Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1856-01-18

would cheerfully submit TO an ADDITIONAL tax
Of three-fourths of mill, with the knowl-
edge that after January. 1887, even that
rate Of taxation would steadily and largely
diminish.
Such q system is adapted to special not
70 general interests, and can only commend
itself to the approval of those who think that
"a public debt is public blessing" Pub
lie faith should be kept to the people as well
as to the creditor. Many Of our counties
and cities with other corporations are deep
" involved. The present high credit of
the State which has its origin in, and now
depends upon. the punctual payment of the
public debt is to them Of great value. A
proposition to postpone the payment would
tend to diminish the public confidence in
the hitherto untarnished reputation of the
State, and thereby produce an injurious eff
feet upon our private as well as our public
credit. There can be no more desirable
object than to see State free from all for
eign liabilities.
The organization Of the Executive branch
Of our State Government into seperate and
distinct departments, independent of each
other, has certainly many advantages which
tits unnecessary to enumerate. 1t IS believ-
cd, however, that it would imprcTo and rem
dered far more efficient, if greater degree
of unity could be impaired to the delibera-
tons and actions of these several divisions
This could easily be effected by requiring
the various executive officers to meet togeth-
er once month, or oftener if desired by
the Governor, in Executive Council, to re-
ceive and consider reports from their respec-
tive departments, aid each other with advice
and decide such action as will best tend to
protect the public interests in cases Of de-
hnquency or suspected malfeasance.
This Councial might be authorized to in
quire into and personally inspect the condi-
ton Of the Treasury at reasonable periods,
and to exercise such discretionary powers in
relation to the departments generally, as it
would be unwise and probably unsafe to en-
trust to single Executive officer. The
union of several Executive officers into
boards Of this kind is not without precedent
in the State. The Board of Fund Com
missioners, composed of the Auditor, Sec
retary of State and Attorney General, has
not only tested the practicability, but the
advantages of such arrangements. The
people Of those States which have adopted
Executive Councils in the construction of
their Governments, regard them, I am told,
as most important safeguards in the admin
istrstion Of their Executive affairs.
The printing and distribution Of public
documents designed to be laid before the
Legislature, is an object of great interest to
the people. The practice hitherto pursued
is neither favorable to proper dispatch of
the public business, nor wide circulation
of the information they contain. They
have usually been printed very late in the
session and their distribution confined to a
very few persons, mostly the friends of the
members.
would respectfully suggest the passage
of law authorizing the Governor to have
printed, by the recognized public printer, a
specified number of the reports made to
him by the several departments of the State
Government in time to have the same
ready for distribution at the meeting of the
General Assembly. The law should, like
that providing for the distribution of the
laws and journals, specify certain officers
and institutions to whom copies Of these
documents should be officially transmitted,
as soon as delivered to the Legislature, leav-
ing a reasonable number to be distributed
by the members themselves among their
constituents.
Such law, instead of increasing, would
certainly diminish the expense now incurred,
as the matter would be printed but once,
and the contractors have ample time to
make the required arrangements. The in
formation designed to be communicated
would then reach the people much earlier,
and enable them to make such suggestions
70 their representatives as they might think
proper.
The ntiatory measures which have been
adopted by the Secretary of State to gather
the statistics of tho agricultural wealth and
of the State, render the report
Of that officer for the current year, one of
unusual interest, and demonstrates the wis
dom Of that provision of the Constitution
which contemplates tho establishment of
Bureau Of Statistics In connection with that
Office. There are few persons outside of
Ohio who fully realize the extent and great
ness Of her natural resources.
With the view of developing these re-
sources, and of collecting and preserving
tho information of so much value to the
General Assembly as well as to the people,
respectfully recommend the establishment,
by law, of Bureau of Statistics as author
ized and suggested by the provision referred
10. 1t IS neither in conformity with sound
policy nor with the dignity of the State, to
rely entirely upon the dcccnnial reports of
The Federal Government for a knowledge Of
our progress.
The State Of Ohio is justly di.tingui,hel
or liberal and enlightened system of pub
ic instruction. Contemplated by the terri
.orial legislation of Congress, it was under
aiken by the people of the State assoon rs
.he. .exigeneies of q. frontier AMI the expos
ires Of war would allow, and has encounter
d less obstruction and more encouragement
rom the public sentiment than has usually
eenobseryed in the progress ofsimilar sys-
ems elsewhere. General education IS rec
'gnized by the Constitution Of 1851 as a
luty of Government noless than aparental
'bligation, and the law of March, II, 1853,
,nly furnished ample provision for schools Of