Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-09-01

his lease, although a few hundred dol
lars would enable him to possess himself
/ in fee of most valuable property. and
I for The good reason that while he held It
he escaped heavy amount of taxation
I by paying tri1iDg amount Of rent
The evils might be beyond remedy,
| bat he chiefly regretted the loss to the
cause of education and religion, and
thought the lawmakers should be ad-
monished By the lesson in the future.
There was no wrong affecting the inter
esis Of the people, however Insignificant,
that be did not look into and attempt
reform.
What IS Due to His Eaergiesf
To the financial system Of the State
he devoted his chief energies The
whole body of laRsrelating to. our fnsn-
cial operations had become involved in
such confusion, and the frequent patch
ing and changing of the system had
given il so many forms and shapes, that
a correct and perfect administration Of
the public finances was q matter of utter
impossibiiity. There were no less than
| three financial departments: the Canal
FaRd Commissioners, the Board of Pub
acting in perfect independence of each
other.
The truth was, that from all the in
formation and records of the Andilor's
office, it vas not possible TO arrive with
accuracy at the Indebtedness of the
State, aud the disbursement of the most
important and extensive portion of its
funds The Fund Commissioners were
authorized to loan money; they did so,
and reported the fact aud gross amount
to the Auditor; but those funds instead
of passing through the Auditors Office
into the public treasury, were deposited
in the banks and agencies; and in place
of being disbursed upon the drafts Of the
Auditor, passing through his books,
where a perfect system of accountability
could be kept up (as is the case at the
present time) they were paid out on the
/ checks Of the Fund Commissioners, and
no trace of them, save the fact OF their
loan, as reported by the Commissioners,
was to be found upon the fiscal records
Of the State. Again, whiis this branch
! was thus independent of the fscal offices
of the State, the Board of Public Works
1 was independent of both. Their requi-
sitions for public funds were made upon
the Fund COMMISSIONER; the amounts
we're furnished and placed in the banks,
subject to the unrestricted checks of the
Acting Com missioners. The vouchers
for their expenditures were returned to
themselves, in their aggregate capacity
of board; and the accounts of one
member were audited and settled by his
colleagues, when he in turn became a
Judge in settling theirs; the Auditor hav-
ing nothing to do bu record these settle
ments as 6nall This, to the citizens Of
Ohio participating in political affairs
twenty-six years ago, 10 nothingInew, but
to the younger class II will show how
slowly safe system Of fuat ces is form
ed; and comparing the reeommenda-
tions of the Auditor then with the ad-
mirable financial system we now have,
they will understand better what the
people Of Ohio owe to John Brough.
His Financial Reforms
He earnestly devoted his energies to
reform, and by unremittingly pressing
his theories from year 20 year upon
the General Assembly and laying
them before the people, be Effected it.
The management of the finances was
J changed; a system of accountability be-
tween the departments of Government
was adopted; new revenue laws were
} passed and put into operation, and the
: county officers held to rigid aceounta-
bility for their execution, 50 that as early
as lS4l one million and twenty thous-
and acres of land were added to the
! | taxable list; ineffciency in the discharge
/. of public duties, corruption and defal
cation on the part Of subordinates, which
had before been frequent, we're prevent
, ed or corrected; economy in the admin.
istration Of Government and expendi-
, lures for public improvements was ob.
served; those political nountebanks
= whilom freest in squandering the public
revenue, who brosched the policy Of re-
pudiating the public debt, were defeated
and politically buried; the State was re
| lsved from financial embarrasments anG
2 her credit gradually restored.
He Attends to the Pu6Ec Debt
, The heavy amount of the public deb
and its rapidly increasing character, wal
. source Of great anxiety to Mr.. Brough
!. and he addressed himself to the task O
4 reducing il and adopting the means fol
e its final redemption. He discussed il
1 public the financial question in all it
: bearings. Perhaps what be said in lS40
!, in regard to the debt of Ohio, may no
. be uDlnteresting or Improbable, if reaC
! in the light of the present day.
|. Thare was great inequality in the tax
!. alton Of lands town and chattel prop
!. erty, which led to Misunderstanding
: confusion, and wrong Mr. Brougl
urged remedy, the appraiBement 0
O. all taxable property At its reak cas-
value. Il was true that this woul'
b swell the duplicate to O. very slarg
L amount, but the larger the aggregate Q
Q taxable property, the smaller the rate G
10 taxation.
., After the adoption Of the system c
ot public mprovements-the constructor
sr Of canals and turnpikss - there wer
"a many who advocated q continuance G
s. this policy, dd ibitIns, without any rG
a. gard TO what it would cost and unde
ID the management Of their friends, 'th
r debt was swelled from little less tha
Sn i've and half millions to about nine
w teen millions Of dollars in about eigl
"a years-from 1885 to IS4s Then th
u public works, as originally designe'
q. were CON pleted New schemes wer
ay Immediately proposed, but Mr.. Broug
ca earnestly eombasted them.
~ He Becomes DisgGSted scifk Politics
= While Mr. Brough was still AudnC
!. of State, be bought the PheHfx, in CT
IL cinnAti, Of Moses Dawson, changed /
he name to the Enquirer, and put in b
= brother Charles Brough as editor. Aft
- the close OF his official term, be pra
,bt ticed Law in CinciEuati, and also wro
he editorials for his paper. There 10 son
he evidence that Mr.. Brough had an ho
al orable ambition 70 represent ihe Sta
ar. in the United States Senate, for whi'
10 position his broad and comprehend
,er views of public policy and his gre
ras ability as public speaker admiral