Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1869-08-28

voted him by this Democratic Degisla-
ture.
The following new officers were
created by the General Assembly during
the years 1868 and 1869:
II Common Pleas Judges, additional
S2iOOO
Geological Corps.."."............. $4,000
20 Boiler inspectors ors...,..,..........,.... 10000
2 Girls Reform Schools...."...".. 1000
Board of Public Works Gncreased)... 1000
The reader will have no difficulty in
determining how many of these officers
the State might have got along without,
either temporarily or permanently. He
must judge, also, whether the present is
a good time to increase the list of sala-
ried officers.
But there is large class of expendi-
lures of local nature which do not fully
appear to the taxpayers of the State.
unless upon a closer investigation than
most of them have time or inclination TO
give. Such are the
LOCAL BURDENS AUTHORIZED BY THE LEG
IsLATURE.
1t is no rash assertion to say that no
State Legislature from the foundation of
the State government has ever author
lied so fearful burden of local taxation
as the Fifty-eighth General Assembly
In this matter the Legislature seems to
have used its power in wholly reckless
and irresponsible manner, as though it
felt itself to be beyond the knowledge
and the correction of the people in this
province. A profligate expenditure of
this sort, however hardly il might bear
upon the locality which had 10 meet the
tax would be for the most part unknown
to other localities. Even the best H.
formed could not know of the vast total
OF those expenditures throughout the
State, without careful and laborious
examination of the laws. The Legisla-
ture seems to have taken it for granted
that no such examination would be made,
that no one would be found to hold it to
an accountability for it's recklessness and
propension in this matter. Vast as our
proportion of direct taxation is for the
burdent entailed by the National Debt,
it falls below the amount authorized by
the Fifty-eighth General Assembly in a
single term. Let us not he deceived in
this matter, by glittering generalties.-
The reader should take mp the laws for
1868 and 1869, and follow the details
page by page. We make no comment in
general. The reader must decideas to
which expenditures are proper and judi
cious. ............
THE EXTRAORDINARY LEGISLATION
of the Fifty-eighth General Assembly,
which has brought reproach upon our
State wherever good laws are approcia-
ted, is little too extensive to be prop
erly treated within the limit of this doc
ument. We commend that branch of
the subject to the public press for fire.
quent and through exposition.
We have shown
/. That the Fifty-eighth General As
sembly has added more largely than any
that ever existed, to the evils resulting
from changes and additions upon the
statute book.
2. That it sat longer, at higher per
diem, and did worse work than any other
legislative body in the history of the
State.
3. That it itexpended money profigately
on party favoites, ard for unusual and
extraordinary purposes.
A. That it authorized local burdens al
most without limit, at rate per cent.
unprecedented in the history of any
State.
And that it did many other damaging
and Objectionable things, to the detri-
ment of the prosperity of the State. All
of which were done after riding into
power on the cry OF retrenchment and
reform.
Taxpayers, how do you like such re.
trenchment as this? Do you want two
more years of it