them, either
by overdrafts upon the Treasury or by
contracts in behalf of the State for
work to be done or supplies to be furn-
ished, within the time for which the ap-
are made; nor, unless spe-
cially authorized, has he any right to
contract any other obligations of any des-
cription which will require future appro-
priatious. The Constitution contem-
Plates the payment of each years expens.
es out of each years income. 1t sanctions
no debts for the expenses of one year to
be paid by increased taxation the next.
1t will be seen on reference to the
full and able report of the State Audit
or, that during the last year, in the alb
sence of the salutary check of an annual
legislative session, the expenditures in
several departments of the Public Ser
vice greatly exceed the amount prop
erly applica Bile to them, and that large
debts were thus contracted, the pay
mcnt of which was cast upon the reve-
nues for the service of 1866.
The amount of these debt has not
been precisely ascertained. The amount
actually paid during the year was $517,-
373, ,65 and the balance unascertained
is estimated by the Auditor at 100000;
making an aggregate of debts to the
amount of $6l7, 1896 which should |
either have been paid out of the reve-
nues of lS54-5, or should not have been
at all.
The effect of this anticipation of rev.
snues will be clearly presented by the
following statement:
rhe balance nominally in the Treasury
on the 18th Nov, 1855, according to
the Report Of the late Auditor of
70 this sum should be added the Bank
Taxes due in 1855, but
received in IS55-6...... $3.50, ,96I 90
Less this sum refunded
having been illegally E =
collected. d............... 6o,1so,43 1l9,sOO,77
v aking the total apparent
means on 18th. Nov,'5 623, $50, ,s5 |
From which, in order to
ascertain the real cash
means, should be deduc
ted the amt of debts of
IS54-5, paid in 1885,. 517,373,65
nd also the unascertain-
ed bal. of such debts.... 100000 6l7,313,65 |
v aking the balance of means apparent
" applicable to the service Of 1855 sao5,s77,ao
But of the balance reported by the late
Auditor, the sum OF S225 ,Sl9 80 new
er came into the hands of the pres
ent Treasurer, being retained by the