The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1859-01-12

/ Oh OIaCe. 1HaJ pTopVitIou H' Chlp 10 ds OllO
! to 75, in Massachusetts as one to Al; in New
York as one to l6.
Under the general name Of Crime. as an Gle
ment of social condition, may be comprehend
ed all action associated or individual, which vi
olating moral obligation, inflcts injury on per-
sons or society. What l have to submit to you
relating to crime in our own State, will, how
ever be confined TO the proportion of offences
against positive laws to the total population and
to their retarding and disturbing influence on
the otherwise healthfnl and gular progress of
society. The number Of indictments for crime
during thopast year was about $500; the mum
her of police arrests for crimes against the State
not prosecuted by Indictment, was about ;, 200;
the number OF arrests for 0iIenses against police
ordinances 4, $50; making the number of ar
rests and indictments for crimes and offences Of
lower grade, II ,4SG. The convictions carried
into Judgement, upon indictment, were 1900
The murders during the year were so, and the
suicides G5. The proportion of crimes and Of
enses TO the population was one in 2OS; the
proportion of offenders being of course some
what less. The proportion Of murders was one
to 5000; that OF suicides one to 36,023.
The infrcqucncy oil convictions as compared
with indictments will doubtless attract your at
tention. 1t indicates defective administration
of criminal justice, TO be remedied not so much
by legislation,as by increased vigilance and firm
ness on the part Of those to whom that admins
tration is committed, 1t is worthy Of your
considerable however, whether, upon convc-
tons for murder in the first degree it may not
be eXpedient to authorize the courts to sentence
at discretion to capital punishment, or to i'm
prisonlnent for life. l am persuaded that in
many instances, murder escapes all punishment,
or all adequate punishments, through the reluc-
tance jurics to find yerdicts which must nee
essarily be followed by sentence Of death
1t is we'll ascertained that, crimes of violence
nearly one half have their Immediate origin in
intemperance, and that more than four. fiths Of
the police ofenses are due to the same balcful
cause. 1t is the abundant source of Paupersm,
Lunacy and disease, as well as Of crime. Its
cost to society is beyond the power of computa-
ton, and its multiorm influences for evil be-
yond the reach Of estimate. | again invoke
your attention to this vitality important subject
and trust that your action in regard to it may
be wise and efficient.
In this connection think it may duty to re
commend to You the establishment OF an Asy-
lum for InchriateS. Much evil to individuals
and society may lie averted and much positive
good accomplished, by means Of such an lnsti-
tuition. If established On the State Reform
Farm, upon .judioious plan and scale, its cost
need not be great
The administration Of civil, not less than
that of criminal justice, is intimately related to
social condition and advancement. When
cheap, prompt, unbiased and sure, it guarantees
industry, promotes enterprise, and ensures pro-
gross. When dear, dilatory partial and nnccr
tain, it imFoversh shes~lalior discourages useful
undertakings and introduces decline. In this
State the people elect their Judges, and thus di
rcctly determine in large measure the charac-
ter Of judicial administration. The results thus
far especially in civil justice, have not disap-
pointed the advocates OF an elective judiciary
incompetent judges have it is true, been some
times elected, and the evils Of nal adninistra-
ton have been some times felt; but the Counts Of
Ohio considered in general, have nothing to ap-
prehcnd from a comparison with those of any
other State in respect to intelligence, learning or
efficiency. The amount oftheir Jabors may be
inferred hom the fact that the number of civil
suits last year was about 30CO0 in 1900 Of
which judgements were rendered The num-
ber Of suits involving serious controversy of law
or fact bore a small proportion to the whole
Much the larger numberwere prosecuted for the
collection Of claims, and it is estimated that
" NSbI
mortgage or otherwise, which class constituted
three lourths of the whole, was recovered or re-
coverable This estimate, if at all reliable, in
dicates plainly the grounds on which the high
credit of the business men, as we'll as OF the
State of Ohio, is established. The whole
debt of her people, public and private, as
took occasion to show last year, is hardly
equal in amount to one fifth Of the property in
the State, and the loss by individual failure in
payment, is only two and half per centof the
debt The rate ofcommercial hazard IN credits,
is, therefore, comparatively insignificant.
Such is the social Cond iti0n Of tie State, con
tcmplated in some Of its most important and in
teyestng aspects The sketch is necessarily I'M
perfect, for the materials are inadequate. tmay
not, however, be altogether without value
while the provisions judiciously made by you
and the preceding General Assembly for more
ample collection OF statistical information will
supply, hereafter, the means of more certain and
mere use fGl comparisons and deduction than
are possible now.
Passing lrom tn Sc general views to other top
les Of perhaps more immediate concern, permit
me to invite your attention, in the first place. to
our financial condition.
The constitution requires that all property Of
whatever description, and by whomsoeycr held,
shall he listed for taxation at its true value
The Revenues Of the State, the Counties, the
Townships, the Cities the Villages and the
School Districts are raised by rates levied if for
State purposes, on the whole property listed,
and if for local purposes, on the property listed
within the proper limits. The school laws OF
the various years, but particularly of 1853 and
1854; the road and bridge laws Of 1854, and
other years; the poorhouse act Of 1881; one act
of 1857; two of 1858, and some other acts of
less Importance, prescribed the rates of taxa
ton.
The School acts direct the levy orone mill and
six tenths on each dollar Of valuation through
out the State, for general school and library pur-
poses and OF various rates to be fixed by the To-
cal authorities, for local purposaS, such as the
construction OF school houses and the purchase
Of sites.
The Road and Bridge laws authorize rates for
the objects Indicated by their titles, varying from
the twenty fth Of a mill to nine and halt
mills, to be determined by the County Commits
soners and an additional rate, not over six mills,
to be levied by the County Auditor on property
adjoinlning roads within certain limits on the pc
tiion of property holders.
The poorhouse act OF 1881 authorizes the levy
by the County Commissioners Of an indefinite
rate for the erection of lnfrmaries, and rate
not exceeding one mil. for the support of the
poor.
The act of 1857 requires the levy of seven
tenths of q mill for general State purposes; OF
nine tenths ofa mill for payment of interest and
principal Of the public debt; OF rates for county
purposes, within vorious limits from two to four
mills, to LIE determined by the County Com
missioners, with liberty to the Commissioners
Of counties whose taxable values do not exceed
S3,O00,0oo, to levy higher rates; of rates for
Township purposes, to be fixed by Township
Trustees, but not to exceed one mill on the first
$2,000,000 of valuation,an one fourth of mill