The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-01-24
From the New York Evening Post
GOVERNOR CHASEs INAUGURAL

ASIDE from the prominent position which the
present Executive of Ohio has occupied in the
Federal Councils of the nation, the fact that he
IS looked upon by large number Of his coun.
trymen as one of the men for whom a much
higher honor is in store, and by a vet LARGER
number as one who is eminenty worthy of the
highest, naturally lends peculiar interest TO
ms hrst Executive message, which was deliver
ed to the Legislature of Ohio on the 18th inst.
1t is dignilied and statesmanike document.
IN spite OF certain stiffness in the Introductory
sentences, which disappear as soon as the wri.
ter gets beyond the official commonplaces which
are incidental to all such communications.
1t opens with the usual expressions of graft.
tude, difhdence, good intentions, and a de6ni.
ton OF the relative rights and prerogatives of
the Executive and Legislative departments of
the Government. He then urges ECONOMY and
retrenchment; ntimates that the new Auditor
Tvit t-''' tho nrantina of his predeces-
from his credits in listing his property for taxa
tion;" recommends the passage of a General
Banking Law, subject to the approval of the
people, and that the present rate of interest, ten
per cent, be reduced, because there seems to
be no valid reason why the capitalist should be
encouraged to demand so large proportion of
the earnings of the producer and the profits of
the manufacturer and merchant" He recon-
that which exists in this State, and amend
ments of the Constitution for the election of
Representatives to the Legislature by single dis
tricts, and the restoration of single instead of
biennial sessions of the Legislature-which lat
ter, he thinks, are not sufficient TO meet the
current wants of State like Ohio.
The Governor next calls attention to the
choice of United States Senator, which the
Legislature has to make this session In treat
ing this point, he gives expression to his views
upon the subject Of Slavery at considerable
length, but we have tried in vain to condense
them without impairing their interest and value:
" Iour first and most earnest attention, gen
tlemen, will doubtless be directed to the import
ant matters within the immediate sphere of
your Legislative powers; but you cannot forget
that you represent sovereign State of the
American Union, third, of the thirty-one, in
wealth and power and population-second to
none in patriotic devotion to the welfare of the
whole country. The appointment of Senator,
to represent the State in one branch Of the
American Congress, devolves upon you; and in
making this appointment you will necessarily
be required to consider the interests of Ohio as
a member of the Union.
Foremost among these interests is the pres
ervation of the Union itself. Established by
the wisdom of our fathers, for the sublimest and
noblest political ends, it descends to us as a
sacred trust. Under its benign influence our
country has steadily advanced from strength to
strength, and from greatness to greatness, ex-
tending her borders, enlarging her resources,
and augmenting her power, until the name of
American citizen has become nobler distinc-
ton than was the name Of Roman citizen in
the proudest days of the mightiest republic Of
antiquity. To maintain the integrity of this
Union; to defend the Constitution, which is its
bond; and to guard against all invasion, from
whatever quarter, those American institutions
which the Union and the Constitution secure to
us, have ever been, and trust will ever be,
acknowledged as sacred obligations by the peo-
pie of Ohio
"Cherishing these sentiments, and ever pre-
pared to give full proof of unwavering fidelity
to them, 1t is not only our right, but our duty
to insist that the interests of Ohio shall be duly
regarded in the Administration of the General
Government. Few States contribute so large
ly to the national revenues as our own. The
people of Ohio have paid to the Federal Gov
eminent, or to its grantees, for the soil which
they occupy and cultivate, more than thirty
millions of dollars. Of the revenue derived
from duties, we contribute necessarily in pro-
portion to our numbers. AS the population of
our State is about one-tenth of the entire popu-
lation of the Union, we pay about onetenth of
that revenue. Its entire amount for the lest
year exceeded sixty millions of dollars. The
proportion Of Ohio was of course, six millions.
"While we have thus paid, for the very soil
we live on, an amount which no other people |
has ever paid under like circumstances, or I'M
der any circumstances and while we still con. |
tribute thus amply and freely to the annual rev.
enue, it is not an agreeable reflection, that of
all the States in which the General Government
has asserted proprietary right to the soil, |
Ohio has received the least in grants of land |
for education, improvement and other like pur-
poses; and that while millions are expended |
for the protection and benefit of commerce on |
the ocean coasts of the Republic, the property
and lives of our own people are exposed to con-
tinual peril and enormous loss upon our rivers
and our lakes, for the want of comparatively
Insignificant appropriations for the improve |
ment of their channels and harbors. The in
justice of unequal grants of land is perhaps be-
yond remedy; but it will be our own fault if
our rivers and harbors continue to be thus neg.
lected.
"While in these, and many other important
details of administration, the interests of our
own State are deeply affected by the action of
the National Government, we are even more