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

t111S~ NS C1A DAAS
tised by public officers of the general, and
perhaps State governments. II, therefore,
any legislative action shall follow this
recommendation, great care and wisdom
ought to be used, to prevent our v
SCENTS from committing these frauds,
which they are called into power to pre-
vent.
The report of the Quartermaster-Gen
eral embraces a s~uecinct account of the
operations of the military agencies during
the past year.
PAY AGENTS.
The gross amount of allotment
receIved by these agents from Ohio SOL
diers, and paid into the Treasury, is
$S,465, IO2 30, of which, as has already
been stated, S4,43I,433 20, OF more than
one-haf of the entire sum, were collected
during the year 1865, and that too with a
loss to the State of only one hundred dol
lars tSlOO.1 This loss resulted from one
of the agents receiving, IN a moment of
great hurry, s counterfeit note. As fhe
necessity for these officers no longer exists.
it is presumed that the General Assembly
will legislate accordingly. w
SUPREME COURT. HgE
An act of the General Assembly was
passed On March 20, 1865, $40 relieve the
judges Of the Supreme Court from duty in
the District Courts for the year 1865"
Much doubt has been entertained and ex-
pressed as TO the propriety Of this legisla-
tiOn, but there would seem to be no longer
a just ground to doubt upon this policy,
The Court has remained in session at the
Capital in the extra session thus autho-
rized, a greater length of time thar its
Judges would otherwise have been re-
quired to labor in the district courts. 1t
has thereby been enabled during the year
to dispose of at least double the usual
amount of business, and TO begin its pre-.
sent term with a docket largely reduced.
hi disadvantages of suffering the cases
to get so far in advance of the ability of
the court to get through the docket and
the benefit to the people of having prompt
decisions to their causes, are so many and
so great, that it is worth some sacrifice of
others to bring about such a result An
other year of like action would probably
clear the docket once more. And /
should be tempted to recommend the re-
newal of the act for the public benefit but
for three considerations One is, some
danger of such repetitions becoming con-
frmed into p~recedents; another, that
members of the bar have doubtless con-
tinped their cases in the district courts last
summer, under the confident expectation
Of having a justice of the Supreme Court
to preside at the trial in the next; and the
third reason for not now renewing this
proceeding is, that it is really working the
Supreme Court too hard. The district
court service is a holiday of health and
pleasure compared to such q summer of
duties in general session.
NATIONAL GUARD LAW. laa d
Much complaint has been made against
the militia fine of four dollars, Of the en-
rollment and other operations of the act
of March 81, 1864, "to organize and dis
cipline the militia Of Ohio" and the
amendatory act, passed April Il, 1865.
This fine, it really seems to me, nowthat
the war is over, Qike all other military
expenditures and displays,) ought to be
greatly reduced. And surely the enroll
ing processes should be so modified as to
suppress or punish those abuses, by which
such large sums Of money are made in
each year in some of the counties, by the
officers executing them. ] am informed
that for the 10000 men enrolled in Hamil-.
ton county, for example, the part Of the
fines which goes as fees to the officer for
defaults, after the 18th of September,
amounts, perhaps, to $4,000 per dn'fIus
or more. 1880 r--1
In some of the counties the Treasurer
claims not only the five per centum for
collection, but the thirty per cent, penalty
on the four dollars in default The law,
however, seems plain enough, and perhaps
~ ,-oa1o- II a. Ill., g.
may effeetuate an observance of its pur-
pose, and SO -obviate the necessity of An
amendment in that particular.
The cost too, Of so many and such fire.
quent medical examinations for disability
is a useless and odious ~vexatiOn. Ger
tainlya man who is permanently disabled,
(say without his leg Or arm,) need not be
subjected to the tax of money and time by
a yearly repetition of this ceremony. So
of the men actually serving in the Ma
tional Guard itself. What utility can
there be in re-examining them year after
year, These exceptions for disability, by
the way, in our population, make a bigger
thing than might at first thought be
guessed. They are already reported at
100, 900 men, and are estimated, for next
years report, at 800, DOC These figures
denote a direct annual expenditure in
money by the unfortunates of, $4,000,
and $3.50, eco per annum, not to calculate
the much greater value of time lost BY the
proceeding. War and its shadows and
foreshadows are costly things, truly. Il
fine, in our present circumstances -,
entire law should be r~e-examined dtsS
made to conform to them. II was right
enough a year ago, but thank God and
our brave army, ayear has made a happy
change for US all, if We-have only the
sense to improve it.. n -Fs sIgI.-ql
THE SOLDIERS HOME S SH m
The report of the S~urgeeArd to sEil I'll
the State will sufficiently %
our proceedings in that behalf. It will be
seen how useful and benefcent have al
ready been its management and results.
This experiment now awaits, with the
derived from its experiences,
the action which, in your generous wish
dom, you may determine to take in
to it. 'A4lt
The question is in some respects, a new
one, and like all novel experiments of
such magnitude, it will naturally and
necessarily disclose the truth, that many
for and against the principle of
this form of doing good-and justice, too,
be well and honestly entertained
by most sensible people. IL
Its chief difficulties and disadvantages
are; That it can make no provision for
married men, Ia large Glass; except in
separation from their families, and that it,
is an obtrusive form of open, public
which disregards and violates the
national spirit of pride and independence
in men and is, therefore, not in conson-
with our past national habits and
institutions. Tothese allegations, we may
only reply; First, that if other large |,
of claimants upon our bounty and
can be better, or alone, provided
for in this manner, the unavoidable exclu-
sion of the class in question, is no objec-
ton to the plan; because, we are bound ]
ts do all the good to all the classes, which
can do. And, if the obligation really
toward the unmarried, we sholldbe
doing them an injustice by neglecting
1, for a reason, not pertinent to theirs, but
o smother case. The true rule is: To do
he best we can for each class, according
% the circumstances and capabilities
which appertain TO each. If married men
cannot be provided for, in a public Sol I
lierS Home, we must devise some etheF
md, for them, better system of support.
Secondly, the apparent disregard Of the
of the pensiOner, is merely apRa-
ont Tha fact ef the same r~elafinnshinj .