The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1864-01-21

regard TO the act OF March 81, lS6a, i'm
posing . tax for the aid OF fomilics Of SOL
diers and marines in the service. have
carefully watched the operations OF this
law. IL is not sufficient for is purposes.
| cordially spprovc the recommendation
OF Governor Ted Tor the increase Of the
tax; but in my judgment that increase
should be even greater than he proposes,
In order 10 do justice alike to our soldiers
aud our people. The advance in the cost
OF living has rcschcd the necCssaries Of
life as heavily rs the luXurics. The in.
crease Of wsgcs does not reach the labor
Of depcnGcnt women with children to
clothc, feed aud educate. The amount
saved from their scanty pay, and sent
home by cur soldiers, though largo in the
aggregate, is very small in It's distribution
among t,os0 for whom IL is designed.
When this revenue, aud the proceeds ul
the tax, are added together, there is still
large smount dependent upon private
bounty, 20 meet the actual wants of this
class Of people, al d ward on positive sul.
feTing. have not been able tu collect
the statistics as extensively as dcsircd
but in many counties Of the State the
private collections for soldiers families
have considerably exceeded, and in some
cases doubled, the amount of the tax
Even in these cases the object has no,
been fully accomplished. 1t is argued
that II is better to continue thus To III.
vide, between State and people this con.
ribution; 50 that IN what the one fails
the other will make coed. The true and
just response Is:
/. That IL the State Acknowledges this
obligation to the f0mily Of the absent
solder, she should meet it as a compcn.
sation for his services, and in manner
fully equal to the necessity Of the case.
.. Privstc contributions not equitable
in its character, and can not be adjusted
to the properly and interests that are pro-
tcclcd by our armies. The generous will
give beyond their pctuul abilities, while
the parsimonious, or the opponent 10 the
war, will withhold, from pccuniury or un-
pstrotic considerations. T0xation alone
vii ,quulze this burthen, aud impose it.
where Il should rest, upon the property
protected by the services that the revenue
is intended to compensate. II the ad
ditionnl Ivy increases the t0xHton oi
generous contributors, it relieves them
from u larger amount ol private bounty
and imposes il upon the non.contribu-
tors, where il should fall. Even when
the State assumes the entire support OF
so lders' fumilics, there will be scope
enough for private contributions to al
leviate the privatons and suifcrngs OF
at.l htgah1,l n nj x,.,pnInI - A..
pitals and at home.
3. The form of private charity 10 not
always acceptable to its recipients, and
especially the class TO whom this is np-
plicablc. Much suffering aud pryaton
will be erdu ed before pride will suffer
application TO private charity, where
there is consciousness that merltorious
services Of the absent provider should
promptly call the Stnte TO the protection
and support Of his dependent family. -
We should divest this iusd Of the oppella-
ton Of charity. 1t is not such in any ap-
plication Of the term. 1t is an honest
debt ard an imperative duty that we owe
the men who are serving US in positions
of labor and danger. They save us from
vason-frUm the destructive ravages
of war within our borders. While they
press the conquests Of our arms for the
restoration ut our Government, they pro-
tect cur property and cur lives; they are
the cOnservalors of oil the prosperity that
surrounds us. They do not perform this
service for the small compensation allow.
cd them by the Government. They are
nctunted by higher and noble motive
and while they incur privations, danger
and death for the common cuuse, the
State should not only protect their iami-
lies from want. but nuke the act one OF
right aud iustful compensation, instead
OF burthening il with the offensive ap-
pellation Of charity. Neither should il
bo governed by the rigid economy Of mere
subsistence. 1t should be ut least such
plenty and comfort as the stalwart arm
Of the natural provider would furnish
them, il he were at homo to do II, instead
Of laboring in our service 20 ward calami.
iy from our henrthstoncs.
In my Judgment, three mills on the
dollar is the leust sum ot Which this tax
should be fixed and ] would prefer to see
1t four mills. The patriotic people OF
the State will cheerlully pay It, ana justi-
fy you for imposing it. The act should
also require County Commissioners to
collect reports of disbursements from
township and ward trustees, and COM
muncatc their aggregates annually to
the Auditor Of State.
Our State has heretofore filled her
quota in the armies by volunteering. In
addition to this, we have several thousand
men in the service Of West Virginia,
Kentucky and Indiana, for which we
cannot have credit in our allotments,
Hopes are entertained that we will be
able to fill the recent cali without resort
ing 10 a draft.
Tho conduct OF our officers and men in
the field has been highly credhable to
themselves and honorable 20 the State.
Upon every battlefield they have won
high encomiums for cool and steady cour-
age, prompt obedience and deeds Of noble
daring. They are bright jewels in the
crown Of the ftate, and while we wear
them with pride, we should cherish them
with affection.
Duriug the past year steady and efec
tive advGnceme ut has been made in the
prose cution Of the wur. We have re.
possed ourselves OF a large amount of
the rcvoled territory and the triumphs
Of our arms and policy tina have strength
ened US, have materially weakened our
adyerss.'as Present events indicate
very strongly that t'Si:s end Of the rebel
lion is rapidly approaching. The Gcntest
has been fierce md sanguinory, and has