The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1858-03-18
80 For the Portage 6satinsl.
The County In1Fmary-WhRt Will
he ilOne with n.


Mr. ESiior.-Ths prCPOiitiOns connect |
ed with the County In6rmary property. sub
mitted by the Commissioners to the people,
to be passed upon at the April election, are
Of very great importance, and should receive
the intelligent consideration of every voter.
That they may receive such consideration,
please allow me space in your columns to
present some Of the most important facts
connected with the matter.
That there muat be extensive repairs and
additions to The accommodations OF the
County pOupers, is not doubted BY any enc
acquainted with the facts. The rooms now
in use are few, small. low. ill.ventilated, and
SVer.crOwded. Apartments Of bet few
feet square, contain three or four beds, and
a. many or moro inmates, some Of whom
have recollections of better days, but having
Lost property, friends and health, must starve
or 20 to the "Poor House." and there Of ne.
cessify are forced into close contact and
companionship with loathsoms, hlthy idiots,
and scarcely less disgusting unfOrtunateS
who have lost their reason.
Without a substantial outlay Of money,
there can be mo change for the better, as
the Directors Of the In6rmsry do the best
they can with the means. Paupers are in.
creasing; while their accommodations are
lessening constsnlly. Humanity demands
a change. 1t is at best an act Of doubtful
mercy TO take an unfortunate, from starva,
ton. and place him in the Portage County
infrmary, as it now is.
To patch Up the present buildings, would
require halfas much money 40 to build new,
airy. healthy ones, and in the end would be
much more expensive than new ones.
The County owns nearly three hundred d
acres Of land, worth forty dollars per acre,
or in the aggregate ~nearly twelve thousand
dollars. itis worked mostly by hired help,
no pauper being able to assist, except in the
vegetable gaftien, or other light. unimPor.
tant work. man who can chop, drive
team, NOV or plow, does hot belong in the
pcuf house. The result 10 as might be ex.
pccted, and the County pays yearly, on an
average, for the support Ofts family Of pau.
Pers, on It's own farm, the sum Of $1,000, be.
s,des the products Of the farm, to which also
shoVld be added the interest on the capita
employed, an item of not less than $1,000
To FENDER farm productive, it must be con.
lOeted by some one who feels an interest in
it, and not by hired men in the absence ci
the owEer.
In accordance with absolute necessity,
am informed that the Commissioners have
decided to do something towards making thu
buildings Of the InGrmary approach, neare
than they Low do, the object Of their con
struction; and it seems they are desirous o
Being dnected by the people in what man
, hcr this shall be done.
1t may be partially done BY appropriatinI
81 1000 or $4,000 in repairing and patching
4 the present building. This object nigh
also be accomplished by building en.irel
new buildings, at a cost of from 5000 I
$40 900. Two obiectiShs at least exist t
" = both these plans, to wit: they involve taxa
, = lion, and add y In alreads toe large iuves,
= ment for Pauper purposes.
y Still another plan has been suggested
and in view Of our excessive tsxation, 70
g various purposes, and especially in view q
: the fact that in this and adjoining countie,
h paupefs' fatms have pFoved bad investments
'' it commend' itself to MANY. who are in tn
habit Of asihg good judgment in such ma,
n ters. The plan | now refer to is tn.
u whith proposes 10 sell portion Of all tn
present farm, and erect with the purchas
il money new and appropriate set Of build
4 lngs, retaining Of the farm, OF buying anew
e enough land for convenience for vegetabl
e gardens or fields, for the pasturing and win
k tering OF cows fot milk, and in short, q
t much as apon which pOuper labor could b
n employed with profit or convenience:
If this last mentioned course is taken, in
needed reforms will take place without AM
addi,iofal taxes, being levied. To carr
out either of the others, will require at leaa
i $4,000 to be raised by taxation.
That no one may deceive himself, let it b.
remembered that IL majority Of the vote
4 should be agaihs! the proposition submitte
by the Commissioners, or what Is the sam
thing, il a majority should be silent, the frs
Of these propositions will inevitably be adop.
ed, not because the Commissioners prefer
to any other, but that it will then be the onl
. one which they will be authorized 10 act up
on. We shall then be compelled to ad
4 5000 TO our pauper investment, with tn
pleasing assurance that it will be Of no per
manent advantage, and that we shall b
called on for like sum, at every period OF
few years. II on the other hand, msiort
!, Of the votes cast at the April election
). should be cast for "Appropriation-Yes."
am authorized by the County Com mmissioner
= to say that all or part Of the Poor Hous
d farm will be sold, a suitable building prov
y ded at cost Ofabcut %, 900, with eighty o
1t ninety acres OF land adjoining, without a
!. additional dollar Of taxation, and with
prospect Of materially lessening the taxes {
q the county for pnuper purposes, for years I
e come.
Shall this be donsl Let the people de