The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-12-25
HOLLOW PRETENsEs.

HOLLOW PRETENSES.
HOW REPUBLICANs THEATEI
| THE SOLDIERS OF OHIO In
THE LATE WAR.
A contributor of the Enquirer, wht
signs himself "F.YI writing under th,
caption of sold Time Politics." show,
up the hollowncss of the claim set uf
by the leaders of the Republican party
to being the especial friends of The
soldiers in the war for the preserva.
ton of the Union. The facts given
are matters of; record and cannot be
disputed. He says:
"The promises made to the brave
men at the commencement of the late
civil war who volunteered to fight for
the preservation of the Union that
their dependent families should be
cared for-fed, clothed and housed as
wards of the State and country-were
found by sad experience to be, as the
poet describes the apples on the shores
of the Red Sea, which, when tasted,
"Turn to ashes on the lips" Many
of those who made these promises
would be angry if any one intimated
that their word was not as good as
their bond. Yet in few months
promises were forgotten, or, if not for
gotten, were only remembered to be
violated. While the few lived up to
their pledged faith to the soldier, the
many did not. While the brave men
who had families dependent on them
were in the field, risking life and en-
during all the priyations that volun-
teers in the field are heir to. they lit
tie knew of the sufferings and priva-
tions of the loved ones at home, cause
ed by the heartless disregard of those
who had promised to protect, and, il
necessary, to feed and clothe them.
Finding these promises, made by
men of wealth in the community, were
not lived up to, but, on the contrary,
utterly disregarded, the Ohio Legis-
lature passed law raising by taxa
ton, as q seperate levy on the tax du-
plicate, sum of money each year for
the support of the INDECENT widows
and orphans Of the soldiers who died
for their country in the war, and of
the wives and children of those ab-
sent in the army unable to support
their families on their scanty pay.
The Legislature which met in 1866,
and elected John Sherman United
States Senator by a majority of fifty
votes over Allen G. Thurman, deter
mined to cut OF the relief and to rob
these widows and orphans of the
money raised for them, and, hence,
justly their due. On the 25th Of Jan
uary, 1866, Mr.. Lockwood, of Cleve-
land, introduced into the House of
Representatives, with the unpretend-
ing title, "a Bill to transfer certain
funds to the Sinking Fund.-" and this
bill passed both Houses. A more
cruel or more unjust law never was
put on the statute book. It swept
from the Volunteer Relief Fund $780,
600, then in the Treasury, leaving the
helpless objects of the law without q
single dollar of the Relief Fund justly
their own. The law is in these words ::
SECTION L. Be it enacted by the
nE hn nf
Ohio, The $SO0,00O of the Soldiers
Relief Fund be and hereby is trans
ferred to the Sinking Fund, and the
same is hereby appropriated to the
of the public debt of theState !;
provided that said sum shall only be
taken from such funds pro rata out of
the collections returned, as made at
the semi-annual settlements between
the State Auditor and County Treas
urers, and shall be reimbursed to the
said Relief Fund from the Sinking
Fund in the years 1867 and 1868 by
adequate levies provided by law for
that purpose.
SEC. 2. This act shall take effect
and be in force from and after its pas
sage. P. HITCHCOCK,
Speaker House of Representatives
ANDREW q. MCBIRNEY,
President of Senate.
March 9th, 1866.
To show how utterly without war.
rant of law was the stedl-for steal it
was-the Constitution says: "Article
IL, Section 5; No tax shall be lived
except in pursuance of law, and every
law imposing tax shall state the OBJ
ject of the same, to aohich only 1T shall
be applied"
This clause gives no right to trans
fer money in the State Treasury rails.
ed for one purpose to that of another
and different one, but, on the con-
trary, absolutely forbids it. Since the
time this bill passed the accounting
officials of the State have so decided
oyer and over again. And yet this
q ON OOn ook onI, ";fhnnt mo pro nt of