Wyandot County Republican. [volume] (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1869-1903, 1869-07-01


ported the measure. The idea wa
everywhere held out that If tn
Democratic party were successful
the money would be restored to tn,
relief fund and expended for tn,
benefit of the soldiers. The failur,
to redeem this pledge is aggravated
by the fact that the Legislature, by
q strict psrty vote in the Senate
rsf1sed 10 provide for the supper,
Of soldiers destitute orphans a,
h0tnes to be established, withou,
expense to the State, by the volun.
tary contributions of patriotic and
charitable people. ;.
But of all the pledges upon which
the Democratic party obtained pow
er in the last Legislature, the most
important, and those in regard to
which the just expectations of the
people have beer most signally dis
appointed, are their pledges in rela-
ton to financial affairs-to expendi-
ture, to debt and to taxation. Upon
this subject the people are compelled
to feel very deep interest. The
flush times of war have been follow
ed by q financial reaction, and for
the last three or four years the
country has been on the verge of a
financial crisis. The burdens of
taxation bear heavily upon labor,
not upon capital. TIE Democratic
party, profuse alike of accusations
. against their adversaries and of
promises of retrenchment and re-
form, were clothed with power to
deal with the heaviest part of these
burdens viz: with the expenditures,
debts, assessments and taxes which
are authorized by State legislation.
The results of their two years of
power are now before the people.
They are contained in the Goth and
66th volumes of the Laws of Ohio.
Let any Republican diligently study
these volumes, and he will fully
comprehend the meaning of Job
when he said, "Oh, that mine ad-
versary had written book" No
intelligent man can carefully read
these volumes and not note the num-
Der and character of the laws in
creasing the expenditures and liza
bilities of the State, and authoriz-
ing additional debts and additional
taxation for city and village, for
county and township purposes,
without having the conviction forced
upon him that the gentlemen who
enacted these laws hold to the opin-
ion that the way to increase wealth
is to increase taxation, and that
public debts are public blessings.
When the late Democratic Legis-
lature assembled they found the
revenue raised yearly in Ohio by
taxation to pay the interest on the
State and local debts, and for State
and local expenditures, was $40,
253,615 "a. This is at the rate of
almost $40 for every vote cast In the
State at the last election, aud ex-
ceeds seven dollars for each inhab
liant of the State. OF this large
sum collected annually by direct
taxation, less than one fifth, or
S3,981, ,O99 70 was for State pur-
poses, and more than four -fifths, or
$16,272,5l5 "a, was for local pur-
poses. The increase of taxation for
State purposes during the last few
years has been small, but many
items of taxation for local purposes
are increasing rapidly. The taxa
ton, for example, in the thirty three
cities of the State has increased un-
til, according to the report of the
Auditor of State, ''in several the
rates Of levy exceed three per cent,
and the average rate in all is but lit
tie short of three per cent" In
this condition of the financial affairs
of the State, and in the embarrassed
md depressed condition of the bust
ness of the country, the duty of the {
Legislature was plain. They were
70 sec that no unnecessary addi-
:ional burdens were imposed upon
he. people; that all wholesome |
restraints and limitations upon the {
power Of local authorities to incur {
debts and levy taxes should be pre- {
served and enforced, and especially s
that no increase of liabilities should
be authorized except in cases of {
pressing necessity.
Now consider the facts. These
gentlemen professed to be scrupu-
ously strict in their observance of
'he requirements of the Constitu-
ton. Yet under provisions which
contemplate one legislative session ,
N two years they held two sessions ,
n the same year, and three sessions {
n their term of two years. They {
we're in session two hundred and {
sixty days-longer than was ever I
before known in Ohio, and at an !
expense Of $150,624 1O-more than |
iouble that of their Republican pred &
,cessors. r,. {
They created between thirty and
'orty new offices, at q cost to the !,
people for salaries, fees and cxpen- l
'es of at least $4,000 per annum.
They added to the State liabilities
ol various purposes about $780,
300. In order to avoid an increase
of taxes levied for State purposes, s
hey diminished the sum levied to {
pay the State debt, and increased
the levy for other State purposes
almost 100000. &
The acts of the last Legislature :
n relation to local debts and local 8
'axes are of the most extraordinary I,
character. These acts relate to :
raising money for county purposes,
or township purposes, for city
md village purposes, and for spe-
,ial purposes. These taxes or debts