Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1866-01-18


idleness and the contempt Of. others will pro.
dnce, many of them will become most unhap.
'py in their own constant feelings, and de,
spised nuisance TO the people around them.
This is strong contrast, but l fear il will be
found true one. Ifithe one plan makes
pensioners, the other creates both pauperlsn,
and vagrancy. And, as to other .incompati-
bilities with our past national tastes and ideas,
II Is sufficient to say that they are past aud
past praying for, too !. The nation (which has,
and must have the very largest list, both of
pensioners and paupers, to be supported by
public justice in the one case, and by charity
on the other, which is on the earth, or that
eyerIwas ON the earthly must make MP its
mind to cease its cant about its having none,
and about the false .prides Of its independent
poor The Freedmen's Bureau must tell its
true story Of the pauper charity for millions.
The records of our Soldiers Homes and Hos.
pitals must expose their armless and legless
victim-heroes Of this awful war, as the ex-
preston of our pensionary Justice. Or else
some of them, perhaps not a few, will, at much
greater expense to US, shiver and starve, get
drunk, grow riotous, commit crimes, and fill
our PRISONS Or it may be, alas shame us
from the galows in every village and at every
crossroads throughout the land Their
lives must become a cruel burden to.thcm
selves, and a burning disgrace to us, so long
as they shall live. And is this fate which
we are willing to see and cause for those no
BILE patrots2 / cannot believe it.
Retrenchment in our enormous expenses il
indeed an especial desire of mine But here
as in our Benevolent Institutions, is not the
place for false economy. And tina; the econ
omy is false, let any man who may he fright
ened Mt the numbers of these Soldiers Homes
and the consequent startling sums necessary
in the aggregate to maintain them, propose
his alternative schemes for their relief or sup.
port. Let him calculate and show his own
comparative expenditures by other plans
Would he divide them among the county
poorhousos for economy? Division does not
cxtinguish tn" quantity divided. Would he
hide them away in private life, to subsist as
they may OH private charity? Concenlnent
does not suppress an evil 1t were'as wise SC
to scatter and conceal, in the general mass
the inmates of the smallpox hospitals. For
be it remembered, that these vices of your
volunteer paupers (madc SO by yonr neglect
would be as contagious, too, as that disease,
AS already suggested, that evil will reappear
in spite of your closed eyes, and with horrid
increase of your taxes, at all the centers oi
misery and crime 1t is no economyit is
downright extravagance--to undertake to
support large classes of benefciaries upon re.
tail instead Of Wholesale principles. trust
then the General Assembly will found this
nnhln in.tifpf;o,, ri ,>c ;,,+;n,
wisely and generously.
MISCELLANEOUS MATTERS
Many cnactments and amendments of the
laws have been suggested to ME for recon-
mendation to you. Among those which
feel justified in so recommending are the sug
gest!ons of the Secretary of State in regarG
to the Great Seal of the State and its uses
and to the election laws.
Whilst upon that subject beg leave t.
say, as my own opinion that the soldiers
voting law ought to be at once repeald. There
is no need of any such privilege now. And
| trust that we may never again have the oc.
cassion and necessity for it. Uuless repealed
it will serve alone to obstruct and delay the
returns Of our general elections.
The approaching pestilencc Of Asiatic chol.
era, so soon, probably, to aict the hearts Of
our people by its distinctions of life and hap
piness, must occupy your gravcst del!bera
tons. What YOU can do is difficult to- deter
mine 1t may be That the best thing you cal,
do will be to authorize the cities, towns and
villages of the state to legislate (within youi
own well educated and prescribed directions
and limits) for its prevention and allcviatlon.
The usuage is u bad one as u system of egis.
laton. But if there are some cases in which
the delegation of such authority must be
granted, this would really seem to bc one Of
them.
Some Of my predecessors have recorlmnrd
cd the establishment OF Inebriate Asylums
Drunkenness is again becoming much too
common a vice. And, in all probability, as
other excitcmcnts Of the war shall subsidc, it
will continue and increase. 1t may, there
fore, perhaps, be well enough for the General
Assembly again to consider this matter. If,
in your Judgment, the iinan,ies of the state
will Justify the expenditure, you can scarcely
do better than to initiate this bcnevoence
And now, trusting that the General Assem-
bly, of this great commonwealth, in all these
their varied and momentous duties and re-
sponsibilities, may deliberate and decide wor,
thly and well for its people, and that the peo.
pie shall, through all their generations, be-
come and remain worthy descendants of our
fathers who bequeathed us all our liberties
and privileges, humbly commend all to the
kind care and guidance Of that Good Being,
who has made and preserved us as n ma
ton CHARLES ANDERSON.
January lst, lSd6. 'st ..-.- .s ..,