The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-08-28
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taxation for paying the State debt shall
not beapplied to other purposes. Drum
ken With a long lease OF power, the Re.
publican party trampled under foot this
plain and express proyision of the Con-.
stitutionl When the Democrats got cor.
troll Of the Legislature in 1874, they found
that the Republican party had been sys'
tematically plundering the sinking fund,
which the Constitution made sacred, and
diverting it to meet their extravagsnt
and lavish expenditure of public money
in other branches of the State govern
ment Uuder the leadership OF Doctor
Scott of Warren, who for fourteen years
was the leader Of the Republicans in the
Legislature, and chairman of the COM
mittee in the House on finances and
who has again been renominsted by the
Republicans for the Legislature, they
Borrowed" from the sinking fund, They
stole from this sacred trust such money
as they needed to keep the government
moving, and thus deceived the people as
to the financial transactions of the State,
aud violated a plain provision of the
Constitution. In 1875 a Democratic
Legislature, as may be seen on page 124
of volume 70, Ohio laws, provided for
paying back to the sinking funI, the
sum of $3.50 900 that Republican fnan-
ciers had borrowed" to run the State.
| (Applause) Oh page So of the Auditor
Of States report for 1877, he earnestly
recommends that $450,000 that had been
borrowed" from the sinking fund by a
Republican Legislature, be paid back,
and yet, in the face of all such doings
as this, the "GRAND, OLD REPUBLI-
CAN PARTYlp has the presumption
to talk about "honest money" and the
"honor OF the Statep Continued ap.
plause and laughter.) But this is not
by far the worstI In another traDsac.
ton, connected with the State debt, they
have reached the pinnacle of knavish,
political audacityl To day they are
bossting, that after all it's saving Of pub
lie money, the last Legislature did not
reduce the tax-levyl No; and why, fell
low-citizens, why2
The irSt time the tax levy has been
reduced in years, was by Democratic
Legislature, in 1875. When the Demo
Gratis gained control of the government
by the election of William Allen, the
tax levy for State purposes was 81 mills Oh
the dollar, raising sum of over $5 ,000,-
600! The panic, the foul offspring of
Republican mismanagement and mis-.
rule was stalking through the land, MUIR
dering fair Enterprise and torturing Lu-
dustry, and tormenting honest Toll True
to the pledges upon which elected the
Democratic majority hastened to give
such relief to the tax. payers of Ohio rs
lay within their power. That Legisla.
ture inaugurated the economy which the
last one so nobly followed, and cut down
the tax levy from 81 mills to 3 ITO mills,
thereby reducing the taxes l and say.
ing nearly one million dollars!
The Republican party, as it was its
duty to do, Immediately went into
spasms, and the Republican party, gen.
orally in Ohio, was attacked with an epi-
leptic fit and foamed al the mouth over
Democratic economy. But the people
in Ohio, seem to approve of this de
pissed Democratic economy, for since it
has been in practice, the Republicans
have never carried the State only
by very meager majorities, and then
only by reckless outlay of money, and
upon false issues, IsuCh as the "Pope's big
toe" (Applause.) That Democratic
Legislature reduced the tax levy for
State purposes, from six to four tenths of
a mill; for asylum purposes from eleven,
tenth to nine.tenths of mill. The levy
for school purposes they left at one mill;
and the levy Of 8 10 Of mill for the
sinking fund, they do not modest, be-
cause it was not more than sufficient to
raise the money requisite to pay the
State debt as it falls due, $4000,000
reaching maturity in 1881. Now mark
how this Grand, old Republican Party"
trifed with the honor of this State
When the Republicans came into power
in '76, Notwithstanding their sneers at
Democratic economy, they found it was
good, and they resolved to try little of
it to regain some of their waning popu-
larity!
A Republican Auditor of State prepar-
ed the way for them. In his report of
1875, Mr.. Williams said the tax levy for
the sinking fund was too high, and they
might cut it down half a mill, and they
knocked off $40 ofa mill from the sink.
ing fund, and very generously added
lilo ofa mill to the State fund, to raise
few hundred thousand for Republican
officials to spend. Republican officials
have horror for sinking fund-when
money gets in there it is very hard to
get out-for them to HANDLED Laughter
In his report in 1876, page g.. Mr.. Will.
Jams approves this action by saying
"At present the sinking fund only re.
quires an amount sufficient TO pay in.
terests and expenses, for which the
small levy of23 mills provided last win.
tor, is entirety adequate. 1t is not un-
til the bonds fall due in 1881, that it will
be necessary to make any more liberal
provisions for the payment of the State
debit" and 80 on for quantity and quail
ty. But 10, change comes DER the
spirit of his dreams. The State falls in.
to the hands of Democrats in 1877, aud
in his report for that year, this Repub.
ican Auditor suddenly discovers that
the States honor is in jeporday. How
the Republican Office holders trembled
for the States honor, when they see
Democratic majority looming, and boom
ing, and swelling through the State.
(Laughter.) On psge52 he says; The
present rate Of levy for the sinking fund |
II mills, is sufficient to meet the require.
ments Of the fundamental law OF the
State% Why, Mr.. Williams didn't know
there was such thing as "fundsmen.
tai law" when his party was in power.
Further on he says: sit is certainly
worthy of consideration whether the
faith ofthe State should not be scruptu.
ously kept, even at the risk of accumu-
lating large fund, which can not be
used until 1881" In 1878 he becomes
frenzied about the States honor" and
on page "a, of hts report, he says, Il de-
sire to emphasize the unwisdom that
fails to recognize the binding force of
the Constitution and existing laws
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