The Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1861-1862, 1862-02-01
Ths LeRlslature.

Inc CoIumUus rrctponucut oi tno Oln- i
cinnAti Commercial, writes as follows to that
paper, under date of January 24th;
The reentrsnchments are still boring away
with gimblets. Their practice does not angur
brilliant results They commenced on the
poor little pages, and . prodigious but abOr-
tive attempt was made to reduce their pay
four bits per diem. Then they achieved .
grand success on the Senate by reducing the
salaries of supreme Judges, so that, two years
hence, the muni6cent sum of $500 may be
saved. At this juncture, they are pegging
away at the Official Reporters and their re-
ports. Another class, with the hope Of max
ing brilliant display of economy, propose to
reduce the already niggardly salaries Of State
officers so that none but rich men will be able
to hold office.
= = Yesterday, the
House, after profound deliberation, saved two
dollars on Spitoon laundryman.
If you propose to cut off road and bridge
taxes, there is objection; if you attempt re-
duction of the fees of county officers, you con-
vulse the local politicians of the General AS
sembly, and you will fill the lobbies with re-
monstrants; if an effort is made to restrict 'he
power of local taxation for extravagant school
buildings, the proposition is met with storm
of indignation. On the whole it seems i'm
possible for the Legislature to rise above the
petty plane of personal and local interests; i'm
possible for our legislators to distinguish be-
tween large general principles and mere tenn
porary expedents; impossible for them to lay
down and adhere to any broad and comprehen-
sive system of legislation applicable to the
great and controlling interests or the people
whom they represent. Their whole scheme
seems to resolve itself into the formation of
local interests and individual advancement.-
OF course there are exceptions, but they are
weighed down by the general narrow minded
spirit of selfshness which prevails.
The State Journal Of Monday morning had
the following trenchant and graphic article on
the Legislature:
A Coon "FEE."-Mr. Fee, of Brown, made
the most important "move," on Saturday,
, that has been made in the House of Rcprescn-
, tstives. He has not been among the loquac-
} ious ones, who "think they shall be heard for
, their much speaking and has evidently wit
, messed, with the same irreverence that Others
have manifested the propensity that bcscts
: all tho would-be "lcaders" to legislste over
: much. lie had probably counted up the one
! hundred and forty odd ."notices of new bills'
4 that have already been given in the House.
Q bills "to repeal" bills ito fix" bills "to regu-
D late" bills ito amend" and bills Ito provide
t for' everybody and everything-and like a
8 sensible man, he concluded to make a clean
4 job Of the business, and therefore gave solemn
notice that "he probably would on tomorrow
or some subsequent day Of the session, intro
0 duce bill to repeal or amend the remainder
of the laws in the State Of Ohio.
> This il certainly the most sensible way Of
getting to the end Of what the House has
been at-the complete arrangement of pub
lie affairs. They seem to be led to believe
by their retrcnchments f.ror that the State
of Ohio has more laws than can be well af
\ forded in hard times--they will therefore re-
peal, alter and destroy.
: Their session, consume the total of Jou'
hours each day-and their pay happens to b(
> Just as many dollars day esch as are thu
hours they spend From these data we pre-
. sumo that tolerable correct calculation as tt
= the daily amount required for the pay of mem
bers is not beyond the arithmetic of most o
. the members themselves To this add OK
penses of clerks, sergeants pages and inciden
tails, and the daily expense of the House i
II not short of $400, and this is $1O0 per hou
= for their working hours Now this ret'ench
ing body spent, the other day, about tw'
+ hours of its time in 'cntrenching thomselve
IL by retrenching, and actually succeeded, at a
n expense ofonly two hundred dollars, in savin
u the State full one hundred and .ffy'dolNar
l. which they took away from the little mos
-! senger boys For this trcnchant display G
l. rctrenchment the people ought to be hugel
1, thankful the more SO, as the same retren
g ching body forthwith elected commissions
n of spitoons," and at the same time moved t
o abolish the Office Of Commissioner Of Schools
1t And the wonder yet remains that, in thei
g retrenchment spasms, they did not devolv
the "Spitoon Department" as they propos
to do the School Department, under tn
Secretary Of the State.
Yea, Mr. Fee, ofBrown, is right. Like a
honest man, he would retrench by awhole
- sale contract--by legislatng on every thin
y at once-and not triAing details, which is
mode of procedure both expensive and il
" glorious
~ The Way they arc Going to dc 1t.
10 A Richmond paper publishes an articl
from the advance sheet Of De Bows Review
which is considered by some semi ofici;
= announcement of the policy of the Rebel leae
I'd ers We publish below some of the mo-
ID striking passages: .. ....