The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1859-01-13

amount of their lobors may be inferred
from the fact that the number of civil
suits last year was about 10000, in
$4,000 Of which judgment were rendered.
The number of suits involving serious
controversy Of law or fact bore, however,
a small proportion to the whole. Much
the larger number were prosecuted for
the collection of claims, and IL is esti-
mated chat nine-teuths in amount of the
debts unsecured by mortgage or other
wise, which cla8 constituted three
fourths Of the whole, was recovered or
is recoverable. This estimate, if at all
reliable, indicates plainly the grounds on
which the high credit of the business
men, as well as of the State of Ohio. is
established The whole debt of her peo
pie, public and private, as L took occa-
sion to show last year, is hardly equal
in amount to one-ffth Of the property
in the State, and the loss by individual
failure in payment, is only two and a
half per cent of the debt. The rate of
commercial hazard in credits is, there
fore, comparatively insignificant.
Such is the social condition Of the
State, contemplated in some of its most
and interesting aspects. The
sketch is necessarily imperfect, for the
materials are inadequate 1t may not
however, be altogether without value
while the provision iudiciously made by
you, and the preceding General Assem-
bly, for a more ample collection of sta
tistical information, will supply, hereaf-
ter, the means Of more certain and more
useful comparisons and deductions. than
are possible now.
Passing from these general views to
other topics Of perhaps more immediate
concern, permit me to invite your atten-
ton, in the first place, to our fuancral
The Constitution requires that all
Of whatever description, and
by whomsoever held, shall be listed for
taxation at its true value. The heve-
nues Of the State, the Counties, the
Townships, the Cities, the Villages and
the School Districts, are raised by rates
levied, if for State purposes, on the
whole property listed and if for local
on the property listed within
the proper territorial limits. The school
laws of various years, but particularly
Of 1858 and 1854; the road and bridge
laws Of 1854, and other years; the poor
house act Of 1881; one act Of 1857; two
of 1853, and some other acts Of less i'm
portance, prescribe the rates of taxation.
The School acts direct the levy Of
one mill and siX-tenths on each dollar
Of valuation throughout the State, for
general school and library purposes, and
Of various rates to be fixed by the local
authorities, for local purposes, such as
the construction of school houses and the
purchase of sites
The Road and Bridge laws authorize
rates for the objects indicated by their
titles, varying from the twcnty-ffth Of a
mill to nine and half mills, to be de-
tcrmined by the County Commissioners,
and an additional rate, not over six mills.
to be levied by the County Auditor, on
property adjoining roads within certain
limits ON the petition of the property
holders
The poor house act of 1881, author
ICES the levy by the County Commissions
ers of an indefinite rate for the erection
Of lnirmaries, and a rate not exceeding
one mill for the support Of the poor
The aot Of 1857, requires the levy Of
seven-tenths Of mill for general State
Of nine.tcnths of a mill for
payment of interest and principal Of the
public debt; frates for county purposes,
within various limits from two to four
mills, to be determined by the County
Commissioners, with liberty to the Com
missioners Of Counties whose taxable
values do not exceed S3,O00,OOO to levy
higher rates; Of rates for township pur-
poses, to be fixed by Township Trustees,
but not to exceed one mill on the first
81, 900, 600 Of valuation, and one-fourth
Of mill on the excess; of rates not eX-
ceeding four mills, for City and Village
purposes, to be fixed by city and village
and Of a rate for City pur-
poses, not exceeding six mills, to be
fixed by the City Council of Cincinnati.
The acts of 1853, require the Auditor
Of State to increase the levy for the
payment of the State debt, whenever it
may be necessary, in order to make the
Fund equal in amount to the
requirements of the Constitution and
the laws, and direct the levy of seven
twentieths ofa mill in each of the years
1858, 1859, and 1860, to provide means
for the payment of the loan of 100000,
by the second of these acts,
and intended to supply the deficit croa-
ted by defalcation
lt thus appears that the rate of taxa
ton for General Revenue, applicable to
the support of the State Government, in
all its Departments, Executive, Legislu-
tive and Judicial, aud the payment of
the cost of Public Buildings and the ex-
penses of the Benevolent Institutions,
is less than the general rate for schools
and Libraries, and but seven -ninths Of
the general rate for the public debt;
while it sinks almost to insignifcance
in comparison with the local taxation
for County, Township, City, Village and
School District purposes.
Itwould contribute much TO clearer
understanding Of our revenue system
by those entrusted with it's administra-
ton, as we'll as by the people at large,
if all rates of taxation were prescribed
by single law, and not by.many as at
presenE and L respectfully recommend
the expediency Of such an enactment 20
your consideration.