The Spirit Of Democracy

From the Ohio Patriot.
TAX PAYERS AHOY!
Millions of Additional Debt Ahead.

The recklessness with which a large number of the counties in Ohio are voting themselves into debt for railroad purposes, justifies the fear that a day may come when there will be a general move to saddle these debts upon the shoulders of the State. We protest in advance, against such an outrage, and to guard against perpetration, we shall labor with double zeal in favor of the new constitution which forbids it. The following remarks from the Cincinnati Enquirer, are so much to our taste, that we ask their attentive perusal by our readers:

In regard to the public debt the new constitution provides that the State may contract debts to repel invasion, suppress insurrection, or to redeem our present debt, and to meet casual deficits or failures in revenues, or expenses not otherwise provided for; but the aggregate amount of such debts, for the purposes last named, shall never exceed seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars.

In another place, the constitution provides:

"The State shall never contract any debt for purposes of internal improvements." And except the debts above specified, its language is: "no debt whatever shall hereafter be created by or on behalf of the State."

We have no doubt this great reform will be ratified with a hearty good will by our people.

If there is any practice which a free, industrious, and comfortable people should discourage and forbid, as we are glad to say, we have now done, it is the practice of building up a national debt. In certain quarters, a national debt may be regarded as a national blessing, but we affirm, that in every free and true government, it is and can only be a national curse, and felt to be so throughout the States.

Eighteen millions of dollars of State debt, incurred for what would not bring one third the amount, and all secured by a pledge—a gage—a mortgage of the property of our citizens! There is not a farm, or a workshop, or a house in the State, that is not, to all intents and purposes, under mortgage for its redemption.

It seems to us that a practice, which thus burdens a people, is foreign to the true and legitimate end of government.

Government is not an association of persons to carry on canal enterprises, nor turnpike enterprises, nor railroad enterprises; nor should it take the property of its people to make them, or make them upon credit by pledging their property.

We know there are some who would so have it, and we confess the notion has in times past been popular; but the last and truest judgment of democracy upon this subject is otherwise.

Government is no concern for trade or hazardous speculation or investment of any kind. Government is not called upon to take care of the people and invest their property for them in great schemes, as if they did not know how to take care of themselves; nor is it a guardian and the people the wards. The people are not minors, nor helpless like infants; they have become of age on all these subjects, and propose, hereafter, to act the guardian themselves.

We rejoice in the tendency of the present day to simplify in this thing of human government.

What is human government, rightly regarded? An organization for the better security of individual rights, and its great duty is, simply to declare these rights, and effectually to guard them. It is a needful contrivance to keep one man off another, and off his neighbor's property, and this being done, it should let us all alone, to work out our destiny as individual freemen and equals.

But we proceed to call attention to one or two other important provisions in this article.

"The credit of the State shall not in any manner be given or loaned to, or in aid of any individual association, or corporation whatever; nor shall the State ever hereafter become a joint owner or stockholder in any company or association in this State or elsewhere, formed for any purpose whatever."

This denial of power to the State needs no comment. It will be approved by law.

Again—“The State shall never assume the debts of any county, city, town, or of any corporation whatever, unless such debt shall have been created to repel invasion, suppress insurrection, or defend the State in war."

"This, too, will be approved.

We quote still another provision. "The General Assembly shall never authorize any county, city, town, or township, by vote of citizens or otherwise, to become a stockholder in any joint stock company, corporation, or association whatever, or to raise money for, or loan its credit to or in aid of any such company, corporation, or association."