Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1864-01-09
THE oovERNoR,s MESSAGE.

Constitution, which requires the Governor
50 f'communicate TO the General Assembly
the condition Of the State, and recon mend
sucb measures as be may deem sexpedient :"
address you.
The condition OF my health for the past
few weeks, ard my present iudispositioD,
win account for the brevity Of the commu. :.
nicatlon.
Your we'll known character for intelli.
gcnce aud experience as legislators makes
II necessary, only, that you be put in pos.
session Of the true condition of the affairs of
the, State, to enable you 10 adopt such
legislation as the welfare Of our common
constituents demands.
The past year has been one of severe 10.
bor to all concerned 10 the administration
Of the government; aud / take pleasure in
bearing testimony to the faithful and
yigilsnt manner 10 which the Auditor of
State, Treasurer of State, Secretary of
State, Comptroller of the Treasury, Sup.
OF the State House, Supt of the Public
Printing, and the Librarian, have severally
performed their respective duties. Iregret
that i cannot include the Attorney General
and the former Comm ssoDer Of Common
Schools intbis commendation. The School
Commissioner, fortunately for the State,
resigned his Office on the llth day of No.
vember last, and the place is now filed by
highly competent and worthy man.
The duties of the Executive are so ar.
.durous as to command every moment OF
his time. To demonstrate this, it is sufi
cient to refer you 10 the note Of Private
Secretary Hoffman, herewith, giving
somewhat detailed statement of the labors
OF the Office. 10 view Of the increased labor
thrown upon this department, also upon the
departments..of the Auditor and Treasurer
OF State, consequent upon the war, sdded
10 the fact that the expenses of living in
sbis city have greatly increased within the
past two years, l recommend an increase
Of the salaries of these officers. This
increase should not be less than fifty per
cent and to secure the benefit of such
increase to the incoming cflicers, immediate
action, during the first week Of your ses.
sion, is necessary ss the Constitute on forbids
the increase of salaries of any Of the State
Officers during the term for which they are
elected. am aware that the people of
Ohio have never favored high salaries to
their public officers; but also we'll know,
that they will checrfully sustain US in fixing
such rate of compensation as will enable
those ia Moderate pecuDiary circumstances
70 accept positions Of high trnst and couf
dence. | also renew my recommendation
OF last year. for proper increase of the
salary of the Superintendent Of Public
Printing The duties of this Office are
highly important to the State, and have
materially increased vii hin the past year
The present rats of compensation is entire
Jy inadequate TO the duties.
/ invite your special attention to the
Auditors views on the subject of abolisbiDg
the Office OF Comptroller of the Treasury
and urge that your 6uance committees
Thoroughly investigate the matter. So far
es an able to discover, | can see no prac-
tical good result from maintaining this Of,
Gee. -.
,g During the early part of the past year,
An unusual degree of excitement, disorder
and violence prevailed 10 many parts Of the
State; to such an ex eat did this state OF
lawlessness exist, as to make it necessary
to send su armed force TO several points in
the State, 10 maintain the peace. The
points Of greatest alarm and apprt hension
were in the counties Of Holmes and Mont,
gomery. To great extent, the causes Of
this unhappy condition of affairs may be
attributed to political excitement and party
strife. j am most happy to announce,
however, that as the day for the election
approached, the passions aud prejudces of
the people became allayed; and reason and
Judgment thus left free 10 act, quiet aud
erder throughout the State was the happy
consequence; we have seldom, if ever. had
q more quiet and orderly election. Copies
of the several orders, aud other correspon
dence relating to this important matter,
will be found among the documents here
with, No. Is.
II will be seen that the Il: ain or princ
pie cause of the d ficul'y referred TO, grew
out OF the effort on the part OF the officers
and agents of the National Government, to
enforce upon our citiz-ns tho military or.
ders Of the President of The United States F.;
erders deemed necessary by him to crush
cot and pu. down the rebellion. 1t was
claimed, or pretended to be claimed, by
those who resisted or counseed resistance
TO the enforcement of these orders, that
they were unconstitutional aud void Hap.
PLY Tor us as nation aud peop'e, we had
enjoyed SO many years OF peace. that the
question arising, touching the powers Of the
president when the nation is iu civil war,
had been but little discussed by the preseut
generation Of people, and therefore were
not thoroughly understood by them The
Constitution had simply declared that "lhe
President shall he commander in chief Of
the army and navy of the United States"
What q commander in chief of The army
and navy of nation might do, or night
not do, when the nation was at war IO
snaintain its very existence, the trainers OF
ouf Constitution wisely omitted TO attempt
20 deine. say wisely. for it is not in the
province of any one nation on earth 10 de
fns the authority of the commander il
chief Of its army aud navy; that is the
combined work Of all the civilized nptious;
.ss must therefore study the laws of nations
10 find out the limit aud extent of this Of
fcsr's authority Thus viewing this qaes'
tion, and believing as i did. that the sew
eral military orders issued by the Presi
dant. or uDder his authority. which in any