Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1866-01-03

4O0DI1GLs
In making this appointment, my pur-
pose was three-fold: l not only desired to
obtain an officer, eminently fitted BY his
abilities and experience to perform its
strictly official duties, but a person whose
qualities and good name would quiet the
public apprehensions as to the safety of
the States treasure I also desired in him
those qualifications which would enable
him to carefully examine and digest the
various statutes in force and either to cod
lfy them, if necessary to make such sug-
gestions Of amendment as might so occur
to him. You have his report, and 1 beg
lesve to commend it to YOU consideration
with the remark, that the opinions of such
an officer are worthy of great respect, and
that the special amendments which he in
dictates, seem to be most judicious. lam
pleased to have his opinion that the law
is so generally good as to need but slight
amendment. Changes in laws should
never be made except for weighty reasons.
BENEVOLENT INSTITUTIONS. Hai
In addition to the facts already present.
ed and inferable from the foregoing
statements in regard to the finances of
these institutions, Think it useful to make
some general observations upon them. In
the first place, being of the fixed and clear
opinion, that it is the serious duty of all
of us, in the State and nation, at this
time, to come promptly and severely down
from war to peace, and from war prices
and expenditures to the simplest and
plainest economy, compatible with peace
and with the heavy burdens of war debt,
which peace must always bear. Retrench-
ment, so often a pretext of demagogues,
has become with us, (ff we would protect
our interests, or maintain our honor an
imperative, overwhelming necessity. Not
withstanding this truth, however, my
judgment and feeling unite in the conclu-
sion, that the last places in which we
ought to economic in this strictness and
severity are in these asylums and schools
for the unfortunate of our kind and coun-
try. We must, on no account, starYe ]
and stint the insane, the idiotic, the
blind, the deaf and dumb, or the impov-
erished, MANNED, invalid soldier, who has
spent his substance, shed his blood, or
wasted his health, to save us all from
ruin. Upon the other hand, again, the
very principle and spirit of this advice de-
mands that our benevolent purposes and
appropriations should actually reach their
objects, and ought not to be taken adyant-
age of and misapplied to other uses, or to
the unjust emolument of their agents; and
in the exact proportion that the State,
amidst these present circumstances of her
finances, shall be bountifuI to the bene
~iciaries of these funds, ought it sternly to
exact of its officers, the more strictly faith
full economy and integrity in their due ap-
plication OF them. l do not know that
there is in these reports n evidence of
particular looseness of action, or of ac-
counting, by these officers. But the occa-
sion is such, the highnsss of our prices, the
scale of our expenditures, the irregulari-
ties arising from these conditions and the
needless public opinion in regard to them
all admonish Us of the wisdom; nav, the |
necessity of our making this happy change
from war TO peace an opportunity ofprompt-
ly and bravely returning to consonantideas
and habits. Think the Legislature ought to
investigate and scrutinize, by committees
or otherwise, every account of every officer
in all the departments of the government,
and TO devise and initiate a new system of
economical though efficient administration
of its taxes and finances, which should in
clude no trace in form, no stain in spirit of
those bad morals which the war has already
spread SO widely amongst our officers and
people.
With these simple and general PROPOSE
lions, applicable to all other departments,
as well as to our institutions of benevo-
lence, ] proceed again to more specific and
detailed statements and recommendations.
The building upon the new Deaf and
Dumb Asylum has progressed as rapidly
and fayerably as the attendant difficulties
(specifed in the report of the Architect)
would admit. The plan seems to be one
of the most complete, co~mmodious and ell
egant in this. or any other State and the J.
quality of the work Is Axeellent, Utmost be-
ynnd COMPARISON with any of our other
public buildings. The design and e1ecu-
ton alike do great credit to Mr.. Blackburn,
and again evince the uncommon Judgment
and discrimination of our late Governors in
his selection of this Architect and Superin-
tendent. /
The wing for the school is SO far com
pleted as to be ready for an appropriation
to furnish it. The necessities Of this insti-
tuition have been so repeatedly and urgent
" pressed upon you, in this regard, that it
is scarcely necessary for me to say more
formally to recommend this appro-
priation. Y ,
The Institution for the Education of the
Blind presents q case for an appropriation
which | do not well see how the General
Assembly can refuse. The Central Luna
tic Asylum is also in a condition in which
an early appropriation for extensive re-
pairs seems to be the better ecouOmy.
take occasion, here to call attention to
the various and somewhat loose sort of ac-
ao,rDkinr h. ~, &c Ahoon INSTITUTIONS
Ought not the Legislature to prescribe a
system? 1 think its committees
must occasionally experience both delay
and uncertainty in examining these &C
1t may be observed that in sever
II ofthem, there is an exact equality of the
'uns of the receipts and expenditures !
any balance. If this indicates a
determination, skillfully, to exhaust the i
appropriation, whatever it may be, it is !
n poor encouragement for the Z
Legislature to give a margin over the i
lose estimate, for casualties and contin-
This allowance should always be I
made in the appropriations; but the insti- j
utions certainly should not feel under /
obligation to expend any more money I
han if the margin had not been granted {
hem. % a- T
All changes in'this kind of laws should :
,e avoided, if possible. But it does seem Z
whether the whole system ofpur- {
bases by these institutions ought not like q
ther claims, to pass through the Auditors q
La
1t is observable also that several of them '
n their reports treat the proceeds of their S
,wn sales (under the head of Receipts I
other sources :" as their own and not (
S the States funds. But section 10 of the i
ct to establish the Independent Treasury +
# the State of Ohio seems to settle this r
uestion. It is not anew one. The Comp q
of the Treasury and COMMITTEES of I
ha GOnOrnlA ssemhlyhave repeatedly dis O
used it. tt ought to be repealed or else
omplied with. az ras $
The Northern Lunatic Asylum, whose
arious difficulties seem to have perplexed t
9th the General Assembly and the late I
Governor, appears now (those difficulties v
aving been removed or r~eeonciled) to be
~harmoniously and efficiently. n
It will be observed that the report T.
f the Directors of this Institution attrib- j
ties a certain increase in the current ex- o
,enditure account to my advice, that they q
hould advance this sum from that fHnd to p
he Special Improvement fund. This is
rue. TIE circumstances and reasons &
rhich induced that advice were these z: s.
Jpon the request of the Board 1 visited s.
be Institution at the meeting of its Trus- v
ees to aid, so far as ] could, in ~reeoncil- d