Rensselaer Union, Volume 9, Number 1, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 21 September 1876 — Tilden as Governor—False Pretenses. [ARTICLE]

Tilden as Governor—False Pretenses.

[From the Albany Evening Journal.] Total State tax, 1876 ....... $11,206,680.61 Total State tax, 1878 8,188,678.19 Seduction of State tax $6,018,107.42 How was this reduction of the State tax accomplished ? The following exhibit of the reduction in the State debt will answer: Democratic administration of the State finances began Jan. 1, 1868, and ended Jan. 1, 1872. Republican administration of the State finances began Jan. J, 1872, and ended Jan. 1,1876. DEMOCRATIC REDUCTION OX DEBT. Bomnty debt Jan. 1, 1868 .$*5,807,600.00Bounty debt Jan. 1,1872 20,260,755.91 Democratic redaction In tour years $6,646,744.09 REPUBLICAN REDUCTION OF DEBT. Bounty debt Jan. 1,1872 $20,260,756.91 Debt unprovided for Jan. 1,1876 706,982.35 Republican redaction in four year 5.519,654,778.56 - DEBT REDUCTION COMPARED. Democratic redaction in four years.. $6,646,744.09 Republican redaction in four years.. 19,651,773.66 Republicans reduced the debt nearly four times as much a* the Democrats in the same length of time. Having paid about $5,000,000 of the debt every year during Republican administration, all that remained at the close to be provided for was only $705,982.35. THE REDUCTION OF TAXES. Now we are prepared to see how the reduction of tuxes was effected. The following table shows at a glance: Taxes for ISIS and 1876 Compared. , 1875.-^* < * > V- a > Object. Bate Mills. Amount; Schools .114 $2,969,726 18 General purposes IX 4,489,687 60 Bounty debt 2 4,785,660 20 Deficiency and asylnme 11-20 I,# 2,279 06 Canal debt H 295,972 51 * Canal awards, or debt 1-6 478,666 02 Total 6 $14,206,680 61 . 1876. , Object. Bate MUle. Amount. Schools 114 $2,969,72518 General purposes IX 4,439,587 89 Bounty debt 14 789,260 37 Deficiency and asylums Canal debt Canal awards, or debt Total JUI-94 $8,188,67319 Seduction in Tax. Total tax, 1879 .$14,206,680 61 Total tax, 1876 8,188,578 19 Reduction $6,018,107 42 The above statement ol taxes, as will be seen, embraces two classes of items—first, taxes /or the payment of debts; second, taxes for the general running expenses of the State Government. The first class embraces the tax for the bounty debt, for the canal debt, for canal awards (which constitute a debt, being the amount awarded by the Court of Canal Appraisers for damages to property-own-ers by the action of the State), and for deficiency from the previous year. None of these were subject to the discretion of the Governor and Legislature. They were simply debts fixed by law, and had to be paid. The second class embraces the tax for schools and for the general purposes of the State Government. This is the only part of the tax subject to the discretion o’s the Governor and Legislature. Now, it will be seen that the tax for all objects except to meet the requirements of debt under the law is exactly the same in 1876 as in 1875. The tax for the general purposes and expenses of the Government is precisely alike for both years. That is, tee tax over which the Governor has control is not reduced at all. The only difference is in the tax levied to meet tee requirements of the debt, and teat is fixed by law, and the Governor has nothing to do with it. This will appear more distinctly by separating from tee general table tee tax for debt requirements.

TAX YOB DEBT REQUIREMENTS. 18 70. 1876. Bounty debt $5,785,560 30 $789,360 87 Canal debt. 296,972 51 Canal awards or debt.. 478,566 02 Deficiency (omitting appropriation!) for asylums) 882,479 06 Total $6,387,567 79 $789,280 87 BSDDOSD TAXES FROM REDUCED DEBT. Tax for debt requirements, 1875 $6,887,567 79 Tax for debt requirements, 1876 789.960 87 Less tax from less debt $5,548,807 42 In other words, in 1875, as in previous years, there was colleeted, under the requirements of law, the sum of $6,337,567.79 to pay off the debt; while in 1876, the debt having been nearly paid off, the whole tax for that purpose was only $789,260.37. But this is not all. The tax for 1875 was calculated on the valuation of 1874, but levied on the valuation of 1875, which was higher. There was thus an excess or surplus of $1,190,833.37, which went so far as to reduce the tax of this year. This excess, outside of the items, for debts—where the excess relieved us of raising so much for debts this year—was $456,789.36. So that the true state of the case stands as follows: i* j Tax for debt requirements, 1875 $6,837,567 79 Excess in 1875.. /• • 456,789 36. T0ta1..,.. $8,794,357 15 T»t for debt requirements, 1876 789,260 87 Reduction $6,005,096 76 RECAPITULATION. Republicans reduced debt in four yearn $10,564,773 56 Republicans left debt balance of naly.. Tax for debt purposeMß7s, and excess applicable to 1876 6,794.357 15 Tutor debt purposes, 1876 789,260 87 Redaction of tax for debt from 1875 ■ to 1876 6,005,096 71 Total reduction of tax 6,018,107 61 CONCLUSIONS. 1. The whole reduction of taxation this year comes from the extinguishment of debt. 3, The extinguishment of the debt was effected by Republican administration. 3. The claim that the reduction iff tax was effected by Ooa. Tilden, who had nothing whatever to do with the reduction iff the debt, is a false pretense iff the ttost brasen characr- ' Pickpockets are having hard times. “ Ten out of a dozen pockets that I go into,” complains one of them, “ don’t have $ thing in ’em but unreceipted hoard-bills and dunning tetters.”