Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1875-06-03

purpose. IL is only Just tnat tno SILK
ing fund should have its own, and il
the levy of 1913 had remained in force
for the period fixed in ihe act establish
ing the rate, the foregoing deficiency
could have been provided for. and the
entire loan of 1875 called in at maturi-
ty. This is shown as follows:
The estimated deficiency is ...... S959, ,S51 0a
Amt due from Rev
enue Fund --....-.. S13O, 900 W
Amt due from Asy-
lum Fund ....... $4,000 90
Add the interest due
on irreducible debt
Jan. l, 1876, which rs
will pot be paid un- .... ....- -.
til Feb, say ......... 241, 900 O0
This might be provided for by anti.
cipating the revenues of 1875, by drafts
on the county treasurers, which can
be made to limited extent in advance
| of Semi-annual settlements. AS the
cage thus appears, there is no other re-
sort from practical reputation of up
wards of half million of the loan to
meet it. ..-.........
There has been no material change
in the situation The Revenue Fund
will doubtless be able 20 repay the SUM
of s130, 900 due the Sinking Fund, but
the payment of the interest on the ir-
reducible debt in February will only
afford a temporary relief, as it must be
paid and a0ilL be paid then, for it consti
tutes part of the settlement with the
County Treasurers. There will then be
due on the 3lst of December, SIS, ,S5l
while the amount of taxes for this pur
pose, upon the duplicate of 1875, collect
able in 1876, which can be anticipated,
will not exceed about 100000 (and
this is much larger sum than was
ever before drawn from county treasu-
ries in advance of settlement), and will
leave upward of 500, 600 ,0lprOrtdel
for. The remainder Of the taxes col
Iectable at the February settlement,
will barely suffice to pay the interest
on the funded debt, payable in New
York in the following June; so that,
notwithstanding the increasingprosper-
ity of the State, al extension Of credit
must be asked that the great Democrat
ic party may go before the people with
the false plea of reduced taxes, re-
trenchment and reform. .-.-.
The late Chairman of the committee
on Finance, in the Lower House, will
point to provision in the general act
making appropriations, passed on the
last day of the session (page 124, sec.
~, requiring the Auditor of State to
transfer before January, 1876, 5000, 900
from the Asylum Fund to the Sinking
Fund; but the requirement savOrs Of
the act passed April 16. 1874, at the in
stance of this same dabbler in State f.
nances, in which the Comptroller of
the Treasury was authorized to make
drafts upon the several county treaSu-
rers, for twO-thirds of the taxes collect
ed upon any duplicate, two months pri-
or to their settlement with the Auditor
of State. This act has been very justly
characterized as 'nondescript.' 1t I'M
poses the duty upon the Comptroller of
the Treasury of issuing his drafts upon
the county treasurers, without prOvi-
ding any information upon which to
act intelligently, and is therefore a
dead letter upon the Statute book. So,
too, will be found the requirements, of
the Appropriation act of March 30,
1875. The Auditor of State will hardly
venture 10 transfer $500, 900 from moth
ing, or from funds the collection of
which he may anticipate, and thus eX-
pend the fund from which the benevo.
lent Institutions are supported. That
is not the Republican mode of doing
business.
Having disposed of the only pretense
of the Democracy to popular favor that
has the seinblance of merit, let us con-
slider their claims of retrenchment, and
it will be seen how utterly untenable
they are. They have long claimed
that the offices of Railroad Commis-
sioner, Superintendent of Insurance
and Gas Commissioner, were expensive
and useless, and should be abolished.
These appointive offices have been uni
formly filled with expert men of mark
ed ability and fitness; men whose ex-
perience specially qualified them for
the duties OF their respective offices.
Ifthe offices were useless they should
have been abolished, however credita-
bly, they were filled-but with a keen
scent for fat salaries, the Offices are not
only not abolished, but given to small
politicians of ward calibre-two of them
ut least, to men utterly deficient in the
spectacle discharge of the duties i'm
posed.
Governor Aliens Gas Commissioner,
for example, don't know gas meter
from coal scuttle, and could no more
tell the constituent elements of pure in
fiammable gas than he could publish
an Allen organ in Toledo without the
salary of Gas Commissioner He has
appointed his old partner for Assistant
"a man who carried ranal water on
both shoulders, and didn't pay for half
of it; and who has no more knowledge
on the subject of gas than can be gained
by a HottentOt from two weeks connec-
tien with Democratic newspaper. So,
also, Ofappointees to other offices which
the Democracy were crazy to have
abolished until it became practicable to
fill them with Democratic bummers
ami ward politicians.
The Democracy not only do not abol-
ish fat offices; not only fill them with
incompetents; but they create new and
uncalled for offices. They have Great
ed a board OF three salaried Commits
sioners for the construction of the Gen.
tral Asylum to take the place of The
old Board of Trustees, working with
utter devotion to public interests with
out pay; they have added large num-
ber of new judges, to make places for
local Democratic politicians; they have
created Board of Commissioners for
revising the laws, at an expense of over
$15 900 per annum, and in various ways
have provided for material Increase
in the annual expense of carrying on
the State Government.
They claim an Offset, in the passage
of the county fee bill. This bill was in
troduced by Republican, and was not
treated as 4 partisan measure. An ex-
of the vote will show that it
could not have passed as party meas
ure. 1t was carried hy Republican
votes. 1t was opposed by every man
who was ''owned" by the "COurt
House Ring" of his county, and was
lObbed against by county officers, ire