Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1870-01-08
GOVERNORS MESSAGE.

cal year were -, lol % 4.4J, making the
total amount of available funds in the
Treasury during the year ending No
vember 18th, 1862, s., 1851, 1884.
The disbursements during the year
have been $4,ol3,615.lO, which sum has
been paid ont of the Treasury from the
several funds as follows:
General Revenue Fund 81 ,577 POI 1S
Canal Fund nu............................ Al IS3 ~
National Road Fund...".."...." 22O60 90
Sinking und..................".... 1,7TJ,03S %
Common School Fund.............. 1,49GG33 80
Bank Redemption Fund........... ~ IL
Total 49l3,6I5 10
Leaving balance in the Treasury, Novem-
Scr 18th, 1869, $43S, 0G014.
The estimates of the Auditor of State of re-
ceipts and expenditures for the current year,
arc as follows:
Estimated receipts from all sour
crs, including balances. "a, ,79l ,144 so
Estimated disbursements for all
purposes s.....,............"....... 4,411,S99 w
Leaving an estimated balance in
the Treasury, Nov. 10, 1870, Of,.$3l3,2A 90
DEBT.
The amount of the public funded debt
of the State, November IS, 1908, was
slO,532,675 80. During the last year the
! Fund Commissions have redeemed of the
various loaus S5I6,003 81, and have i'll
vested in loans not yet due Sl60,G43 so.
leaving a total bebt yet TO be provided
for $0,S55,03s 27.
TAXATION.
The whole amount Of taxes, including
delinqnencics, collectable under state laws
during the year 1869 was So / ,006,332 A..
The Auditor of State reports the total
| g .r,,I,,1;n,r 1nlincnnn,.inc Il
colectable during the current year, Mt $22-
$40, 675 81; an increase of the taxes of
1870 over 1869 Of 81 ,sO4,35 40.
In 1869 there was collected for the
Sinking Fund, to be applied to the pay.
ment of the principal and interest of the
State debt, the sum of 81 ,370,l0l l2. Ir
the present year there will be collected
for the same purpose the sum Of SS0S, ,S2G
81, or 56l,2 ,275 81 less than was collected
last year.
a large proportion of the taxes collect
ed from thrpeoplc are for the county, cit y
and other local purposes, and do not pass
throug the State Treasury, but are dis
bursed within the counties where they
are collected. During the current yea
: the taxes, exclusive of delinquencies, t
be collected for all State purposes except
:. ing the Common School Fund, amount I,
e 81, ,542,0 ,025 27, while Sls, 49,, 400 92 ar
to be collected for local purposes.
n The foregoing statements, from the rC
t port of the Auditor Of State, show tha
# the taxation of this year for State puI
II poses other than for payments on t..
C principal and interest of the State debt
1 exceeds the taxation of last year for tn
t same purposes by the sum OF S60o,GOl,
4 so, and that taxation for local purpose
h this year exceeds that of last year 10
: the same purposes by the sum of 81 sos
s 1858. The local taxes this year ar
1t about Al per cent. greater than the
n were three years ago, and are ten pit
= cent. greater than they were last year.
Il The increase of taxation for State pu
v poses is in par. due to the amount collec;e
for the Asylum Building Fund, whic
exceeds the amount required last yea
for building purposes by almost 5000
900. Making due allowance for this, tn
important fact remains that both Stat
and local taxes have largely increased.
e a remedy for this evil can only he ha
II through the General Assembly. Tn
: most important measures to prevent thi
' rapid increase OF taxation, which hav
r.. heretofore been recommended, are a re
?. vision of the financial system OF the Stat
r in the accordance with bills prepared b
II board Of commissioners appointed TO
that purpose, in pursuance of an nc
a passed March lS, 1867; short sessions o
l. the Genc,al Assembly adequate tixe,
u salaries for all State, county and munic
!, pal officers, without pcrquisites; and d,
,, finite ard ctlectual Limitations upon tn
II power of county commissioners, cit
10 councils, and other local authorities, t
= levy taxes and contract debts.
N The Constitution makes it the duty {
le the Legislature to restrict the powers {
'e taxation, borrowing money, and the lik
l. so rs to prevent their abuse. respcc
,r fully suggest that the present laws col
4 icrring these powers on local authoriti,
l. require extensive modification, in ordt
Df to comply with this constitutional PR
n. vision. Two modes of limiting ,hes
r. powers have the sanction of experience
T. All large expenditures should meet ii
is approval of those who are To bear the
N burden. Let nll extraordinary expcnd
a. lures, therefore, be submitted to n yot
II. ol tut people, anu no TAX ne leNleu unle'
N approved by majority Of all the vote
n, OF the locality to be affected by the tax,
;. u special election, the number of voters
!. be ascertaincd by reference to the vot,
% % cast at the Stateclection next proceedin
20 such special election. Another mode
y, TO limit the rate OF taxation which ma
~ be levied, aud the amount of debt whiC
IT, may be incurred. 1t has been said th
u with such restrictions upon the powc
% Of the local authorities, the Lcgislatu
will be importuned, and its time vast,
' "n in hearing applications for special leg
or. lation. The ready answer TO all sT'
,e. applications by local authorities, will
ice TO refer them TO their own ctisens few
les decision OF the question. The heili
mt with which affirmative votes can be o
hs tanned under the pressure of temporal
81. eXcitemen's, upon propositions author
,m ing indebtedness, may require farth
m restrictions upon the power to horro
= money. IL h therefore suggested, {
~ your consideration, TO limit the smou
' y. Of debt for single purpose, ,'and the I
,ol o,,a,,,,t for oil ,,uvnnsaa a. Whieh nj