The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1869-07-02
ton. and that public debts are public

LuEE aSstlBtcu LHty lDuDu lHe EcftHu
raised yearly in Ohio. by taxation, t
| pay the interest on the State and loca
! debts and for State and local expendi
= tures, was $50, ,253,G ,G-5 81. This is a
the rate of almost forty dollars 70
every vote cast in the State at the las
election, and exceeds seven dollar
fer each inhabitant Of the State. o
this large sum collected annually b,
direct taxation, less than one-ffth. o.
I So. 9S1 ,099 70, was for State purpose
and more than fOur-fifths, or S16,272,
1915 81, was for local purposes. The
increase Of taxation for State purpose!
during the last few years has beer
small, but many items Of taxation fol
local purposes are Increasing rapidly
The taxation, for example, IN the thir
ty-three cities Of the State has in
creased until, according to the report
Of the Auditor Of State, "in several
the rates of levy exceed three pei
cent. and the average rate in all Is
but little short Of three per cent? In
/ this condition Of the financial affairs
Of the State, ard in the embarrassed
and depressed condition Of the bust
ness Of the country, the duty Of the
Legislature was plain. They were
to see that no unnecessary additional
burdens were posed upon the peo-
ple-that all wholesome restraints
and limitations upon the power Of
local authorities to incur debts and
levy taxes should be preserved and
fenforced, and especially that no in
ferease Of liabilities should be author
lied except in cases Of pressing neees-
sity.
Now, consider the facts. These
I gentlemen professed to be scrupulOus
lily strict in their observance os the
requirments of the Constitution. Yet
under provisions which contemplate
lone legislative-session in two years
they held two sessions in the same
year, and three sessions in their term
of two years. They were in session
two hundred and sixty days-longer
than was ever before known in Ohio,
and at and expense of $3.50, ,624 10
more than double that Of their Re-
publican predecessors.
They created between thirty and
forty new offices, at a cost to the peo-
pie, for salaries, fees aud expenses, of
at least $4,000 per annum. They
added to the State liabilities, for va
rious purposes, about s1,5OO,OOO.
In order to avoid an increase of taxes
levied for State purposes, they dimin-
ished the sum levied to pay the State
debt, and increased the levy for other
State purposes almost 100000.
The acts of tie last Legislature, in
relation to local debts and local taxes
are Of the most extraordinary charac
ter. These acts relale to raising mon-
ey for county purposes, Cor township
purposes, FOR city and village purpos-
es, and for special purposes. These
taxes or debts are levied or incurred
under the direction of the County
Commissioners, Township Trustees, or
of city or village Councils, who de-
rive their authority exclusively from
State legislation. The State Legisla-
ture has, therefore, the control of the
whole matter. Now, the general state
ment which | wish to make, and
which, I believe, is sustained by the
facts is, that the late Democratic Leg
islaturc authorized greater local pecu-
MARY burdens to be imposed upon the
people of Ohio, without their consent,
than were ever before authorized by
any General Assembly, either in peace
or war, since the organization Of our
State Government.
Sixty or seventy different acts were
passed authorizing debts to be con-
traated, amounting in the aggregate
to more than s25, ,OOO,0 900. A large
part Of them bear eight per cent. in
lterest, and very small part bear less
than seven and three tPnths per cent
Interest. And they passed seventy OF
Ieighty acts by which additional taxes
were authorized to the amount of over
IS10,000,000
Now it is to be hoped, as to a con-
siderable part Of the local debts and
local taxes authorized by the late
Democratic Legislature, that the peo
pie will not be burdeued with Them
1t is to be hoped that County Com
missioners, City Councils, and other
local boards, will show greater moder'
alton and economy in the exercise Of
their dangerous and oppressive pow
ers under the laws than was exhibit.
ed in their enactment. But in any
event, nothing is more certain thar
that the people of Ohio have great
reasons to apprehend that the evi
consequences of these laws will be fell
In their sFollen tax-bills for many
years.
1t is probable that many of the acts
to which | have alluded, creating ad.
ditional Offices, incurriug State liabil
tiles, and authorizing local debts and
taxes, were required by sound policy
But a candid investigation will show
that the larger part Of these enorrou;
burdens of expenditure, debt and tax
alton could and ought to have beer
lavoided.
The last Legislature afforded exam
Piles of many of the worst evils tC
which legislative bodies are liable
/ long sessions, excessive legislation, un
necessar expenditures and reckless
ness in authorizing local debts and
llocal taxes These evils "have in
creased, are increasing. and ought tC
be diminished. Let there be reform
as to all of them. Especially let the
people of all parties insist that the
] parent C, il-long legislative sessions
.l-shall be reformed together. LIE
the bad precedent of long sessions Sc
by the last Legislature, be condemned
and the practice of short sessions es-
itablished. With the average rate oi
taxation in the cities and large town!
of the State-uearly three per cent
legitimate business and industry cal
not continue to thrive, if the rate o
taxation continues to increase. Will
rates of interest for public debts
ranging from seven and three-tentht
per cent, to eight per cent, the reck-
less increase of such debts must stop
or it will seriously affect the pros
perity of the State. Ehese are sub
Ijeets which deserve, and which, J
trust, will receive the profound at
teutiOn of the people in the pending