Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-07-29

1yrdHSi6FIeu from GllS IuQQ1Or tne SuppOIb1
/ OF the Soldiers Home, and $S00,000 to the
sinking Fund, which, as will be seen from
laaother part of this report, needs this re-
flief-leavihg $l,100.000 for distribution.
Some have proposed that the State should
| give a pension to the soldiers who have
been disabled, and to the families of those
who have died or been killed in the service,
during the late rebellion; but. in my judg-
ment, it is far preferable to aid the families
of these classes, who need such aid, in the
manner we have hitherto done. 1t will be
more economical, and, far more beneficial
to such. families aOne-half mill on the dol
lar, of the grand levy of the State, will
hereafter yield from five to seven hundred
thousand dollars, which will furnish from
seventy.five to one hundred dollars, annua
ally, to each of such families. This, with
their pensions from the U. S. and the prop-
er Industry OF the families, will place them
in circumstances of comfort which will
compare favorably with the circumstances
of the majority of laboring people around
them." 'i'l- .'-i~ r.. '"i D..
| This extract tells the tale. 1t was a: FORE
gone conclusion to steal this fund, and the
pressing necessity which the Auditor of
State, GOODMAN, urged, when he called
the Finance committee of the two Houses
together, that it was to save the unstained
honor of the State, likely to be tarnished
by having her paper dishonored, was all
mere pretenee.l sat WARE sssil e ~
After thus, in the fall of 1866, deciding
that there was little or no use for the Sol
diers' Relief Fund, the tables in the very
report from which we quote, show that
there were 37,11S necessitous families OF
soldiers requiring aid from the State in or
der to enable them to support life outside
of the county poor house. The succeeding
report of the same Auditor, made after his
recommendation that the lions share of
the fund reserved and set apart for the re-
| lief of the destitute soldiers and the neces-
sitous families of those who had fallen in
battle or incapacitated by wounds or dis
ease, show. that in seventy counties of
the State, the number of families
of soldiers, left in starving condition, was
1880, and the number of soldiers, without
| families, MANNED or prostrated with disease,
so asto be unable to make living, amount
ed to 672. This list is far from being full,
as in over twenty per cent. of the counties
! there is no, report. The counties not re-
porting are: Ashland, Butler, Cuyahoga,
Franklin, Fulton, Hancock, Holmes, Huron,
Lawrence, Mahoning, Marion, Meigs, Mon
roe, Morrow, Muskingum, Pike, Preble,
Tuscarawas and Wyandot--nineteen in
number, and embracing some of the most
populous in the State. A low estimate for
these counties would give the whole num-
Der of necessitous soldiers families in Ohio
at six thousand three hundred and ninety
six-the number of crippled or diseased
soldiers, unable to support life by the pro-
ceeds of their labor, at seven hundred and
six: The Auditors Report of December,
1866, estimates the amount of relief neces-
sary to the latter at SS2.7S2-to the neces-
sitous families, $652,53O-in all, seven hum
dred and thirty-five thousand three hun
dredand twelve dollars. tGl g.0S
To support these 1896 necessitous fami-
''boys in blue" during the winter of 1866
'67, after the eight hundred thousand dol
lars of the fund for their relief was taken,
by the Legislature and the Fund Commis-
sioners, the Auditor reports as in the Treas
ury, and ready to be distributed to the
counties for the relief of these destitutes,
the paltry sum of S117,712, or sixteen dol
lars and fifty-four cents tor each family for
the entire year, an amount not sufficient
to purchase fuel enough to keep the ''little
ones" from freezing. In each of these fami-
lies it is estimated there are four persons,
and this amount gives -four dollars, thir-
teen and one half cent each for their year
ly support, being one cent per day, with
a fraction over one cent per week as a
reserve fund, for clothing and sickness,
of each of these unfortunates.
To return to the seizure of the eight
hundred thousand dollars of the Soldiers
Relief Fund, by the Legislature, acting
under the orders of the Fund Commits
sioners: .~z6es..r ,zi1aa1 Al 'e. Hfets y
When the creditors of the State found
that there was no money in the State
Treasury to pay their just dues, and for
which the credit of the State was solemnly
pledged, they threa tened exposure by hav-
ing the drafts protested, -..,.-.. -.-...s i
In their fright, more scared at the
thoughts of the exposure than of the great
damage to the State, the Fund Commits
sioners, consisting of JAMES H.. GOODMAN,
Auditor of State, VIM. H. WEST, Attorney
General, and WIN. HENRY SMITH, Secretary
OF State-the two former now candidates
on the Negro Suffrage Ticket for re-elec-
tion-resolved, by the aid of their traint d
majority, to take from the Soldiers Relief
Fund EIGHT a UNDRED THOUSAND
DOLLARS of the money set, apart for the
support Of the necessitols families of the SOL
diers ,oho had fought, bled and died for the
Union during the late Civil War. This they
proposed to do, not only without warrant
of Constitutional law, but in direct and
open violation of the letter and spirit of
that instrument 5'-
The money forming this Soldiers Relief
Fund was raised by tax for specific
purpose, and for that purpose alone. The
law which levied the tax, stated distinctly,
as the Constitution requires, the object of
the same, and to the object so stated, the
Constitution (Seetion of Art. 1D says that
it alone shall be applied. The section is
in these words -.,- -,-...-s- y7q -l.
mo tax shall be LEVIED, except in pur-
suance of law, and every law imposing
tax, shall state, distinctly, the object OF the
same, to eoltich only 1t shall apply" RI an.
/ The Legislature, or rather the majority
who ruled it, passed the law for this trans
fer of the Soldiers Relief Fund, and as far
as an act so utterly unconstitutional could
be. it became the law of the land, and the
money was seized and appropriated for
different purpose aud one foreign to that
for which It was raised: The facts elicited
during the debate, led to the belief that,
at the time this fund was raised, although
as charity, to provide for the wants of
the starving poor, who by the war had lost
those whose duty and pleasure it was to