The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1859-01-14

erection 10 capital punishment, or 10 i'm
prisonment for life. ~ ! am persuaded that
in many instances, murder escapes oil
punishment, or all adequate punishment. !.
through the reluctance Of juriss 10 find
verdicts which must necessarily be effol.
lowed by sentence OF death. he q .1Hib79
1t is well ascertained that, Of crimes Of
violence, nearly one half have their i'm.
mediate origin in intemperance, and that
more than four. fifths OF the police often.
ces are due to the same baleful cause. It
is the abundant source Of Pauperism, Lu.
macy and Disease, as well as Of crime.
Its cost to society is beyond the power Of
computation, and its multiform influences
for evil beyond the reach Of estimate. I
again invoke your attention to this vital.
| Iy impo tant subject, and trust that your
action in regard to it may be wise and
Efficient i elf ~ iabi gs5ga
In this connection l think it my duty
70 recommend to you the establishment Of
an Asylum for Inebriates. Much evil
to indiyiduals and society may bs avert
cd, and much positive good accomplish
ed, by means Of such an institution. II
established on the State Reform Farm, q
upon judicous plan and scale, its cost
need not be great. slldW .id3b eislp7 5dl .
| The administration ofrcivil, not lcss
than that Of criminal justice, is intimate
ly related to social condition and advances
meat. When cheap, prompt, unbiased
and sure, it guarantees industry, pro.
notes enterprise, and ensures progress.
When dear. dilatory. partial and uncer~-
tain, il impoverishes labor, discourages
useful undertakings and introduces de-
cline. In this State the people elect their
Judges, and thus directly determine, in
large measure, the character Of Judi.
cial administration. The results thus
far, especially in civil JUSTICE have NOT
dispointed the advocates vi an elective
judiciary. Incompetent judges haveg il
is true, been sometimes elected, and tho
evils Of NAL ad have been
sometimes felt; but the courts of Ohio.
considered in general, have nothing to
apprehend from a comparison. with those 4
OF any other State inrespect to intelli-
gence, learning orDefiicency. q The ~
mount Of their labors' may be inferred
from the fact that the number OF civil
suits last year was about $4,000. in la
900 Of which judgments were rendsred.
The number OF suits involving serious
controversy oflaw or fact bore. however.
a small proportion to- the whole. Much
4 the larger number were prosecuted for
the collection of claims, and it is estims-
ted that nine-tenths in amount Of The
debts unsecured by mortgage or o:her.
wise, which class constituted three fourths
of the whole, was recovered or is recov-
erable. This estimate, if at all reliable,
indicates plainly the grounds on which
the high credit of the business men a.
we'll as Of the State of Ohio, is establish.
ed. The whole debt Of her people, pub
! lie and private, as I took occasion to show
last year, is hardly equal in amount to one
fifth ofthe property in the State, and the
loss by individual failure RI in payment, 10
only two and half percent Of the debt.
The rate of commercial hazard in credits,
! is, therefore, comparatively Insignificant.
Such is the social condition of the
State contemplated in some Of its mostim-s
hportant and interesting aspects The
sketch is necessarily imperfect. for the
materials are inadequate. 1t may not
however, be altogether without value,
while the provisions judiciously made by
you, and the preceding General Assembly
for a more ample collection of statistical
information will supply, hereafter, the
means Of more certain and more useful
comparisons and deductions, than arc
possible now.
Passing from these general views to
other topics Of perhaps more immediate
concern, permit me to invite your atten-
ton, in the first place to our financial,
condition. ,s5 .IV
The Constitution requires that all prop
erty, of whatever description, and by
whomsoever held, shall be listed for taxa.
tion 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. II
for State purposes, on the whole! property
listed, and if for local purposes, on the
property listed within the proper terrific
rial limits. The school laws of various
years, but particularly Of 1853. and 1854;
the road and bridge laws Of 854. and 9TH
er years; the poorhouse act Of 1881; one
act of 1857; two of 1858. and some other
acts of less Importance, prescribe the Iates
of taxation. m - 4si
The School acts direct the levy Of one
mill and six tenths on each dollar Of val
uaton throughout the State, for general
school AID library purposes, and Of vari-
GUS rates to be fixed by the local authori.
ties, for local purposes, such as the con.
struction Of school houses and the pur-
chase of sites. afiH oes t4a9ih
The Road and Bridge laws authosise
rates for the objects indicated BY their