Portage Sentinel

Auditor Woods, in his electioneering tour in this section of the State in his addresses before the people, claimed great credit for himself for paying off some three million dollars of the public debt since 1845, and that, he asserts, has been done without increasing the taxes of the people a cent.

The whigs regard this as a strong argument in favor of their financial policy, and as a reason for still continuing their party in power. But how this amount of the public debt has been wiped out without an increase of taxation, these ingenious political gamblers do not deign to enlighten the people. By what manner of jugglery they have accomplished this great wonder is entirely hid from the public eye. That they have saved this amount by a system of rigid economy in the administration of the government is not, and will not be, claimed for it cannot be shown wherein they have practiced retrenchment in any of its departments. That they have obtained the means to pay this amount from the taxes paid by the Banks, will hardly be claimed in the face of the fact shown by the special report of Auditor Woods, drawn out by resolutions of the last Legislature, that the Banks paid less by one hundred and twenty-eight thousand dollars than they would had they been taxed as the people are taxed.

Now, where did this money come from? is the question. It is one easily answered. Every farmer—nearly every tax-payer—knows and feels where it came from. They know that it is not true that their taxes have not been increased. They feel that while corporate capital has been exempted from paying its just proportion of taxes, they have been oppressed with a burden almost intolerable, and which under whig rule has grown heavier year after year.

The following statement, gathered from the tax duplicates in the County Auditor's office, will show how much the people of this county have furnished towards wiping out this $2,700,000 of the public debt, which Auditor Woods claims all the credit of.

The aggregate amount of taxes levied in 1845 for State purposes in this county, was, $13,433.47. Since that time the whig tax law has been in operation, and the amount of taxes levied for State purposes has been constantly increasing ever since.

In 1846, the levy was $15,569.83

In 1847, 15,248.75

In 1848, 17,174.74

In 1849, 17,388.67

In 1850, 19,087.92

In 1851, 22,300.68

Showing an increase the present year over that of 1845, of $8,864.21, and an aggregate amount of increase since that time, of $26,169.74, in the county of Portage alone. And the whigs are boasting of this great achievement, while by the laws of their own creating, combined capital is exempted from taxation except upon its profits, and striving to obtain the control of the government under the new constitution that they may perpetuate this gross fraud upon the laboring masses.