The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1874-04-23


fixed determination to drag others, /
possible with them, who are struggling
to advance in the march of civilization
onward and upward, although it may bt
through difficulties and tribulation to the
position that liberal public policy suited
to the age in which we live, honestly
fairly, and constantly pursued, will al
ways cause any people to attain.
But such a course is generally the one
pursued where community becomes
prosperous merely by the force of cir
cumstances, and at the expense of others
without great physical or mental effort on
their part, they are too likely to become
sordid, illiberal and miserly, so that when
they get half dollar they hold on to II
until they fairly make the eagle squall
before they will part with it, provided il
in parting with it they will thereby aid
others less fortunate than themselves.
They, like kings, soon begin to persuade
themselves that they hold all by divine
right, and when few thousand dollars
from their accumulated millions is to be
disposed of by vote of the people wall
of complaint goes up, such as we have
heard, which if carried out to its legiti-
mate results would destroy all popular
government formed on manhood suffrage,
and place our necks at once under the
iron heel of the avaricious few. The gen.
tleman from Lake travelled across the
State to get a case to show the bad effect
and policy of counties, cities and towns
aiding in railroad building by figuring up
the losses in the Marietta & Cincinnati
Railroad, which he places at 10000, 900.
In this he certainly is in error, to the
extent of the value of the road and roll
ing stock worth probably $l5,000,000
This road for years was deprived of "a large
amount of freight by her powerful oppo-
nent the Baltimore & Ohio road, which
diverted the through business to other
lines. until the stock of the Marietta &
Cincinnati road deprecated, so that the
Baltimore & Chic Company procured a
controlling interest of the stock and got
control of the road and transferred to
her the business that legitimately be-
lenged to her, since which time l venture
to say she pays as well as a majority of
the roads in the State. l understood the
gentleman in addition that the people of
his county were prosperous, happy and
contented, and that the roads of his
county paid as well as arv in the State
Well, the Marietta d Cincinnati road is 202
miles long and she is or the duplicate at
at value of $2,750,000 insolvent and all
as he says she is.
The Painesville & Youngstown road is
20 miles long, connects one of the vigor-
Gus growing young cities of the State
with Painesville, and that road is on the
duplicate at a value of $3l 500, as can be
seen on page 335, of ''Ohio Statistics of
1872" The insolvent road paying on a
levy of two per cent. $4,000 annually in
taxes, and the prosperous road paying on
levy at the same per cent. $500 only,
when she ought to pay at least the sum
of $4,000.
Mr. BOSWORTH. With the consent of
the gentleman, 1 will say the gainesville
& Youngstown Railroad was not COM
pleted at the time to which he refers.
Mr. TRIP. Very we'll, all can say
in this regard is, that l got from the sta
tistics on our table, the facts as l state
them. Now after this showing in favor
of the good, happy and contented people
of Lake county, who will dare say that
her people through the honored delegate
Mr.. Bosworth ought not to have a
watchful eye over the affairs of the people
of jackson county, and ventilate as far as
possible the conscientious scruples they
entertain on the policy of levying taxes
to aid in building railroads, and such
scruples too as only the people of the
ReserI who you know move on the ele-
vated plain of "the higher law, can have.
And especially is this the case when the
public records of the State make it so
manifest that the people of the South
never have attained to that elevated
plain, but in their poverty and native
honesty have not yet learned b ow to cheat
the State and county out of the taxes due
on their railroads they now have in opera
ton, as those good, happy and contented
people of Lake seem to understand so
well and to practice too.
Mr.. President l have examined the
census returns for 1870 as to the dupli-
Gates, and the county, city and town in
York, Pennsylvania and Illinois, four
of the first States in the Union in popu-
lation and wealth, two in advance of,
and one close behind Ohio in both popu-
lation and wealth.
The property of Ohio was So, ,235, ,43O, 300,
county, city and town debt, $12, 509, go
The property of New York was Sc .50O,-
900, 900, county, city and town debt, $12S,-
100000. Her property little less than
five times as great as that of Ohio, and
her county, city and town debt more
than ten times as much The property
of Pennsylvania was So, ,808, $40 112, coun-
ty, city and town debt, 1915, ,469. Her
property a little more than one-half
greater than that of Ohio and her county
city and town debt nearly five times as
much. The property of Illinois was
s., l21 $50, $40, county, city and town debt,
$37, ,30O0,932. Her property more than
$l00,O00,0O less than that of Ohio and
her county, city and town debt more
than three times as much. There can be
no doubt but that Section 6, of Article
VII, of the present Constitution is the
cause of the small amount of county,
city and town Indebtedness in Ohio, now
can there be any doubt that that Section
got into the Constitution for the reasons
l have stated, that majority of the coun-
ties of the State had very liberal provis-
ions made for them by the State before
that instrument was framed, and hence
the sweeping restriction.
But the question still remains was it
good policy in the State at that time to
tie the hands of large portion of the
people so as to prevent them by united
action and the use of the public credit to
construct railroads, so as to enable them
to open up new fields for productive
labor, and develop the resources of every
part of the State?
The State since the adoption of the
present Constitution has done we'll, but
she has fallen largely behind in the race
for rank and greatness, New York, and
Pennsylvania have both left her far in
the rear, and Illinois, though compare
lively young, is close on her heels and
will pass her by 1880, unless more lib
eral policy is adopted than heretofore.
Now the question naturally arises what
is the cause of this tagging on the mart
of the State of Ohio? Certainly it does
not come from natural causes. She has
the Ohio River on the east and south