Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1868-09-25


Per diem and miIeageof mem
bers, 500, 1O6.SS
Expenses of Committees. ,...... 23O3.Oi
Incidentals l101 days q S31I.22
per Gay. ).....-..- -......... b, ,443.3.
Total, 1855, 2,
Total Democratic session.. l67, ,426. q.
Difference, ,-....... ......... 73,57S.2l
1 Hence the Democratic session of las
winter cost the people just S73, $500
more than the Republican session o.
! 1867. This may be called retreneh
ment with vengeance.
! But even this is not all. Though
the country is at peace, and there Is nc
extraordinary demand for legislation
the Democratic majority has adjourned
both Houses to meet again on the 23d
of November next. Thus without any
apparent reason for an eventso unusu.
al we are to have two legislative ses-
sions in the same year, and 80 addi-
tiUnal days Of Democratic "retrench-
ment and reform" IN 1868. This al
| 81, ,249.45 a day, (Which last winters
session cost, will make an additional
cost Of legislation for the year Of $48,-
72855, which added to the cost of last
session will give US S216, ,154 81 as the
total cost for Democratic legislation in
the year of our Lord 1861
In return for this extravagant out
lay Of the peoples money what have
/ they received? Some extraordinary
measures certainly, which are a stain
upon the fair fame of the State, and
only await the advent of the peoples
will to be blotted from her statute
books. Costly as they are they will be
short lived.
The people were promised reduce
tioR of taxation. How have taxes been
reduced2 ? The road tax, for example,
has been Increased from tl0o dollars to
three, and this is precisely the tax
the poor man feels more than all he
pays directly or indirectly for national
purposes. 1t is probably one of the
benefoent examples of Democratic
equal taxation" that poor men and
tenants have to pay this tax to repair
highways chiefly used and enjoyed by
those who are owners of estates.
1t was promised that United States
bonds should be taxed, but they were
not, and doubtless for sufficient reas-
ons. -.
The Democracy complained that the
national banks were not paying taxes
enough, matter they proposed to cor
rect. The Republican Legislature of
1866 passed the first and only act tax
ing the stock of these banks. If this
tax was not sufficiently high the Dem
ocratio Legislature could have amend
ed the law aud increased it. But they
did nothing of the kind.
The taxation for State purposes has
not been reduced, but this is not the
heaviest burden upon the people. The
taxes for local purposes are nearly four
times as great as the State levies. Del
aware county, for example, in 1866 paid
taxes for State purposes amounting to
only $37, ,973.73, while for local purpos-
es she paid s1O0,551.71. The total
State taxes for that year levied on the
grand duplicate were 1867, ,167. %, |
while the local taxes levied in the
State amounted to $12,64O, ,699.9O. IfI
the Democratic Legislature had really
intended to retrench they should have
begun by reducing the special legisla-
ton by which these local taxes are lev
led. On the contrary an examination
of the volume of laws for this year
shows that the number of local acts
has by no means diminished from pre-
Vious years. Out of 279 pages of leg
islation So are devoted to acts of this
character. while of the volume for 1867
out of 3I8 pages, there are but So de-
voted to special laws. But what is !
more definite, the duplicates for the
several counties, will show that there
has been no reduction in this species
of taxation.
1t is claimed that the appropriations
we're reduced about 500, 600 from those
of the previous Legislature, and that
the expenses of the State government
have been reduced that much. The
truth is the ordinary expenses of the
State government are much greater now
than they were last year, as any one
can see who will take the trouble to
examine the appropriation bills. The
entire drafts upon the treasury given
by the Auditor of State to meet the
current expenses of the State during
the year 1867, amounted to 81 ,659 9849.-
SO. In this is included S185, ,129. SO di-
rect tax paid to the United States, for
which purpose no appropriation has
been made this year. Leaving out $222,-
00-appTopriated in 1867 to be expend-
ed the present year in the erection of
new benevolent institutions, there
stands appropriated and subject to
draft and expenditure the present year
the following sums:
Carried over from 1867 and
subject to draft in 1885,. $475, ,72O.77
in 1868, -. .....1 ,372, ,275.O0 {
Appropriations for support Of
benevolent institutions,
first quarter of 186S.. ...... 100, ,65O.OO
Total subject to draft and ex-
penditure in 1868. 81 ,94s, ,645.77
Or $288,796.19 more than was expeud )
ed in 1867
The Republican Legislature of 1867 ,
was obliged to provide for the compile ,
tiOn Of the new benevolent institutions
then in course of erection and i'm