The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1869-08-05

a UEibSC SWePb aWstt " y III IL - stttSfs
there was no means of rebuilding it,
except by application to the General
Assembly to authorize a special levy
for such purposes. There were up
wrrds of eleven hundred bills intro
duced into the Fifty-eighth General
Assembly, a very large portion of
which were to authorize special lev
les. This evilwas seen and felt, es-
pecially by the committees to which
the bills were referred. 1t was con-
ceded that the General Assembly
would need to be in perpetual session
to act inteliigentiy upon all such bills.
In order to avoid this vicious system
of special legislation consequent upon
the restrirtive policy adopted by for
mef Legislatures, measures of general
legislation were devised and passed
into laws, covering the whole matter
of levies for the erection. of town
houses, court houses; jails, infirmaries,
bridges and union school houses. In
addition to these may be included the
:" Municipal Code," which provides a
complete. system of government for
villages and cities; and a system of
finance that effectually supercedes the
whole system of special legislation
By a reference to the former it will be
seen that these measures of general
legislation were supported and op-
posed alike by Democrats and Repub-
licaus. While these measures were
chiefly introduced b y Democratic
members, the real legislators of YOUR
own party q allude to such men as
Colonel Pond, Messrs. Garfield, Dix
on and Dennis, of the House. and
to Messrs. Burrows and Everett, of
the Senate) were active and efficient
in maturing the bills, and in the adyo-
cacy Of their passage. ...s.J-f .ra.f 5.n.
You further. charge that "they .(the
Legislature) added to the State iiabil-
tiles for various purchases, about ST.
A decent regard for candor
and fair dealing would have required
you. to make the further. statement
that the rebuilding of the Central
Lunatic Asylum, at cost of 800. 900.
the rebuilding of the old Blind Asy-
lam at a cost of $4,000; the compile
ton of the new asylum at Athens.
and the completion of the new Deaf
and Dumb Asylum at Columbus the
establishment of a Reform School for
girls; the erection of new buildings
ON the Reform Farm near Lancaster :
the payment of Judgment in favor
of the assignee of the Ohio Life and
Trust Company; and provision fol.
nearly half a million deficiency in the
State Treasury, were all extraordina-
ry expenses-as well as the Morgan
Raid Claims of nearly 100000. the
present payment of which seems to
have been vetoed by the Attorney
General. Esstrls,.5 -zt.zf, 7s.sssC l,. .is-s.iy
@ These provisions are what you have
seen proper to term g reckless and u7a4
necessary erpenditatges."". Be that as it
may, all these acts providing for these
unnecessary expenditures were as
supported by Republican as
by Democratic members. suspect
that if these "recEleSs and ug,necessayv
expenditures had not been made. the
cry woHld have gone forth from the
23rd of June Convention that DEM
ocratic Legislature had refused to
make provision for the unfortunate
insane, and for the care of the blind.
and for the reformation of young fe-
males who are on the highway to de-
t6-Ess si4 j., 80. =,
Notwithstanding the yerv speciouss
manner in which you found your
charges against the legislative branch
OF the State government, you have,
think, rendered an Important service
to the public by initiating a discus
sion on the important matter of taxa
ton. The only fear is that Others in
the Republican party will not follow
your example. Whilst the producing
classes OF this, State pay annually. in
round numbers, $20,000,OOO Of State
and local taxes, which are expended
in the payment of the State debt, in
the maintenance of the State govern
ment, in the support of schools and
benevolent institutions, the construc-
tion of roads, bridges, and public
buildings, thev at the same time nav
5,D00,000 to the officers of the fed
eral governments. Not a single Dem
ncrat is to- be found in the entire list
of ireVenue officers Of the general gov
ernment that immense sum is afinu-
ally collected and disbursed by Re-
publican officials. The same is, true
of every revenue officer in the United
States. They are all Republicans. -
That party is therefore responsible to
the whole people for an honest collec-
ton and application of S45010O9DO an
nualiy collected. Il will make no
charges against them for corruption
and dishonesty This has been done
by the late Henry J.. RAYMOND, the
New Y York Tribune, and Colonel Don
Piatt, all standard authorities in the
Republican party, in Language that
cannot be mistaken. fsHt - .:si1
Colonial Piatt, Who has the hest op.
portunities for making observations al
Washington, stated in his speech al
Xenia on the 9th inst, that Aace hare
the most corrupt goOefnment in thu
acoTld. 1t is run by rings. There is
no moneyed interest in the land that
is without its ring in Washington
- We haYe the railroad rings
land jobbing rings, whisky rings, thai
branch in every conceivable direction.
And they were Intriguing, boring
caucusing, and, through wine and w0.
men, batting without cessationin'o /
OF all the vast sums collected by
the Federal authority it is estimated
that less than one-half finds it way in
to the treasury. The other half goel
to enrich corrupt officials, and to sup
port "rings," SB and out Of Congress
This question of taxation, Nheth
er . State or Federal, rises higl
above all party considerations; be
cause it most directly affects the NOR
ais and the education of the mass o