The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1889-09-21

/ even, let alone challenge-it was showI
that Ohio stands not only at the head
but long ways ahead of every Other
State of the twenty-five" [Grcat ap
plause.
Iloadly and Foster could have said
precisely the same thing. Ohio has oc
cupied an advanced position in this line
for many years. Old theories and cum
brous devices for the management of the
States unfortunatcs have been happily
superseded by more humane and less ex
pensive methods. There has been @
gradual upward tendency which even
partisan meddling Governor could
not wholly retard; but while this
is true, it is also true that Foraker
has done more to injure the disci'
pline of our asylums than any Gov
ernor the State has ever had. He has
never been content to attend to his
own business and permit the trustees of
these institutions to manage theirs. He
has compelled them to discharge good
men and accept instead inexperienced,
and often incompetent help. 1t has af-
forded him especial pleasure to "bully"
superintendents and remind them that
it would take him ''less than five min
utes to appoint and commission their
successors" He has told them that if
they did not desire to obey his orders as
to the employment of his own hench-
men they had better get their hats and
get out" He has sent back to asylums
inefficient, mutinous persons who had
been properly discharged, and insisted
upon their retention. He has kept in
dividuals of notoriously bad character in
place against the protest of superintend-
ent and trustees. In short, there is no
asylum in the State that has wholly es-
capped his pestiferous influence. The
Deaf and Dumb has but recently been
torn with dissensions because of his mis-
chievous intermeddling. The Central
Insane has been constantly annoyed.
The Boys Industrial school at Lancas-
ter; the Athens asylum: the Girls In
dustrial home in Delaware County: the
Orphans home at Xenia, have all felt
the whitening touch of his partisan
hand.
''The public bonded debt of the State
July 1, 1856, was S4,22O, 900. To-day it
is but S2,7O6,0 600. [Applause. use
only round numbers. In other words we
have paid off, wiped out of existence for
ever, 81, 400, 900 of the bonded debt of the
State; and that is not all. Would you
expect that we would be able to do that
without largely increasing the burdens
of taxation upon The farmers of this
State?"
That is ForaSerism.
The Auditors report shows that
Hoadly in two years reduced the
State debt. $500 2sG
And that Foraker in three years
reduced it.............. G7s 564
In other words in November 1883 the
debt was 4,5?25 515
In November 1885, SJ...................... 3,12O,229
Total paid under Hoadly. ...... $50! 2SG
In November 1885 1t was s................ 3.7!02!D
In November 1883, date of last report
it Observation-Disclosures. ........ 3 Oi6GG5
Total paid under Foraker. ..... sG73,5Gi
All this talk about payment on the
State debt, however, is deceptive. The
law provides for the levy; the people
pay the tax, and the sinking fund com
missioners redeem the bonds as. they
mature. Neither Hoadly nor Foraker
had any thing whatever to do with it.
The debt has been of progress of gradual
extinction ever since the war, and the
interest charge has in consequence been
until now it is but $50, 900
per annum.
But we have also reduced the rate of
taxation two-tenths of n mill, so that it
IL, , ,l,,,, 1...F.
been in the State of Ohio since the year
$40. This reduction makes saving to |
he farmers and other property owners |
md Taxpayers of this State of more |
han $3.50, 900 in taxes for this year alone. |
How have we done that? How could we
accomplish all this without increasing |
ihe rate of taxation? We have done it |
Dy exercising that commodity that |
Democrats never seem to possess. We |
nave done it by exercising the commod-
ty of good business sense. Applause.l
That was all"
Here Foraker claims to have reduced |
he rate of taxation two-tenths of mill |
md thus saved to the tax payers $780,
100 n year, How and why was this done? |
The Governor pretends to tell, but he |
cives us Foraker instead of the truth.
The fact is the levy usually made for
he sinking fund was reduced two-tenths |
If a mill, and the $3.50. 600 which he |
alks about as being saAd, is simply !
he amount which do not this year col
ect from tho tax payers to pay on the
state debt BY Foraker's logic, the
nan who postpones the payment of his
lebts makes saving. What ridicu-
Gus subterfuge this is for Governor of
he great State of Ohio to indulge in!
f the usual levy had been made the
public debt would have been reduced
$50, ,OOO 1t might have been an incon-
'enience to the tax payer to pay this
mount on the State debt but no loss to
lin. Why not tell the truth about the
natter and not insult intelligent peo-
lie by palming off on them Foraker
SIN?
sx#
Most of that public debt was bearing
ix per cent premium per annum; lit
lie of it four per cent The annual in
crest charge was $213, 900. We had to
,ay out that much every year for inter-
st alone. Well, we thought six per
ent. was too much interest for the great
state Of Ohio to pay under a Republican
administration. [Cheers. And so we
proposed to refund the bonds, and we
i'd refund them into three-percents, and
ur credit was so good that we sold them
t such premium that the net rate of
interest was but 2.72 per annum.