Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-07-10
The State Debt-HOw the People
are Cheated and How the SOI-
diers are SwimdIed.

ne StAte DeDB-kAOW um0 krcOPtO
are Cheated and How the SOI--
diers are SwindIed.
The Commissioner OF Statistics for Ohio
spends his time in writing long-winded
equally long-winded communications for
the Neu York Tribune. Once a year he
makes up mass of figures, cut from news
papers, which he calls, "The - Annual
Reports of the Commissioner of Statistics"
and this so-called report the State has
printed. In his "Tenth" Report, Mr..
MANSFIELD gives us some items about the
State debt, of value, as showing the tax
payers that high as are the taxes raised, the
State Indebtedness shows no corresponding
decrease.
On page 81 of the Report, the Commis
sioner says:
The public debt of Ohio, as compared for
several years, stood
In 1859 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. SIC. 900 900
Ia 1865 (November).... ....-....-.''.'.'... H.slzol4
"This makes over three million dollars of
State debt paid in six years." t-r
There are some facts connected with this
matter that, if explained, will be of
interest to taxpayers.
In 1862, under Democratic rule, the State
debt was only $l5,618 8757.45-over 1881, 900
less than 1t was seven years after.
In 1856, when the Democratic party LETT
the management of the public debt to its
opponents the debto 1852 had been reduced
Sl,6lO,4e1.7s. Besides this, when Auditor
of State, MORGAN, left the State Finances to
be managed by his Republican successor,
FRANCIS NJ. WRIGHT, who did business
under the instruction and by the order OF
SALMON P. CHASE, there was left in the
Treasury ready to be paid on the State debt
$537, ,499.O6 which, If it had been honestly
applied, would have reduced the debt oi
1856 to Sl3 81, 1851. Between the years
1856 and 1859, under an anti-Democratic ad.
ministration of the public finances, this
debt increased to sixteen million dollars
being s2,62s,2O3 80 more than it was fou1
years before.
How is this increase to be accounted for
True there was a Treasury defalcatior
shortly after-Mr. Brevet Brigadier Gen.
eral GIBSON, now on the stump in favor Of
Negro Suffrage, was charged with unlaw-
fully taking $SO0,000 therefrom, and fol
which he was arrested, indicted, tried and
convicted, but got new trial granted
which never come OFF, and he was lett at
large. The plunder charged on him, does
not cover one half the amount. Near two
million dollars is yet to be accounted for.
Where is it?
In 1854, under Democratic rule, the in
terest on the State Debt, foreign, domestic
and irreducable, was but one million three
thousand four hundred and eighty-six dol
lars-it is now $32l.514 greater. Then
the amount was paid in gold or its equiva-
lent; now it is paid in a deprecated cur
rency; the difference in gold and greenbacks
in which the interest is paid, is a repudia-
tion and swfndle on the part of the State
to that amount.
But there have been payments of the pub
lie debt since the date, November, 1865, to
which the Commissioner of Statistics refers.
Under date of June last, the Fund Com
missioners published the fact that 1920, 136
of what they call the Union loan of 1856
was paid by them; the money to liquidate
it, being taken from the following sources:
Common School. ol.....................'... 1856 OO
Total............ w
Not one cent of this amount but was
raised by taxation for another and differ
ent urpose, and under the Constitution, it
is as unlawful to raise money by taxation
for one purpose and then to use it for an
other, as it was for GIBSON and other Ne
gro Suffrage leaders to abstract $S00,OOO
from the Treasury and to use it for partisan
and political purposes. The $113,4l4 taken
from the General Revenue, and the $4,000
from the Canal Fund, was raised for specific
purposes, 'sto which only" in the language
of the Consti tuition, sit shall apply" and
the SIG, ,5s6 taken from the School Fund, was
that amount stolen from the Fund raised
by taxation aud set apart for the education
of the children of Ohio.
In their June Report, the Commissioners
say nothing of a still greater and meaner
theft committed for similar purpose.
In 1865, a law was passed, to raise by tax
alton an amount sufficient for the relief OF
. INDECENT and dependent soldiers and ma
rines. who, by reason of disease contracted,
or wounds received in the late war, are un-
able to support themselves and for the sup
port of the families of diseased and dis
abled soldiers and marines"
This Fund was raised, and for it the peo-
pie paid their taxes cheerfully. AT one
fell swoop, on the recommendation of the
Board of Fund Commissioners-two OF the
three, Messrs. GOODMAN and WEST, being
now candidates on the Negro Suffrage
ticket for rre-election-the Legislature pass
ed law authorizing eight hundred thou
sand dollars of this Fund to be taken and
used for the payment of the State debt.
This disgraceful act was done in the face
of the fact, which the Auditor reports, that
there were, at that very moment, 5,S3O
soldiers families without means OF support,
and 672 soldiers without families, who, from
disease contracted in the army, or from
wounds received. were incapable of earn
ing their living. These must be supported
by beggary, or in the county poor house
that Messrs. GOODMAN and WEST may real
ize the fruits of their barefaced theft by
Dragging that they have reduced the State
debt.
The history of Ohio Financiering, begin
ming at GIBSON and ending with GOODMAN
and WEST, if fairly written, would fill
volume of rascality and stupidity, such as
would make the Taxpayers of Ohio feel as
if their interests were not safe in such
hands. Ok
Hoisted With Their Own Petard
The Democratic State Convention Of
Iowa, in session at Des Moines, Wednesday
week, adopted the following resolution: