Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1859-01-12

lulOllc, lne Deal ana DUMB. The Blllu, Inc III
door and outdoor pauperS. and the imprisoned.
: The whole mass may become at any time what
much the larger portion is at all times. charge
: upon the State. 1t is what may be justly called
the infirm element of socety. Its proportion to
: the whole constitutes an important indication of
: the moal and industrial condition of State
That pro Do-iatio 1 in Ohio is As TO IS; in
: Massachusetts, one to IL; in New York as one
Z to l6.
Under the general name of Crime. as an ele-
me1t of sOcial condition, may be cOnprehended
all action. associated or individual, which. vio
lating moral obligation. intlicts injury Oh per-
sols or society. What have TO submit to you
relat ng to crime in State, will. how
: ever. be confiled to the prDpo-tio of offences
against positive laws 10 the total population I'd
to th.ir reiayding I'd d stIrbing influence OF
tha otherwise h,althful I'd regular pro ;ress of
| society. The number of indictments TO- crime
d ring the Iast year was about 5000. the num-
Der of t,oice arrests for crimes against the State
not pros cuted by Indictment, was about 3.20J;
the number of arrests for offenses against police
u.l ICES 1865: making the number of arrests
and indictments fo- crimes nd often es oflower
le ii .4S6. The cu Iviciio ca ried ojudg-
ment. upoI allotment, Were 300. The mar
deys during the year 50. al the suicides
: 65. The prppo iion of crimes and offelses TO
thp population one in 20S; the proportion of
Z offenders being of course somewhat les. The
propo-t Oh of murders was one to $1,000; that
of suicides one 10 3G.923.
: The inf.equency of convictions "a compared
with indct nents will doubtless attract yoIr at
teltiol 1t indicates defective administration
of criminal Justice, 10 be Temedicd not 81 much
I by legislation. As by Increased vigIla zee and
firnheSs OF the art of those 10 who II that sd
! mi Iistsaton is committed. II is worthy your
co Isideration. however, whether, NJ Oh colvic-
z tOls for murder in the fist degree, it nay not
be expedient to .thorize the courts TO seAte ce
al discretiO to ca Ital pul shmept or To impris-
oIment for life. | an persuaded that. in ma "
ilsia ices. murder escapes all punishment, or all
adeIt ate punishment, through the re, eta ice of
u-es To fl al verdicts which must necessarily be
i followed by sentence of death.
Ii is well ascertlined that of crimes of vio-
, lelce. nea ~ Unc-Lalf have their immediate ORR
gan in iltenTera I'd that more tha four
tifhs Ofthe police offences are due To the 81 ue
bal, fl cause. 1t is the abunda IT source of Pau
perism, Lunacy I'd Dis ase. well a of crime.
Its cost to sJciety Is beyo nd the power of COM
puiat o !, and lis mJ ltif1rn inhueIc ICES for evil
beyond the reach of estimate. | agan invoke
yonr aiient Oh to this vitally impo.ta 1t subject
4 Id trust that your acton il regard 10 it Inay
be " sc 4 I'd efficient.
1 In til 5 connection think it nv duty to re-
CONNIE id To you the e-tablI shment of al ASYLUM
: f.. IIeb.iaies. Much evil to imdvidr ais and
E society may b. averted, and much oSitvc good
Z i com lished, by mva S of such Al | Isti tutiou.
: If established the State Reform Farm. upon
! iudicIous Ilal and SCALE its cost need not be
; graf.
