Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1862-01-09
A Tremendous Burden of Taxa
XIII liz lion.

The county of Allegheny, Pa. is strug-
CLING under an enormous railroad debt,
which, added to that of the cities of Pitts
burg and Allegbany, is sufficient to utter
" ruin any community less fortunate in
the possession of mineral wealth and in
dustrial resources. At the opening of the
December term of Quarter Sessions for
that county, the presiding justice, Judge
Mellon, in his charge to the Grand Jury,
made a full exhibition of the financial con-
dition Of the country, hoping it might ena-
bic them to devise and suggest some plan
to lessen the burden of taxation.
From this charge we ascertain that the
entire assessed value of taxable property in
the county and two cities is s27 7,655,092,
divided thus:
Rural district ct--$ $I3,6l5,6s6.
Pittsburgh 10.634,Io3.
Allegheny any----------- 5,foS,o4i.
The indictments of the county amounts
to s3,32l ,o6l, of which s2,3O0,0OO is
railroad debt, and 50, ,124 costs on railroad
suits. That of the city of Pittsburgh a
mounts TO s3,375,62O, of which $780,
600 is railroad debt, $4,000 interest
due on it, and So 1000 cost of railroad
suits; and that of Allegheny City to $685.
o53, of which 100000 is railroad debt,
SOC, 900 interest due on it, and SSl1 costs
incurred in railroad suits.
The grand aggregate of Indebtedness
amounts to S7,602,6 ,642, so that, in fact,
about one-thirtieth part of the taxable
property of the county, one-half part of
the city of Pittsburgh, and one-third part
of tbe city of Allegheny, belongs to the
creditors of the county and municipalities!
And this, too, without including in the
estimate what the Judge calls the "local,
township and borough debts" on the an
nnal tax for county and city expenses.
Taking s27,O00,0OO of the valuation
bassis, the tax for the ensuing year foot
up the tremendous aggregate of go mills,
to which must be added in each city a
special assessment on its own railroad
debt. The aggregate tax for all purposes
for the ensuing year is, therefore, estima-
ted, on close calculation, as follows:
For the Rural Districts. 60 Mills.
i" City of Pittsburgh -lO2
:" City of Allegheny
This is about as unpromising picture
as can be presented by any country or mu-
nicipal corporation in the world, and We
are not surprised that it should be a mat
Ter of the gravest consideration to the prop
erty owners of that community.
There is no longer any hope that the
payment of this great debt can be evaded.
1t was incurred through the foolish credu
lily of the custodians of the peoples inter-
ests, the more sanguine of whom, accord
ing to the subsequent admissions, believed
that the dividends would so far excede the
interest TO be paid on the bonds that a sur
plus would flow into the county and city
treasures sufficient 10 meet the current
expenses of both; aud thus do away with
taxation altogether. When the inability
of the roads to meet the interest simply
was demonstrated, the Indignation was as
great as the illusion has been strong, and
M attempt was made TO repudiate the OBJ
legations by legal quibbles about the way
the subscriptions had been obtained and
impelfections in the letter of the bond
SUITS were carried from court to court with
the almost unanimous result of a verdict
against the country and cities. The Coun-
" Commissioners refused 10 obey the or
der of the Court and were put in prison.
where they remained, we believe, till the
expiration of their terms. But all this
time interest was accruing and cost i'll
creasipg, SO that now the interest in ar
fears amounts to 81 1851, 800, and The costs
unpaid to S5,9s5, The treasures of the
cities and county, are practically in the
hands of the Sheriff and U. S. Marshal,
and as fast as the claims of one creditor
are satisfied another comes forward, pros
ecutes, obtains judgment, and puts his
agent at the door of the treasury till the
last dollar is paid. The course pursued
BY the county and cities has made the
bond holders inexorable.