Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1865-11-17

State could be invested in her own
stocks it would greatly cheaper and sim
plify her financial system, and restore to
ITS administration that public confidence,
the ABSENCE of which has long been felt
Should the assets of the sinking funds
be converted into our public debt, as l
have suggested, the whole debt of the
State left outstanding in the hands of
her creditors to be provided for might be
thus stated: f0HfFMHE s 8H
Two and half and i've per cent
stoeK ,0S0 80
Yincennes University bonds ............ 6s,6s5 90
Floating debt, estimated 100 900 90
Total 1890. 1865 80
The conversion suggested can be made
within the next six months, and there is
no propriety in the State appearing to
the world as being indebted in the sum
of seven or eight millions of dollars when
she has the means in her own hands of
reducing it to less than four millions.
REMUNERATION AND APPoRTIoNMENr.
1t is not creditable to the State that
any provision of its Constitution, man.
datory in its character and not in con
hict with the National Constitution.
should remain a dead letter because OF
the non-action of the legislative depart
ment. If lawmakers would have their
enactments obeyed by the masses, they
should set an example of obedience by
a prompt and faithful performance Of
those duties enioined upon them by the
higher law contained in the Constitution
itself More than fourteen years have
elapsed since the adoption of the pres
ent Consultation of the State, aud to
this day there are two subjects on which
It's language is that of positive CON-
mand, where there has been no cores
ponding obedience-one of these sub
jects being almost vital to the existence
of the Legislature itself The first OF
these is the periodical enumeration of
the white male inhabitants above the age
Of q, and the periodical lapportionment
Of Senators and Representatives based
upon this enumeration. The other is
the providing of Houses of Correction
and Reformation for juvenile offenders.
Allow me earnestly to call your atten-
ton to both of these constitutional man.
dates in the order above stated. The
Constitution of 1851 provides tn 1t the
first and second elections of members of
the General Assembly. after its taking
effect shall be according to the appor-
ltionment last made by the General As
sembly before toe adoption of said Con-
stitutioh. This provision gave ample
time for making the enumeration and
apportionment required by the organic
law Of the State. The Constitution says
that the General Assembly shall, at its
second session after the adoption of this
Constitution, and every six years there.
after, cause an enumeration to be made
of all the white male inhabitants over
the age of twenty-one years. 1t further
says that, "the number of Senators and
Representatives shall, at the session next
following each period of making such
enumeration, be fixed by law and appor-
toned among the several counties ac-
cording to the number of white male in
habitants above twenty-one years of age
in EACH" The General Assembly of
1868 designed to carry out the first of
these provisions by passing an act ap-
proved February 24th, 1858, entitled
San act to provide for the enumeration
of all white male Inhabitants over the
age of twenty one years, in the State of
Indiana, in the year 1858, and pay the
officers for taking the same" In conse!
quence of defects in this law, as l under
stand the matter, the enumeration con-
tempiated by it was never completed and
published, and although more than
twelve years have since elapsed, no
other act providing for an enumeration
has been passed. In 1857 the General
Assembly passed an act entitled Gan
act to apportion Senators and Represent
tatiVes for the next four years. This
act was not based upon an enumera-
ton of the while male inhabitants of the
State over the age of twenty-one years,
for no such enumeration had been com.
pleted, and although it has long since
expired by its own Limitation, no other
apportlonment law has been enacted in
its place, and by common consent. and
from the necessity of the case, members
of both Houses of the General Assembly
are still elected under the provisions of
this law which has ceased to exist. and
which, if in existence, has become
grossly unjust and unequal bys the
change in the population of the several
counties of the State since 1857. A lit.
eral compliance with the Constitution as
to enumeration and superintendent il
now impossible, but the nearest nract;.
cable approach to it should be PROMPTLY
made. To this end, recommend the
passage OF an act providing for an emu
meration such as is Contemplated BY the
Constitution, to be made in 1866, and
another in 1871, and another every
sixth year after the year 1871. These
periodical enumerations should be nro-
vlded for by a permanent enactment
that would require no renewal at the
expiration of each period OF six wears
and to secure its enforcement there
should be adequate penalties for anv
failure of duty on the part of the officers
charged with making the enumeration
To meet the present emergency. fnr-
Their recommend the passage of law.
temporary in its character, making a
new apportionment of Senator's and
Representatives on the basis of the
votes cast at the Presidential election in
1864, such apportionment to continue
until a new one can be made. .haseS
upon the enumeration required by Con.
gress.
HOUSE OF REFORM For JUVENILE OPEN.
,ap A4zsoe 81 DERs. arAu a.Ea 81
The other particular before alluded
to, in which a positive requirement of
the Constitution has hitherto baen
wholly disregarded, relates to the es-
Enlistment of Houses of Correction
and Reform for Juvenile Offenders
The second section of the ninth art;-
Gle of the Constitution reads as follows
viz:
1.-THE General Assembly shall provide
Houses of Refuge for the Correction
and Reformation of Juvenile Offend
ers.'h
I'm accordance with this humane and
enlightened provision, the eighteenth,
section of the first article further pro-
vides that the penal code shall be found
ed on the principles of reformation, and
not of vindictive Justice. ssa-a
1t may well be doubted whether the
county jails should in any instance be
used as places of punishment for anv
class of offenders, and whether thew
should not be solely employed as places
Of detention of accused persons awaits
ng trial. Be this as it may, there can
% no doubt as to the duty and policy of |
speedily establishing Houses ofReform
or Juvenile Offenders. szsaI-a
The Legislature of 1855, IMPRESSED /
With the propriety. of providing a place
where youthful offenders might be con.
med, uncontaminated by the proximity
nd examples of old and hardened Grim.