The lmi.ist -ation of civil, not Ice than
that of ci nj al Justice. is iltinat,ly related to
cheap. p-onft. unbiased a nd sire II gua-a ICES
: Industry. pOmoteS enterprise, I'D ensures Pro-
gress. When dea'. dilaiory, artial and uncer-
tain. it imToverishes labor. disco; RACES useful
c undertakings a I'd Introduces decline. In this
State The Ieo l. elect their judges aid thi di-
u rectly determine il 4 la-ge measure the cha ac-
Il ter Of Judicial admn.ist alton. The results thus
far. especially in civil Justice. have not disap-
pJiIted the advocates of al elective Judiciary
i Incompetent Judges have, it i trGe been some
!, mes elected. and the evils of mal-ad ninistra-
t on have bee sonnet mes felt; but the Courts of
Ohio, considered in general. have nothi g to n :
preh,nd f.om 4 COM a-iSO1 with those of aly
OH State il respect to intelligence. arning or
: efficiency. The anolnt ofihc'r labo.s nav be
{ Inferred from the fact that the number Of civil
Il suits last year was about 10000, in 1900 of
$ W hich il dgneat were rendered. Tie number
II of suits involving serious controversy of law or
$ fat bore small proportion to the whole. Much
the lJ-ger number prosecuted for the cOliec-
tiun of clnS Il it is estimated that nine tentls
: II amount ofthe debts unsecured by mortgage or
Otherwise which class co.stitI ted three iouiths
{ of the whol-, was recovered or is recoverable
This estimate if at all reliable. indicates lail-
: ly the grounds ON which ihe high credit of the
n busi ess men, as well as of the State of Ohio is
d established. Ths whole debt of her peO le pub
i lie aud private as | took ion to show last
r yea, is hardly eq, al in amount to oIe-ffth Of
: the property in the state. I'd the luss by md
n dual "a lure in avment. is o ly two AID half
e per &c Il of the debts. The laie of cummerc nj
Ia .ard il credits is. therefore COM at.vely in
S significant.
Such is the social condition otthe State. con-
d ienplaie1 in ufits must i'm Oria At 4 I'd in-
t.resti " aSI ects. The sketch Is neees ily i'm
l. perfect for the materials Z INADEQUATE 1t
may not, however. b. altogether without value.
while the proviso.Is Judiciously made by YOU.
= ID the preceding General Assembly for 4 more
ample Collection of statistical information will
a supply. hereafter. the means of more certain
S aid more us,fl comparisons and deduction.
5 than are possible now.
Passing fumthese general views to other topics
of PERHAPS mO7e immediate concern, permit me
10 invite your attention, in the first lace, to our
S Fl Ia lc:al CO iditiol.
The consitI ton requires that al property of
whatever d. 'cri ptiol. II by whp nsI.ve- hsl d .
a shall be listed for taxation at its true value
4 TIL. Revenues of thc State. tn, Counties the
e Townships. The Cities, the Villa, ,es 4 ID the
School Dist:icts, are raised by rates levied, If
i fo: state purposes, the whole property listed,
and if for local purposes. the property listed
within the proper territorial limits. The schuol
: laws of varioas years, but Particularly of 1853
f and 1854; the roai a I'd bridge Ia VS. of 1854
: and other wears; tn. pno- houses ac of 1881 ::
a = le act of 1851; two of 1853; and some other
Il Acts of less importance. prescribed the rates of
: taxation.
The School acts direct the levy of one mill and
4 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 purposes. such as the
: construction Of school houses aud the purchase
of sites.
The Road and Bridge laws authorize rates for
the objects indicated by their titles, VARYING
1 from the twenty fifth of mill to nine and "a
half mills. 10 be determined by the County Com
{ missioners, and additional rate, not over six
mills. 10 be levied by the County Audito ON
property adj joining roads within certain limits
, on the petition of the property holders.
The poor house act of 1881 authorizes the levy
5 by the County Commissioners of an indeti lite
rate for the erection of Infirmaries, AID a rate
: not exceeding one mill for the support of the
Z poor.
The act of 1857 requires the levy of seven
: tenths Of mill for general State purposes; of
D nine-tenths of mill for ayment ofinterest and
principal Of the public debt; of rates for county
: purposes, within various limits from two or four
4 mills, to D. determined by the County Commis-
VIII 10 COMMISSIONERS OF
r counties whose taxable values do not exceed So
4 0000J0 TO levy higher rates; of rates fox Town
ship purposes. to be fixed by Township Trus sses,
l but not to exceed one mill the first S2 0J0,-
a 900 of valuation, and one-fourth of a mills on
the of rates not exceedi ig foar mills, for
r City AID V llages purposes, to be fixed by city
cad village authorities; and ofarate for City pur-
poses, not exceeding six mills, to be fixed by the
City Council of Cincinnati
: The acts of 1853, require the Auditor Of
State TO Increase the levy for the ay ment of
the State Debt whenever it may be necessary,
t in order to make the Sinking Fund equal in
| amount to the requirements of the Constitution
5 and the laws and direct the levy of seven-twen-
tieths of a mil in each of the years 1858, 1859
and 1860. to provide means for the payment of