The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1869-07-02

| Democratlc party obtained power IN the las
Legislature, the most important, and ihos,
in regard to which the Just expectations o
the people have been most signally disap.
pointed, ARE their pledges in relation 10
financial affaiTs-tO expenditure, TO debt, aud
to taxation. Upon this subject the people
are compelled to feel very deep Interest,"
4 The flush times Of the war have been follow
ed bya financial reaction, and for the last
three or four years the country has been on
the verge Of financial crisis. The burdens
of laxation bear heavily upon labor, and up.
on capialir The Democratic party, prOfuse
alike Of accusations against their adTersaries
aud of promises of reirenchmeut and reform
with the heaviest part of these bur
deBs, viz: with the expenditures, debts, as
sessments 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 65th and Goth vol
umes of the Laws Of Ohio. Let any Repub-
lican diligently study these volumes and he
win fully Comprehend the meaning of Job
when he said, ''Ob, that mine adversary had
written book" No intelligent man can
read carefully these volumes, and note the
number and character of the laws increasing
the expenses and liabilities of the State, and
authorizing additional debts and additional
taxation for city and village, for county and
township purposes without having the con-
victiOn forced upon him that the gentleman
who enacted these laws hold to the opinion
that the way 10 increase wealth is to increase
taxation, aud that public debts are public
blessings. e.r
When the late Democratic Legislature as
sembled they found the revenue raised year
ly in Ohio by taxation TO pay the interest on
the State and local debts and for State and
local expenditures was 500, 253 ,6l5 "a. This
is at rate of almost forty dollars for every
vote cast in the Slate at the last election and
exceeds seven dollars for each iuhabitant Of
the State. OF this large sun collected an
nually by direct taxation less than One-fifth
or So, ,9Sl ,099 70 was for State purposes, and
more lhan four-6fIhs or $l6272, SIS 81 was
for local purposes. The increase Of taxatio3
for Stale purposes during the last few years
has been small, but many items of txAtiOn
for local purposes are increasing rapidly
The taxation, for example, in the thirty three
cities OF the Stale has increased until, accord
ing 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 little
short Of three per cent. In this condition
of the financial affairs Of the State, aud in the
embarrassed end depressed condition of the
business of the country, the duty of the Leg
islature was plain. They were TO see that
no unnecessary additional burdens we're i'm
posed upon the peOple-that all wholesome
restraints and limitations upon the power OF
local authorities TO incur debts and lew
taxes should be preserved and enforced, and
especially that no increase Of liabilities
should be authorized except in cases of press
ing necessity.
Now consider the facts. These gentlemen
prOfessed to be scrUpulously strict in their
observance of the requirements of the Onn-
stitutiOn. Yet under provisions which con-
template one legislative session in two years
they held two sessions in the same year, aud
three sessions 10 their term Of two years.
They were in session two hundred and sixtv
days-longer than was ever before known in
Ohio, and at an expense of $3.50 624 To-
more than double that Of their Republican
predecessors.
They created between thirty and forty
new offices at a cost TO the people fOrsalaries,
fees and expenses of at least SIS 900 per an
mum. They added to the State Liabilities
for various purposes about 81 100000. In
order to avoid an increase of taxes levied for
State purposes they diminished the sun
levied to pay the State debt and increase the
levy for other State purposes almost $500,
900.
The acts of the last Legislature in relation
TO local debts and local taxes are of the most
extraordinary charasler. These acts relate
to raising money for country purposes, for
township purposes, for city and village pur-
poses, and for special purposes These taxes
or debts are levied or incurred under the di-
rectioH Of county Commissioners, township
trustees, or Of city ortVillage councils, who
derive their authority exclusively from State
legislation. The State Legislature has there
fore the control Of the whole matter. Now,
the general statement which | wish to make,
aud which believe is sustained by the facts
is, that the late Democratic Legislature
authorized greater local pecuniary burdens
TO be imposed upon the people of Ohio, with
out their consent, than were ever before
by auy General Assembly, either
in peace or war, since the organization Of
oar State government
Sixty or seventy diff 3rent acts were passed
debts to be contracted amount
ing in the aggregate to more than 5000 :
010 A large part of them bear eight per
cent. interest, aud a very small part bear
less than seven and three tenths per cent |
interest. And they passed seventy or eighty
acts by which additional taxes were author
lied to the amount of over Sl0,O0O0 0OO g
Now it is to be hoped, as 10 a cOnsidera-
bic part Of the local debts and local taxes
authorized by the late Democratic legisla- |
ture, that the people will not be burdencd |
with them. Ii is to be hoped that County |
Commissioners, City Councils, and other
local boards, will show greater moderation |
aud economy in he EXERCISE Of their danger |
Ous aud oppressive powers under the laws |
Than wss exhibited 10 their enactment. But |
in any event, nothing is mere certain than that |
the people of Ohio have great res son to appre-
hend that the evil consequences ofthess laws
will be felt in their swollen tag bills for
many years.
II is probable that many Of the acts to
which / have alluded, creating additional /
)ffices, inourripg State liabilities, and au-
-bOriziDg local debts aud taxes we're required /
BY sound policy. But a candid investiga-
sion will show that the larger part Of these
enormous burdens Of expenditure, debt and /
'axation could and ought to have beeo
avoided. .af
The last legislature afforded examples of
asny of the worst evils to which legislative |
-Olies are glisbls-lOag sessions, excessive
egislatiOn, unnecessary expenditures aud
in authorizing local debts and
ooal taxes. These evils shave increased
ira decreasing and ought to be diminished" !"
let there. bs reform as to all Of them Es-
]ecialy let the Teqplei of all parties insist
hat the parent eVil-iOng legislative sessions
shall be reformed altogether. Let The bad
PRECEDENT of long sessions. set by the last
legislature, be cOndemRei, and the practice
# short sessions established. With The sv
rage rate of tazstion ia the cities and large
OWES Of the SIste-nearly three per cent
legitimate business and industry cannot con-
inue to thrive, If the rate of taxation con-
inues to increase. With the rates of inter-
rest for public debts, ranging from seven
nd three-tenths per cent. to eight per ceut.,
he reckless increase Of such debts most stop, }
r viii seriously affect The prosperity OF the
'tate. These are subjects which deserve,
nd which, trus', will receive the profound
tention ofthe people in the pending can
ass. = J..
Il is said that ore ofthe ATTEST Democratic
members Of the last Legislature declared at
-s close that HtenOugh had been done to keep
he Demcc5aGc party out Of power in Ohio '
'r twenty years a Let the Republican I,
reEs aud Republican speakers see to it that
le history Of the acts of that body be spread
ally before the people, and 1 entertain no
Nubt that the declaration viii be substan- Is
ally made good. ;
II is probable that the discussions of the
resent canvass Hill turn more upon State
,gislati0n and less upon national affairs than =
lose Of any year since 1861 Neither Sen '
-ors or Representatives In Congress are to
9 chosen. But It is an important State =
ectiOn. and wiz be regarded as having a
caring 90 natiopal politics. The Republic a
ms of Ohio heartily approve of the Princi- IN
les of Gen. Grants inaugural message, aud
% r.raliliaL hu the rnannar IN r.rhich - %