The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1859-01-13

Ing me current year arse from lhese leVles
Referring you to former communications fol
information relating to former years, I shsl
state summarily the amount Of taxabls val
ues, and of taxes levied in 1853. The tOtsI
number of acres listed for taxation was as
293 965, The valuation Of these lands was
S437, l83,l32 that Of Town and City lots.
Sl53l02 9l6 that OF chattels $3.50 5l4,03i:
making the aggregate valuation of all Ia axable
property in the State, $34o 800 03l. The
taxes levied for general State purposes were
for Sinking Fund, SIO47,9O9; for gegeral
State purposes, $5S7,206; for Comm IN
Schools. $l,959 093 for District Schoo
Libraries. $S3,920 f; in all % 973,l32 The
evies for County purposes were, fer County
expenses, $l,l30,939 /; for Bridges, $751;
sS5; for tho Poor, S223 All /; for Building,
$33n,954; for Roads, $3.50 504 as; tOt
Railroads., $4i3,430; in all $3.50 230.-
The levies Tor Township. City ond other To-
cal purposes, were, for ship expenses,
$25 4,05l for schools and school houses,
81 ,435SIl; for City, Town and other spe-
cial taxes, $l,633,8l6; making total for
Township and CITY taxes Of So 359, ,e75 (; u
which add for delnqnencies and torfeitures,
S572 $50 making the aggregate Of County
and other local taxes Of $6,779, ,533.
A slight degree of attention to these facts
! will correct the com non notion that the ad
| dition to the existing tax tion OF a new levy
! al some fraction OF mill cannot be Of much
consequence. The levy for school libraries
is $50. $40; yet the rate is but one tenth OF
a mill. 1t is the aggregate OF such rates,
which, considered separately, and without
reference to the sums produced, seems so un-
| conSiderablei that constitutes the tota bur-
den of taxation.
While these considerations must recon-
mend, not to the General Assembly only,
but t. the local authorities even more en-
phatically, the duties of prudence, forbear-
| ance and careful economy, there is yet some
thing in the objects to which the revenues
are devoted which may reconcile Us, in
some measure, to the taxation which we
bear. A large proportion of all the public
income is expended for the common good.
The Ievies for schools, school houses and
libraries amount, for example, to $2,7Sl,-
822, or nearly one-third of the taxes 10 all
forms and tor oil purposes. Yet who wou!d
dispense with our schools and school houses,
or Libraries! Who does not know that this
expenditure is more than reimbursed in the
enhanced value Of property, and the augu-
mented power OF the people! To texation
for these and similar purposes, the proceeds
being honestly and economically applied, the
| people cheertully consent. They mumur
and justly murmur, when their burdens are
augmented beyond the proportion Of bene'
fits by improvidence, waste or speculation
H. thn nrounpftnn oT thoan ouilo tho lc
must look to County Commissioners
Township Trustees, Boards of Education
and City and Village Councils, even more
than to the General Assembly. 1t cannot
be too deeply impressed upon the public
mind that the discretion committed to these
local authorities, however limited and guard
cd, must be necessarily large, and that, il
respect to the imposition OF far the larges
proportion of taxes, they constitute the rea
legislatures. Too much cure cannot be ex-
ercised in the choice of citizens, to fill thest
important positions.
To ensure the safest and most beneficial
workings Of our financial system it seem
desirable that assessment, levy, collection
and disbursement be brought as closely to
gether as possible. can see no good rea
son why assessments may not be nude au
equaIized, ieves determined and duplicate
prepared during the last quarter Of each fs-
cal year. This would bring levies into clost
i proximity to collections and ensure the mos
exact proportion possible between values
:, and tuxes. Nor do perceive why Count,
Treasurers collecting revenue for the Stat
should not be required to report their collec
!, toAs ut briet intervals, in the same manne
us the collectors on the canals, and hol
them subject to the draft OF the Comptroller
, or why their final settlements with the Stat
. Treasurer should be delayed to the late da
: now designated by law.
Each years income should, as nearly a
ractlcabIe, pay each years expenses, an
.. no money should remain in the Treasur
except what is needed for current diSburse
ments. The act passed at your late session
providing for the semi.annual collection c
+ taxes was, in my Judgment, wise step j
the right direction, aud om glad to know
has given general satisfaction in its pract
4 cal operation. The act authorizing draft
q by the Comptroller upon the County Treas
o urers, for the taxes collected in Decembe q
jlst past, in order to their application to pay
o tHCul VI tue AHlCiCoI ouO Oh thC lot VI va
current month, was another step toWart
the same end.
> Justly obnoxious to censure as was th
practice OF collecting from the Count
Treasurers, by similar drafts, in advance
their regular settlements, large sums to t
. added to large lances already IN the Trea
ury or to supply the place of large balance
= lraudulently distracted, it can now hard
admit OF question that our safest future pol
| cy will be to pay our January interest fro
n December, and our July interest from JuE
:. collections. As far as possible, also, 4
n expenses ef tie first two quarters of eGC
r fiscal year should be betrayed from the form
i er, and those of the two last quarters fro
the latter collections. recommend sue
legislation as may be deemed necessary
q give practical eject to these suggestions
q providing for the prompt payment into ii
n State Treasury of the States proportion
, taxes as soon as collected, and requirin
:. earlier settlements by the County Treasu
ers with the State Treasurer. Such legi
lation would enable the Auditor of State
lay before the General Assembly5 at an "a
n ly duY in each session, statement of Il
actual receipts from taxes in December, al
" the estimated receipts in June, as we'll
: : the actual and estimated receipts from a
! other sources during the year, and the stat
d ment would supply a basis for economic
n and intelligent appropriations for the ems
q ing three.quarters of the current and the fir
i quarter OF the next fiscal year.
- A judicious law prescribing rates OF le,
: will tend 10 Censure moderation in taxation
: the payment of, current expenses from cure
= income will prevent the evils of accumul