Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-06-04
That Tenth or a Mill Reduction.

The Democratic press has sought to
make capital for their party and the late
Legislature by attempting to show that
that body made reduction in taxation at
its last session, by the reduction of one
tenth Of a mill on the valuation. With
the assistance Of the State Journal, which
has made some recent disclosures upon
this subject, let us investigate this matter.
The tax OF 1875 for State purposes in Ohio
is less than one-twelith of the whole
levy, The proaigate expenditures of the
Legislature do not appear on the levy for
State purposes, so much as in the author
ization of all sorts OF local schemes, by
which the tax eater gobblcs our substance.
The Legislature "jiggered " by all kinds
OF disreputable expedients to make an os-
tensible reduction in the levy for State pur-
poses, treading over the real sore places OF
local expenditures as gingerly as if walk
ing over rotten eggs. A reduction of one
tenth Of mill for State purposes amounts
to how much do you suppose my groaning
friends? Precisely ten cents on every
thousand dollars Of taxable property
And the whole Democratic press is emit
ting wild and wierd shrieks of Joy over the
tremendous "rctrenchment," accomplished
by such reduction But even this reduc-
ton OF the levy Is accomplished by Tie
simple and convenient process of neglect
ing to provide for expenditures to which
the faith Of the State is pledged. 1t is the
same thing as for a private person to re-
duce expenditures by resolving that he
will not pay his debts, and will force his
housekceper to shin around to the grocer
les and get necessary articles OF subsist-
ence for year on tick. So unblushingly
was this policy acted upon, that the legis-
lature adjourned without Nppropriating
funds to pay even the ice dealer who sup
piled ice to the Legislative water coolers, or
washerwomen who washed their towels. oh
er large expenditures are left to be provid-
ed for in deficiency bilIs, by future Legisla-
lures, because of indefinite appropriations
of moneys "not otherwise expended "-oi
which there are not nickel. We are as
sured, on the most mdoubted authority,
that the levies provided by the late Demo
cratic Legislature will in 1875 fall three
hundred thousand dollars short Of prOvid-
ing the necessary expenditures of the State,
and the expenditures "on tick provided
for under the convenient phrascology--" Ia
he paid out OF any moneys in the State
| Treasury otherwise unappropriated." This
| is no partisan statement, prepared for the
purpose of throwing diseredit on feeble
minded head OF the Finance Committee
it is the plain, practical, straitforward, bu-
siness-like quotient of the figures as they
stand, after dividing the States available
assets by its current liabilities. There ID
as i;:le Of partisan feeling in a acaleulation
! of this kiid ns there is in the scanning OF
trial balance, by the head of large man
ufacturing establish ment. II II business,
pure and simple. As the result Of anxious
deliberation by the dSbursing officers Of
! the State, we have the dliemma presented,
whether they shall transfer TO he Sinking
| Fund, as directed by the Legislature, two
| hundred thousand dollars OF the fund upon
which our benevolent and punitive and re-
formatory institutions are to be sustained,
and leave the public institutions to dis
band, or whether they shall save the pub
lie Institutions by neglecting TO reimburse
the Sinking Fund for q transfer which
saved the State $4,000 in interest under
Republican Legislature. One or the
other ehey must do. II they transfer 5000,
| 600 from the Asylum Fund to the Sinking
Fund, az ordered by the Legislature, with
no adequate levy 10 support the extra tenn
porary drain upon the Asylum Fund, they
must saban6on the State institutions. Ii
they ais6urse the appropriations for The
institutions, alsO ordered by the Legisla-
tnre they leave the State to meet by appro-
priations for the debt due in December by
u temporary loan, or by repndiaIing Il al
together.
This Is the plain husiness.like statement
Of the ease, stripped Of the poetry Of par
tisan literature, and the cxigenciea Of Pres
ident- making.