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


q evident. The social condition sof no 2eopl
S can be what it should be-, while sclas, O
t guiltless and helpless victims Of physical o
{ mental disorder remains unrelieved. No
is the duty of relief less imperatively die
: tated by considerations of economy, thai
; by considerations Of philanthropy. Th'
: dependent infrm must be sustained by SO
: ciety in some form. The only choice i
/. between modes. And how much better tha
. mode which raised so many Of them from
) depths of helplessness and wretchedness
and makes them self.supportjng and ever
useful members of the community than tha
other mode which wastes resources in fitfu
and inadequate relief, drops its wretchet
objects in their sorest need, and infiicts up
on society the moral snd social evils neces'
sarily resulting from the presence of such q
class neglectedsinsi;s nsidss- ss
The statements haves esedbmitted aiede.
lsigned to set clearly before you the nature
and msgn itude of the evil, for which you
are called upon to provide aremejy. They
1 will, perhaps, convince you of the necessity
: of restoring the policy adopted at the open
ing, rnd pursued for twelve years in the ad-
ministration OF the Asylums, Of requiring
that the cost of maintenance in them be
defrayed by the parents or guardians of the
inmates, in cases where the circumsts nces
of the parties fully justify it. They will.
think, also satisfy you of the expediency
of encouragement, by lsw, to the establish
ment of private Tnfrmaries and Asylums, ,ein
which there is reason to believe many will
be maintained by their own means or by re-
latives, and friends, and that others, need
ing help from the State. can, in many cases
| be provided for at mnch less than the pres
ent COST They will also, it NAV be hoped,
recommend to all entrusted with the admin
istration of these Institutions, the duties OF
economy in expenditure and vigilance in
oversight. =
Many individuals of the classes partially
provided fer the State Asylums, are inmates
of the county Infirmaries. This fact in
parts additional force to the general con-
sderations which suggest further legisla-
ton for the regulation of these Institutions.
] regret that the Commissioner sppoInted
under the act of your predecessors to ex-
anime the reports required BY it, and pre-
pare bill for the better endowmen Mt,
regulation and management of IEirmaries,
has as yet been unable TO fulfil the duty
imposed BY his appointment. trust, how.
ever. that the preparation Of proper bill
and the necessary legislative action upon it
will not be longIdelayed. '>+ ,aa# n
Another important element. entering in
to every adequate eslIniate Of social con-
Gitiou,is that of Pauperism. In Ohio thepau-
per class is less numerous than in many 9th
er States; but is yet large enough to require
thoughtful consideration. The number of
poar, wei! or iIisprevidel for, -eithsr. sempor-
arily or permanently. in Inirmaries, Houses
of Refuge, or other Institutions, il estima
led at 2.so0; and the number of the same
class receiving outdoor relief, at $4,000,
making the total number of poor supported
wholly or partially by the public, l4.sO0.-|
Estimating the population of the State to
be 2,4o0 600, the proportion of paupers is
ore in 1862. The proportion of the same
class in England is one in l2; in New York
according 20 the census of 1850, one in SO;
in Massachusetts one in IS. For the pre-.
vention OF its increase IN Ohio, we must
rely on the aid of E iucation, upon the in
fluence Of Religion, and upon equal laws,
securing to labor its just share of froduc
ton. There is no reason to expect, how
ever, that the pdor will ever cease out of
the land. Hereafter. .sas hereto fore. it will
be the duty of States and individuals to
open wide the hand to the needy. Let US
hope that our own State, SO honorably dis
t:nguished for her Institutions Of Beuevo-
lence, will never fail in the just perform
ance of it. s' sss -
To ascertain the entire number OF the I
dependent classes, il will be proper to add
to the number o. the Insane and otherwise
naturally infirm, 6:O40, and 10 the number
of paupe-s, l4.sOo. .the average number daily
in confinement under charge OF sentence for
crime, estimated at 1880; making the
whole number of persons % be maintained
wholly. or in part from public revenues or
by private aid. 32,340. 7 fF
b This aggregate includes all the Insane.
the Idiotic, tho Deaf and Dumb, the Blind.
the indoor and outdoor paupers, and the
imprisoned. The whole mass may become
at any time what much the larger portion
is at all times, chsrge upon the State. 1t
is what may be justly called the infirm eie-
ment Of society. It's proportion I'd the
whole Co.'s stitutes an important indiration
of the moral and industrial condition OF
State. That proportion in Ohio is as one
to Is; in Massachusetts as one to Al; in |
New York as one TO i6. -
Under the general name of Crime, as an
pretended all action, associated or indI-
vidual, which, violating moral obligation,
inficts injury on persons or society. What
I have to submit to you relating to crime in
our own State. will, however, be confined to
the proportion Of offences against positive
laws to the total population and to their re.
tsrding and disturbing influence ONT 9th
erwise healthfu. and rrgrilar progress Of So
ciety The number OF indictments for crime
during the past year was about $500; the
number Of police arrests for crimes against
the State not prosecuted by indictment,
was about 200; the number of arrests for
offenses against police ordinances 1886;
making the number of arrests and indict.
men,s for crimes and 'offenses of lower
grade, l,4S6. The convictions carried in
to Judgment, upon ind c,ment, were 1900.
The murders during the year were 80. and
\