The Ohio union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1849-1854, 1854-01-04

posed to jislarbils deliberations. m unnrc.
10 consume lis time. The people
hencelbr,h expec. a steady devotion TO the
duties now imposed by the Constitution,
us brief a space Of time as is con-
with well ma,ured and well consid.
cred Legislation.
The supreme law Of the State imposes,
in positive terms, upon the General As
sembly. the duty Of inquiring into, and
determining upon the receipts and expen'
dilures o~fevsry branch ofthe Government.
Specified appropriations must precede
every public expenditure, aud no money
can be collected except in pursuance Of
law.
For a series Of years the Public Works
and Public debts of the Stale, have been
managed by Executive Boards. The
Dosrd OF Public Works determined upon
the amount Of tolls, and The accruing revc.
nues we're expended partly by thu same
Board, and partly by lhe Commissioners
Of the Sinking Fund, without due Legisla-
live authority, Their proceedings subse-
quenlly repurled. as they were, 10 the
General Assembly, were seldom very close
" scfnlinized, since their examination,
after The Transaction, could be Of little pub
lie benefit. tW
AS might have been expected, the pub.
lie mind was Frequently disturbed by char.
ges Of a vesy serious character, which
were, on several occasions, inquired Into
BY special commissions. The boards aud
their incumbenls were frequently changed,
but the ~imgession was never removed
from the people, that these Boards pos.
sessel, or a, least exercised, powers that
were liable 10 be abused and that, there.
fore, like all other Executive Officers, they
should be brought under the proper on
troll of the Representatives Of the people,
A want Of certainty pervaded our fnan'
cial system /; The nett revenues of the Pub
lie Works aucluated from year to year /:
expenditures we're concealed by after da-
ting, and through mere transfers upon the
account Of I'rSsl and similar funds, the
p%ecuniary transactions of the Whole Gov.
eminent were mysi,jed, defying alike,
Legislative and popular scrutiny.
All ihis forced upou the people the con-
viclion that there was some inhsrem dill
Guilty in a system, which made the Mem
bers of The Board, Legislators and Execu'
live officers. at The same time. Their
executive duties were, and are, in them
selves Uucrous enough TO require their un.
divided attention, and il was certainly
wrong 10 impose upon them, The determine.
lion OF questions Of policy. which had a
bearing lar beyond the appropriate sphere
Of their duties, which mont but the Gen.
Assembly, ~cnmposed Of Representatives
from all paris Of the State, should deter
NINE ..a LII L.H al W. i
This public desire found It's realization
in the most stringent provisions Of the New
Constitution, which were, in parl, carried
into effect by suhjecliug, Tor the first time,
during the past fiscal year, the expendi
lures upon The Public Works and their
nett re, 10 Legislative appropriation.
This policy must. however, I've followed
up by requiring, at an early period Of the
session, specific aud detailed estimates Tor
the %varinus Public Works Of The State,
aud their subdivisions, and by appropri.
aiing therefor, such amounts, as upon
Legislative examination will be found
proper. d" a
l~nsurnuantable difficulties are some.
times said to be in The way {; but. ! have
ma doubi, they will nn close examination.
be fund without any tangible existence.
General aud mere wholesale estimates may
fail to approach exaclness, aud, consequent
~, lead 10 embarrassment I; bu, estimates
made in detail, by the present able Beard,
acquainted as they are, by personal in.
specIlOn with every part of tue Public
Works. and assisted as they will be. by
experienced engineers, superiniendanls and
collectors, must prove very nearly correct,
Such estimates AMI corresponding appm'
p%rlalious would affect, in each case, only
a very small part Of the Public Works
and specific contingent appropriations
as is done in Congress, provide against ex'
l~raordinary failures in revenue or other
uniOrese On events. ..' s'. .i
The following tabular s,atemen, cxhib,
lis the receipts and expenditures ON the