The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1874-02-27
Rinnau 20 the Rnunna

ers, and examine into the matter. The article was
copied into the Milan Advertiser, a weekly sheet
/ issued from the Fremont Journal Office and re-
terred to edltorally in that paper In that article
the total expenditures of Erie county for the last
nscal year are put at $685. 80. This s egregious
y false, and so palpable is the error that It does
not seem that single taxpayer of the county could
/ be deceived by it.
Then John gives an array of figures to show
just what we showed, that including balance
Of S55 ,2S9.Sl over from the previous year, and
receipts from all other sources, the total
amount in the treasury was s2s9, 1913, as we
stated. He then divides the matter up among
the different funds Of the county giving to
each its appropriate share, and thus claims the
ordinary county expenses as only S37,953.6l.
That is the poorest kind Of logic, John, and the
himsiest kind of sophistry, my boy, but it will
not do. The sum total was collected in the
county, and from the people, and was expend-
ed In the county, Except the State tax, which
should have been omitted from computation
in the accounts of both counties,) and exclud-
ing the balance of S2l,Slsl4 on kand, consti-
tuted the total ordinary and extraordinary ex-
penses of that county, whether paid out of
one fund or another, and showed an enor-
nous increase over those of the previous year.
This latter fact, however, seems to have escap-
ed Johns notice; at least, throughout his
article he is very careful to exclude it from
consideration. To return.
There are but two classes of taxation-ordi-
nary and extraordinary. Under the head Of
ordinary are included all taxes which people
ordinarily, or customarilY, or usually pay, such
as are levied upon them year after year; not
simply for the county, bridge, poor and ditch
funds, but for corporation, township, school
and other purposes-class them as you will,
they are the ordinary or usual taxes, and
the ordinary or usual expenditures. The
extraordinary taxes are those levied for
extraordinary purposes, which the people are
not called upon to pay every year-yOur court
house, for instance, if it is ever completed
calls for extraordinary taxes and extraordinary
expenditures, but aside from that, no other ex-
traOrdinary expenses are shown in the Com
missioners' report. How then stands the
count, according to this and your showing2
Total on hand from all sources s2S9. .T6I SO
| Balance on hand .S21 ,316 IA
| Amount State tax ....-..... 1870 O9
Court House. ............... A, 1856 30 So IA 50
Total ordinary or usual expenses. .S2O6, ,622 81
And thus must stand the conclusion, brother
John, Notwithstanding your effort to blind
the people to the fact, by attributing the ex-
penses to different funds They know better
when they settle with the county treasurer,
and though you may tell them that
Footing up these several amounts 30 disbursed,
and I0hich are not expenses Of the county, we find
the aggregate to be $1s7, 1878,
Yet they know that they have had to pay all
that amount, in addition to the S43, ,357. 80 for
court house, and the S37 7,95S.6I which you
claim for ordinary county expenses; and they
know further that Of the amount so collected.
ali but the balance on hand (S2l,3lSI4) and
the State tax (s4S,47O0S were expended in
the county, through the ordinary or usual
channels. They know further, John, that the
increase in the ordinary expenditures of 1873
over those of 1872, was over $4,000. And
by-the-way, John, how comes it you neglected
to explain that little matter while your hand
was in !? Was it too much for even your pow
ers of sOphistryP or didn't you want the peo-
pie of sandusky City to know the extent to
which their taxes had been increased in one
year, We will help you little, brother, and
if you like the showing inst lay the exposi-
ton before your readers.
In 1873.
sandusky City drew....... .s4s,449 Os
sandusky School Dist. drew 57,76O 95-$106,1OO II
In 1872.
sanddusky City drew. .s44,ss4 81
g Sch.Dist. drew 30,409 AZ 1924 80
Excess in 1873. $50, sos 70
Add to this the fact that each township and
school district, except Birmingham, increased
its draft, in some instances to three times as
much as in 1872, and you have the explana-
ton Of where the money went to, but more
than half Of the excess was called for from the
people Of Sandusky City. It would not do,
John, to admit your plea, or By the same rul-
ing you might collect and expend million
dollars or more, through these different funds,
and by keeping down the special county fund
to about its present extent, claim that the
ordinary expenses of your county had not
varied.
That statement made by that paper does great
injustice to our county commissioners and If true
would place our financial condition in an unenvi-
able light
We cannot see it in that light, nor have we
intimated anything dishonorabe or discEedit-
able to the commissioners, who, while they
levy a certain portion of the taxes, are not re-
sponsible for the large increase in either San
dusk City or any Of the townships for corpor-
alton or school district purposes. Let the re-
sponsibihty for this unusual increase rest
where it belongs, and if the people will only
study and compare the official figures, they
will have no difficulty in fixing the RESPONSE
bility upon the right sources.
We had hoped that the Register would correct
the statement, as 1t really the province of that
paper TO do but II did not, and its silence might
be taken admission Of the truthfulness of the
articlelin question.
The statement could not be corrected, ex-
cept to deduct the amount of State taxes from
the amount of ordinary expenses of the county,
but deducted for both years leaves the result
about the samoan increase in one year of
over $4,000.
We have no quarrel with the Fremont paper as
to their own county's financial affairs, but we
think they have no right to misrepresent ours.
Nor would Mack have had any quarrel with
the editor of the Fremont Journal, if that in
dividual had consented to tody to him and
lend his assistance to secure him the nomina-
ton for State Senator: In that alone lies his |
enmity, and the animus Of his items is SO ap-
parent, that even his friends reprObate his fol-
ly. We have made no Misrepresentation. The
figures can be found in your own files and |
speak for themselves. No amount of preva-
rication or sophistry will change their signif-
canoe.
The Ohio State Grange, held at |
Xenia last week, adjourned on Fri
day after four days session. There