Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1868-01-16
]TERMS: 81 90 PER YEAR.
NO. 8.

JhaJ 4 am not eXAggelaIlhB lne real
evils which result. Another practi-
cal effect is the abandonment Of the
old principle ofour law, that no man
shall be forced to criminate himself.
He does this when his omission to
testify is taken for admission Of guilt
II this principle is abandoned, !
shor'i prefer to adopt the French
system Of interrogating prisoners
by the Court, as avoiding at lea t
the great tendency to voluntary per.
jury. l am constrained, therefore,
to recommend the repeal Of the law.
PARDoNs.
The increased number Of prison.
ers in the Penitentiary has made the
duty Of inyestiea a.ing applications
more burdensomc during the past
year than common. In a large
class Of cases occurring immediate
| ly after the close Of the war, the SEN
tences were more severe than had
been usual before, owing to the ne
cessity felt by the judiciary to check
the apparent tendency to crimes of
violence. In a considerable mum
Der of these cases the judges have
regarded it proper to recommend
the remission Of a part Of the sen
tence especially when the communi-
ty seemed to have regained it ordi-
nary quiet and law-abiding charac-
ter. have endeavorcd to use the
right to exercise clemency in strict
cooperation and good understand
ing with the judiciary, and the
detailed report of pardons issued
will show very few cases in which
the judge who tried the cause has
not urged the pardon.
SECRETARY OF STATES REPORT.
The Secretary of State, besides
presenting the usual report from
his Office, has, in obedience to the
requirement of the last Ger eral As
sembly, collected with great indus
try such information as could be
obtained in regard to authentic por- !
traits of the earlier Governors of
the State, which there had been
some thought of preserving in the |
Capitol. Whatever information on |
the subject can now be made avail
able is thus laid before you in au-
thentic form for such actions as may |
seem appropriate.
PRINTING AND BINDING.
The Supervisor of Printing re
ports that the cost Of printing pub |
lie documents and binding the same
for the year past, has been but lit
tie over one-third the amount ex-
pended the preceding year; and
that this change is mainly owing to
the difference in the contract price
for the unit of measurement, the
quantity of work being about the
same. He also reports himself |
ready to assume entire charge of
the binding for the State under the
statute for introducing printing and
binding into the mechanical instruc-
ton of pupils in the Deaf and Dumb
Asylum, if small additional appro
pria.ion is made for that purpose.
RAILROADS, &C.
The commissioner of Railroads |
and Telegraphs has in the compar
atiyely short time since his office
was created, made a thorough in
yestigation of the history, cost,
construction, management, DC, Of
the various lines within the State. -
The collection and arrangement of
these facts, in accessible form, is in
inself Of very great value, and not
only affords reliable basis for leg
islating upon this important class
of interests, but exhibits to the
world the most authentic evidence
of the extent to which great pub
lie improvements have been carried
in Ohio. The practical sugges-
tions of the Commissioner upon the
many delicate and intricate ques-
tions arising between the people
and these useful corporations, are
worthy of the most careful consid7
Grafton.
PUBLIC WORKS.
In accordance with the directions
of the statute on that subject, the
lease of the Canals and Public
Works has been renewed and eX-
tended for ten years, SO that itnow
runs to June l, 1881, The Board
of Public Works express great sat
with the energy and
with which the lessees
have made the costly repairs re-
ouired on the canals in consequence
of the great freshets of 1866, and
give good reasons for believing
the interests of the state are not suf- ,
fering by the conditions and terms
Of the lease. The drouth Of the
past season has greatly interfered
with water transportation on the
canals and rivers, but it would seem
hat everything has heen done !
which was possible to overcome the
difficulty.
GAS INSPECTION.
An Inspectorship of Gas Metres
vas established by act of the last
General Assembly, and that duty is
n the hands of one of the most able
md well known chemists of the
His report details the
steps taken by him to carry out the t
of the law, and the