Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1862-01-15

:. o. the expense of such delegate, / respectful
la ~ recommend that a suitable appropriation,
therefor, be made by the General Assembly.
10 The various Benevolent Institutions of the
e State are in prosperous condition; and have
C been conducted during the past year with
n fidelity and success. No STATE in the Union
d has greater reasons to be proud of its public
charities than OHIO They are justly encour-
aged by legislative action, and have in a
marked degree the confidence and sympathies
c of the people. 1 take pleasure in again COM
# mending them to the fostering care of the
= General Assembly.
e The number of patients in the Central,
l Northern, and Southern Lunatic Asylums at
the end of the last fiscal year were 552.
l The expenditures for current and general
i purposes were S92, l56 g.; equal to SI67 for
each patient.
f The estimated expenses for the current
year, for which appropriations are asked, are
e S1U4,T72 %.
The number of pupils in November last in
the Institutions of the Blind, Deaf and Dumb,
5 and Idiots, was:
In the Blind Asylum ,..... ......120
Deaf and Dumb Asylum ......... ...... 10
Idiot Asylum ...... ......... A
Total. -........ -......' -......-. .3Oi
The expenditures during the year we're
S4S, 2OS 90; equal to Sl5S for each pupil.
The appropriations asked for the current
, year are SO, SCI 90.
The total ex penditures of all the Benevo
lent Institutions during the past year were
6141,364 81; the equivalent of a tax of 4-25
of mill on The taxable property of the State
in 1860.
This does not include Longview Lunatic
Asvium of Hamilton county. By the act of
| a tha. ral IN 10
this Asylum a sum equal to the tax raised in
;IIamiiton county for LInatic Asylum pur
pos..s The amour; thus appropriated last
year Was .o.+.I43
Ii seems TO me hat the aggregate Of the
expenditures for the suprHHr OF these Instltu-
tons is unnecessarily large. respectfully
suggest whether such measures canne" prop
er.y be adopted Is, without impairing tn II
usefulness or efficiency, will materially re
duce their expenses.
AT no former period has there been so great
| Il degree of success in the Reform School as
during the past year. Its accommodations
have been enlarged so that one hundred and
fifty inmates can be comfortably sustained,
though the average number has been one
hundred and seyenty-eight. The number
who left the Institution during the year, is
seventy seven. Could all the applications
%
b. three hundred. Not case of sickness :
has occurred during the year requiring the /,
attendance of physician. But two inmates ,
have escaaed. The financial condition of
the school is very gratifying. Expenses for ;
past year are Sd $50 o.
Experience mas demonstrated the great val
ne of this Reform School. The almost fatal ,
effect of inearceraling boys under sixteen J
year, of age with older and hardened offend I
ers in the Penitentiary has been avoided, and +,
hundreds who were rapidly tending to crim- > >
inal practices in our ci.i.s and towns, have /
been arrested in their course and saved from l
crimes and ruin. The discipline is excellent, !,
and the entire School and Farm are conduct (
ed in such "A manner rs to commend the In .
siitution TO the favorable regard of the peo-
pie.
am happy to state, that during the past i
year, the number of convicts in the Peniien- :,
iiary has diminished. The total number on y
the first day of November last was nine hun
dred and twenty four; while on the first day n
of November, 1860, the number was nine h
hundred and thirty one. The average num- =
Der during the year, was nine hundred and Il
sixty-fve. i,
The enlargement of the prison, and the
erection of new cells have extended its ca =,
pacity so that it will contain ten hundred and
fifty cJnvicts 1t will be for you to deter .,
mine whether it is expedient to provide i'm 3
mediately, either for its further enlargement, =
or for the erection of a new Penitentiary. 9
| ask your attention to the rccOmmenda- =
tion of the Directors and Warden, for the :,
erection of new structures within the present 4
enclosure. =,
The total cash receipts for the past year, :. -
were S92, ,S23 ii. The labor of convicts for =,
the State, in the erection of new structures, ~
S13,056 80. The total expenses have been ~
500, I25 %. The earnings thus appear, in 7,
excess of expenses, 1866 63. =, ~
1t is gratifying to know that moral inau- ~
ences are relied upon in the discipline oi the -
to secure the submission and =,
promote the reformation of convicts. Kind =
ness and religious instruction are blended A.
with regular but not oppressive labor; and -,
are producing results prOpitious to morality ~
and to virtuous sympathy. Your earnest in -
.erest is solicited for the correction of what ~
ever defects there may be In our Penitentia- "
,ys.em. g.
The too frequent exercise of the pardoning II,
power, must necessarily impair the efficiency IN
Of the administration of justice. Inconsid- q
crate clemency operates as an encouragement es
% crime, and produces more misery than it
llleviates The prerogative of mercy should 81
be exercised with a view only to the legiti- or
mate objects of Fundamentals reformation -
If offenders, and the prevention of crimes. M
Within the scope Of this rule, 1 have deemed ex
t my duty TO restrict the exercise of the par Al
lening power. Al
The whole number of pardons granted du-
ing the last year is eighty-nine; of these, 49,
wenty four were issued upon the certificate -
If the physician of the Penitentiary, accom- IL
panied by the recommendation of the War 81
len and Directors, in cases where there was No
imminent danger of the death of the convict an
@ pardohed in pursuance of the act prescri-
,ng the manner of applying for pardons. -,
Connected with the subject of pardOns, "a
here is one feature of our criminal code TO a.,
which deem it my duty to invite your at Iaa
ention. l refer to the provision for minimum *
'eriods of confinement in the PeniteRtiary.
Numerous applications have been made to ;+o
ne for the exercise of the pardoning power, AZ
" the Judges by whom the cases were tried -
pon the ground that the periods of confne- g.
nent were longer than the circumstances
would justify, and that the sentences had 49,
'een made so because minimum periods had T. T.
een fixed by law. and 90 discretion, below
hose limits, left to the Judge. An examin- Of
ton of many of the cases has satisfied me of far
he force of these considerations, and the ~, ~,
ardoning power has accordingly been exer- -,
ised- Reflection upon the subject has u
rought me to the conclusion that it would
Y best to take away the minimum limit in reg
il cases, and leave the Judge to fix the time, be-
low the maximum limit, as his judgment, SUI
n view of all the circumstances Of each case, adj
nav determine. ins
The only objection which can be urged pr
gainst such a measure is. that in some in inf
Lances the period Of confinement might be an
DO short to meet the expenses of conviction she
nd transportation. The answer is obvious pre-
nd conclusive. The legitimate objects of al 1
unishment as already stated are the protec- me
on of society and the reformation of the arr
fender. Pecuniary considerations are en- ms
tied to little weight where the interests of the
ublio justice are concerned. In my judg- all
lent, the objection is also nearly, if not Th
e =