The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1860-01-19
MESSAGE OF GOV. CHASE, OF OHIO

Governor Chase, of Ohio, in his message to
the Legislature, states that the total amount of
receipts into the State Treasury during the last
year was SO, so, l54, which, with the balance
of $22G,ll9 remaining at the close of the pre-
ceding year, made the sum subject to disburse-
ment $3,746,272. The whole amount of dis
bursements was 1852 ,304. The public works
and educational institutions absorbed the larger
part Of this sum. More than threeeighths of the
entire levy for State purposes is for the support
of schools and school libraries Gov. Chase
recommends the re-enactment of the statutes
which the last Legislature repealed, prohibiting
slaveholding and kidnapping. He thinks that
it would be useless to pass laws giving the ne
groes the right of suffrage; the courts, not the
Legislature, are to determine this question.
The militia of the State, which was nearly dis
organized four years ago, has been reorganized
to such an extent that it forms nucleus for
volunteer force entirely competent to any or
binary emergency.
We subjoin the concluding portion of the
message, which relates to Federal politics
alt becomes my duty to lay before you, in
compliance with the request of the Governor
of New York, the concurrent resolutions of the
Senate and Assembly of that State, condemn
ing the African slave trade, and protesting
against the reopening of that inhuman traffic.
The people of Ohio, without distinction of party,
and almost without individual exceptions, unite
in Reproduction of the traffic and its revival.
With these resolutions, also transmit for
your information, copies of letters addressed
by the Governor of Virginia to the President of
the United States and to myself, and of my
reply to that addressed to me.
II doubt not, gentlemen, that expressed
your own sentiments, as well as those of our
common constituents, when declared my con-
viction that it is the duty of the Executive au-
thorities of Ohio to exercise whatever power
the law may vest in them for the suppression of
unlawful combinations against the peace and
ssfety of other members of the Federal Union |;
and that the people of Ohio, while they will suf
fer no invasion oftheir territory, will counte
nance no invasion of the territory of other States
but, expecting from them the fulflment of eve
ry constitutional obligation, will require of
their own authorities the prompt performance
of reciprocal duties.
"While we will not disavow Just admiration
of noble qualities, by whomsoever displayed, we
must not the less, but rather the more, earnest
ly condemn all lnroads into States, not merely
at peace with us, but united to us by the bonds
of political union, and all attempts to excite
within their borders servile instructions, neces-
sarily tending to involve the country in the
calamities of civil as well as servile war.
THAT spirit of distrust and alienation has
arisen in the country, it were idle to deny. That
it is not shared, in any great degree, by the
masses in either section, is, ! trust, equally
true. The people desire Union and Concord;
not Discord and Disanion.
Claiming no absolute exemption from blame
IN behalf of the free States, we cannot admit
their liability to exclusive censure.
In repeated instances, without pretence of
justification, the territory of Ohio has been
clandestinely entered, and peaceful inhabit-
ants, guilty Of no crime but color, have been
cruelty kidnapped. The fugitive slave act, ne
cessarily repugnant to public sentiment, and
believed by q large majority to be uneonstitu-