Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1859-01-13

| prisonment for life. am persuaded thai
in many instances, murder escapes all pun
ishment,or all adequate punishment, through
the reluctance of juries to find verdict.
which must necessarily be followed by sen
tence of death. .-t-r e..
/. is well ascertained that, of crimes O
violence, nearly one-half have their imme
date origin in intemperance, and that mort
than tour-fifths Of the police offences are
due to the same baleful cause. 1t ID the
abundant source os Pauperism, Lunacy anc
Disease, as well as of crime. Its cost tc
society is beyond the power of computation
and its multiform influences for evil beyond
the reach Of estimate. again invoke youl
attention to this vitally important subject
and trust that your notion in regard 10 il
may be wise and efficient.
In this Connection lsthink it my duty to
recommend toy yea the es adjustment OF an
Asylum for lnebriates. Much esilse5 in
dividuals and society may be averted, and
much positive good accomplished, by means
of such an Institution. If established on
the State Reform Farm, upon a Judicious
plan and scale, its cost need not be great.
The administration of civil. not less than
that of criminal justice. is intimately re-
lated to social condition and advancement
Wher cheap, prompt, unbiased and sure. it
guarantees industry, promotes enterprise.
and ensures progress. When dear, diIa,ory,
partial and uncertain, it iinproverishes la
Dor, discourages useful undertakings and
introduces decline. In this State the peo-
pie elect their Judges, and thus directly de-
termDe in large measure the character
OF Judicial administration. The results thus
far, especially in civil justice, have rot dis
appointed the advocates of an elective
Judiciary. Incompetent judges have, it is
true, been sometimes elected, and the evils
OF INSTRUMENTATION have been sometimes
felt; but the Courts of Ohio, considered IN
general, have nothing to apprehend from a
comparison with those of any other State
in respect to, intelligence, learning or ef-
fciency The amount of their labors may
be inferred from The fact that the number Of
civil suits last yea- was about 10000, in
$4,000 of which judgments were rendered.
The number of suits involving serious con-
troversy Of law or fact bore small pro-
portion TO the whole. Much the larger
number were prosecuted for the collection
of claims, and it is estimated that nine
tenths in amount OF the debts unsecured by
mortgage or otherwise, which class consti.
tuted three-fourths of the whole, was re
covered or is recoverable. This estimate,
if at all, reliabls, indicates plainly the
grounds on which the high credit of the
business men, as well as OF the State of
Ohio, is established. The whole debt of
her people, public and private, as took oc-
casion TO show last year, is hardly equal in
amount to one-ffth Of the property in the,
State, and the loss by individual failure in,
payment, is only two and q half per cent OF
the debt The rate Of commercial hazard
in credits, is, therefore,, comparatively in
---... -..-.
Such is the social condition of the State ),
in some of its most important
and interesting aspects. The sketch is ne
adequate. 1t may not, however, be alto
gelher without value, while the provisions
ludiciously made by you, and the preceding
General Assembly for more ample cullec-
tion of statistical Information will supply ),
hereafter, the means of more certain and
more useful comparisons and deduction,
han are possible now. .s-.-..-4. ..
Passing frum these general views to 9TH
sr topics of perhaps more immediate con-
;ern, permit me to invite your attention, in
he fret place, TO our financial condition.
The Constitution requires that all pro-
'erty of whatever description, and by whom
'oever held, shall be listed for taxation Of
IS true value. The Revenues of the State,
he Counties. the Townships, the Cities,
he vi lagos and the School Districts. are
aiset by rates levied, if for State purposes, |
,n the whole properly listed, and if for
oca purposes, on the property lifted with |
n the proper territorial limits. The schoo!
avs of various years, but particularly of
S53 and 1854; the road and bridge laws Of
1854, and other years; the poOrhouse act of
1881; one act of 1857; two of 1885,, and
ome other acts of less Importance, preScrib- !
ID the rates Of taxation. ,.- ..-r. -
The School acts direct the levy of one
mill and six-tenths on each dol ar of valua-
ion throughout the State, for general school
md library purposes, and of various rates
o be fixed by the loca. authorities, for To-
,ai purposes, such as the construction of
choo. houses and the pu-caas of sites.
The Road and Bridge laws authorize /
aies for the objects indicated by their
tiles, varying from the twenty fifth of a
mill to n,ne aud half mills, to be de-
zi D. rhji tha C'uI'y 1 Commis
ion ers. and an additional rae, not over six
nills, to be levied by the County Auditor,
IN property adjoining roads within certain
limits on the petition Of the property hold
,rs. - fzsrefsre asF. @. .a ~ z=7.-fsr q
The poor house act OF 1871 authorize the 7
levy by the County Commissioners OF an in
iefiuite rate for the erectiun of ln6rmaries,
and a rate not exceeding one mill for the |
support oi the poor.sa sau 7-rst eafa. Il
The act of 1851. requires the levy Of
sevon-tensh' of a mill Tor general State
purposes; of niue.tenths of a mill for pay
ment Of interest and principal of the public
debt; of rates tor county purposes, within
various limits from two to lour mills, 10 be
by the County Commissioners, |
with liberty to the Commissioners of eoun
ties whose taxable values do no, exceed
%, 600 900. to levy h CHER rates; OF rates for
purposes, to be fixed by Town