Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-08-09
State Finances : Taxation Under
Democratic and Abolition Rule.

IncredSe OIr taxes, SGaLe anu LOchl, unuer
lAbolition rule, isvaluable for present study |
and for future reference. 1t is compiled
| from the Annual Report of Auditor w. d. |
MORGAN, of December 81, 1856, the last one
submitted by that able officer, and that of
Auditor JAMES H. GOODMAN, the present in
cumbent, bearing date December 6, 1866,
the last one issued. s7ra
In each and every county in Ohio the
table shows the increase of taxes levied be-
tween the years named, and it shows All
alarming advance. IS
The footings of the two columns of State
taxes, show that under Democratic rule
the whole sum levied in Ohio amounted
to $2,75ISO7.51, against that levied under
Abolition rule. of S3,S67, 1851, being an
increase between 1866 and 1885, of one mil
lion one hundred and taoelue thousand three
hundred and fifty nine dollars and seventy too
cents.
| The local taxation, including all taxes
other than State, in the several counties,
shows still more alarming increase,
mainly owing to the improvident legisla-
ton of the State. The whole amount OF
the taxes raised for this purpose amounted
in 1856 to $685. 704. .3S-in 1866 to $13,-
001, ,270.11, being an increase between the
years 1866 and 1865 of six millions, eight
hundred and one thousand five hundred and
sixty-five dollars and seventy-two cents.
Within these eleven years, the taxes to be
paid by the people, for State and other pur-
poses,9 has increased SEVEN MILLION,
NINE ,,, HUNDRED and THIRTEEN
THOUSAND NINE HUNDRED AND
TWENTY-FIVEDO DOLLARSa and FORTY
FIVE CENTS, being on each and every
year an increase of SEVEN HUNDRED
AND NINETEEN THOUSAND, FOUR
HUNDRED AND FORTY-SEVEN DOL
LARS, AND EIGHTY-FIvE CENTS,
which the people have been forced to pay
for the blessing of Abolition rule.
And it is no wonder that the taxes of the
people have increased, when we consider
the reckless manner in (Which the
State officials squander the public funds
When a man pays the school tax charged
against him, he has no evidence that the
| money, will be used for that purpose, for,
in a late publication by the Board of Fund
Commissioners, they acknowledge taking
large amount of money appropriated for
common schools, for the purpose of paying
debts. In like manner we know that they
thus, in defiance of the Constitution, seized
on other funds and appropriated them for
another and very different purpose from
that for which they were raised by taxa
| tion, as for instance, at one fell swoop eight
hundred thousand dollars, raised for the
purpose of supporting the widows and or
phans of soldiers who fell in battle, and for
the support of the MANNED and INDECENT
survivors of the brave men who sealed their
devotion to the country with their lite'siI
blood, leaving these surviving soldiers and
these widows and orphans to starve or sub
sist on the crumbs of bread thrown to them]
in charity. - 4
The State debt of Ohio, when the pres
ent party came into power, was fraction
over fourteen million dollars (S14,-
OOS, ,295 67), with 537,49906 in the Treas
ury, ready to reduce the debt that amount
as soon as it became due, which in reality |
left the debt, when the Democracy gave
the power of the State over to their oppo-
nents, at but S13470, 1861. 4t
Almost every year since the present par
ty came into power, its State officials and
the newspaper press that supports it, have
boasted or the large amounts of the public
debt the Abolition Fund Commissioners
have paid. Notwithstanding this great
boast, by the last Annual Report of Auditor
GOODMAN, tsee page 13) we learn that sat |
the close of the year ending Nov. 15, 1866, |
the funded debt of the State amounted to
$12,912014.45,n being. Notwithstanding all
this brag, reduction IL, ten years of but
$45S, S216-less than a half a million dol
lars.
Between the years 1852 and 1856, the
Democratic Auditor of State reduced the
debt from $15, ,61S,757.45 to $14,00S, ,295.67-
besides paying off $1,610,461.1S of the debt
in four years, leaving in the Treasury,
when he gave up his Office, over half mil
lion of dollars further to reduce it, which,
had it been honestly applied, would have
made the debt, as before stated, in 1855, but
$13,470, 1861. To pay this large amount
of the public debt-nearly as much per an
mum as the present Fund Board have re-
duced it in ten years-under Democratic |
rule, when the Democracy gave up the |
State to their opponents, the amount raised |
by taxation for Sinking Fund purposes,
was but $500, 0,S77-the grand duplicate for
1866, shows that for the same purposes
last year there was charged 81, ,325. .439-the
excess, $464, ,562, being larger than the |
amount of public debt paid by the Aboli- |
tion Fund Board for ten years, notwith- |
standing their great boasting ofthe large
amounts paid. ,.'
The finances of the country is a subject
that appeals to every man in the State.
Those that do not pay taxes directly have
to do it indirectly in the increased cost of
all they have to purchase. All then are in
terested in the honest expenditure of the
money in the Treasury raised by taxes
from the people. ara er II .str--,lI
In view of the facts above submitted, dry
in detail, but yet of interest to all, we have
shown sufficient, at least, to put the mind
upon inquiry, that the finances have
not been well administered. The taxes
of the people are yearly increas-
g-sthe amount to pay the in
terest on the State debt, annually raised, is
greater now. than years before, when the
amount to be paid was greater. How this
can be, is one of the mysteries of finance,
according to the mode practiced by the
Auditor and his colleagues in the Board of
Fund Commissioners, that we cannot solve.
Enough, however, is known to bear US out
in the assertion that if honestly admins
tered, it has been done by men utterly unfit
to fill even subordinate offices.
The table we print elsewhere, we shall
have frequent occasion to refer to, during
the campaign. We trust our readers will
preserve it, and study it with careful at