The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1859-02-09
A Reduction Of Public burdens.

An old patron Of the StatesHaa residing in
Ashtabula County, in renewing his subscription
and transmitting the amount thereof invites the
editor of that paper to use his influence with the
Legislature to procure if possible, "a substan.
tal reform in our State and Local taxes which
have grown up under the present plundering
laws" and under the operation of which he
states that "the producing and business classes
ofmen are borne down with ia xation." In de.
scanting upon the abuses of Government thi.
honest man of Ashtabula County "a novelty in
that regiOn) says:
ga joint stock association, With or without
task masters, is not the kind ofgovernment in.
augurated or advocated by Mr.. jefferson. lap.
prehend in free country like ours the rights
OF individuality and competition were clearly
marked out by our forehthers. Governmeat
always pays two or three prices for all they do
In enactlng laws giving special privileges to
classes of men. Already has school tuition and
school expenses more than doubled since the
school laws of1653, without any corresponding
benefit to the State, or world. Those 90 ia
school only, who have mind to do SO, Just as
| they did before those expensive centralizing
laws were made. You might as we'll attempt
to force certain degree of religion on the peo-
pie at large as that o educat ion. l advocate
school fund that shall pay one half the necessa
ry expenses OF common schools seven months
IN the year and leave the people who are imme.
dately interested to furnish the rest This
brings the teacher and his district in to an inter
ested alliance, and their benefits mutual to each
other Besides the present system tends di.
rectly to discourage agriculture and mechan-
ical production, the very life of all other clas
SeS.
Look at it: the Dairy Maid with from S1,25
to 5 80 per week, at most for her labor, Sun
days hardly excepted, while good school Miss
educated at the public expense gets from So to
So per week for teaching, and spare time. The
same inequality exists between the mals teach
er and the hu3bandmen. This builds up caste
and inequality amongst the people and ensaves
the taxpayer This is surely not democracy.
There will always will be enough caste or aris-
tocracy without building it up by force Of law.
we follow the indications of self lfgovernment
we want'lesS law and more common sense in
the management of all our inst tutions. 1t
seems by the annual reports OF our benevolent
institutions that they are becoming a perfect
bore upon the public Treasury Ifthey cannot
be limited to fair and pruden. expenditures such
to they ought to be abolished ...
now propose another reform which is here
being agitated to mitigate our county expenses
That is to give our township magistrates sole ju-
risdiction with juries to dispose of minor crimi
nal Offences without appeal, and make the town.
ship liable for the costs. This, we think, will
make each man policeman, and vastly reduce
petty larceny, assaults and battery, riots, &c.
The DELAYS oil the law in our County Courts the
uncertainty ofgrand juries, and the sure punish
ment of we'll melnins people in payment ofco SITS
seem to be inconsistent with justice. Small
crimes are the fathers of large crimes. 1t is not
necessary to allow witnesses or jurors in such
township cases more than 25 cents each per day
Such alteration Of our minor riminaI law would
be Democratic. 1t would be hCme and selEgov-
ernment and selfreant, and make something
of the Magistrate instead of an Indifferent spec.
tator as at present. | have mentioned these sew
eral reforms, and ifany or all of them meet your
appreciation we should be happy to have them
advocated by your influence with the present
Legislature"