Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1869-07-01

es the country, the duty Of the Legislatu
was plain. They were to see that no III
necessary additional burdens were impo
VI ed upon the people-that all Wholesou
ct restraints and limitations upon the pow
n of local authorities to incur debts and lev
taxes should be preserved and enforce,
and especially that no increase of liabil
le ties should be authorized except in case
n, of pressing necessity.
" Now consider the facts. These gentl,
ID men professed to bescrupulously strict i
O. their observance Of the requirements ofth
r Constitution. Yetunder provisions whic
d contemplate one legislative session in tw
& years thOy held two sessions in the sam
Is year, and three sessions in their term q
Vt two years. They were in session two hun
dred and sixty days-longer than was ey
o er before known in Ohio, and at an ex
/ peuse of $3.50, ,624. l0-more than doubl
0 that of their Republican predecessors.
= They created between thirty and fort,
p new offices at cost to the people for sala
j. ries, fees and expenses of at least S75 ,0Ol
i per annum. They added to the State La
g bilities for various purposes, about 81 !,
e 500. 900. In order to avoid an increase Of
taxes levied for State purposes they di
3 minished the sum levied to pay the State
debt, and increased the levy for Other
State purposes almost 5000 900.
= The acts Of the last Legislature in rela.
tion to local debts d taxes are of the uost
extraordinary character. These acts ro.
late to raising money for county purposes.
These taxes or debts are levied or incur-
red under the direction of County Commits
sioners, township trustees, or Of citv or
village councils, who derive their author
ity exclusively from State legislation
The State Legislature has therefore the
control Of the whole matter Now tbe
general statement which | wish TO make
and which believe is sustained bv the
facts is, that the late Democratic Legisla-
ture authorized greater local peeuniarv
burdens to be imposed upon the people Of
Ohio, without their consent, than were ev.
er before authorized by any General Az.
sembly, either in pence or war, since the
organization Of our State government.
Sixty or sevouty different acts were
passed authorizing debts to be contracted,
amounting in the aggregate to more than
1925, ,0OO,OO0, A large part of them bear
eight per cent. interest, ahd very small
part hear less than seven and three tentbs
per cent. interest. And they passed sew
enty or eighty acts by which additional
taxes were authorized to the amount of
over $4,000, 900
Now it is to be hoped, as to consider
able part of the local debts and local tax
es authorized by the late Democratic leg
lslature, that the people will not be bur
dened with them, 1t is TO be hoped that
County Commissioners, City Councils,
and other local boards, will show greater
moderation and economy in the exercise off
their dangerous and oppressive powers un.
der the laws than was exhibited in their
enactment. Butin any event, nothing ia |
more certain than that the people of Ohio
have great reason to approhend that the
evil consequences of these laws will be felt
in their swollen tax bills for many wears.
1t is probable that many Of the aets TO :
which | have alluded, creating additional
Offices, incurring State liabilities and au.
thorizipg local debts and taxes were re-
qldred by sound policy, But candid in
yestigaton will show that the larger part
OF these enormous burdens of expenditure.
debt and taxation could and ought to have
been avoided.
The last Legislature afforded examples
Of many Of the worst evils to which legis.
lative bodies are liable--long sessions, ex.
'essive legislation, unnecessarily eynendi
,ures, and recklessness in authorizing 10.
'al debts and local taxes. These eviIa /
have inorensd, are increasing, and ought y
Q be diminished" Let there be refnrm r
ls to all Of them. Especially let tho neo. {
pie OF all parties insist that the paie0tl q
legislative sessions- shall he {
reformed altogether Let the bad prece {
lent oflong sessions, set by the last Leg |
stature, be condemned, and the praotjee q
IF short sessions established With the r
tverage rate cf taxation in the cities and
large towns Of the State--noarly three per {
,ent.--legitima business and industry /
lRnnot continue to thrive, ii tho rate of il
axatiol continues to increase. With the c
ates of interest for public debts, ranging '
even and threetenths per cent, to eight Ii
Ter cent, the reckless increase of such
ebts, must stop, or will seriously affect
no prosperity of the State. These are y
uhjeets which deserve, and which, trust N
i'll receive the profound attention of the
eoplc in the pending canvass.
II is said that one of the ablest D1mo. z
ratic members of the last Legislature de.
Jared at its close. that "enough had been
one to keep the Democratic party out Of :
over in Ohio for twenty years" Let I
le Republican press and Republican L
peQkers see to it that the history Of the =
cts Of that body bo spread fully before
10 people, and | entertain no doubt that
le declaration will be substantially
ade good. sH ~
1t is probable that the discussions of tho
resent canvass will turn more upon State
gielation and less upon national affairs a.
IAN those ofany year since 1861 Nei. 7"
Ter Senators nor Representatives in Con
'ess are to be chosen But it is an i'm.
1rtant State election and will be regard =
as having bearing on national poli.
90. The Republicans Of Ohio heartily ~ Nv
provo Of the principles Of Gen. Grants ror
angural message, aud are gratifed by ga
Q manner in which he is dealing with uia
e leading questions of the first three
Dnths of his administration
Under President johnson, Secretary Ing
,Ouloch boarded milionFof gold to en-. =
10 him to maintain wretched rivalry n
bn buN Bolu buHoltlb VI NeW Olk CITY.
le nation was defrauded of its just dues a.,
d the national debt increased from No. Con 1Ssi
mber at, 1867, TO November lst, 1868 the
5, ,625,l02 49, Gen. Grant began his ii ~, ,
nciNl policy by revoking his prodeees. lh[ Msl
9 pOrdons OF revenue robbers, and by %
ihng down expenses in all directions; Tho
1 Secretary Boutwell, disposes of sur. MAJ
Is gold in the purchase of interest bear Inl Rar
, bonds to tie amount of two millions Cha
week, and in his first quarter reduces sect
national debt more than twenty mil. WIZ ~ 4
rs Of dollars. spr, snr,
The two Democratic Johnsons, Andrew Con
! Reyerdy furnished their ideas Of a spr'
1ign policy in the johnson Clarendon dal AL,
lty. They undertook to settle the tei;
lcrican claims against England on ac. !.
mt Of the Alabama outrage by the award w
! commission, ono.half Of whose mem
$ were to be chosen by England and IL
other half by the United States, and in = ~
Q ofa disagreement an umpire was to g Ssos 3
,hosen by lot, That is to say, great aoll,
.ional controversy involving grave the
stions Of international law, and claims pnlt
Indoubted validity amounting to mil, n9ad siS,i
IS of money, was to DO decided by the iowi
Of copper! The administration OF the /