The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1868-01-16

remaining unsettled was transferred
to the Adiutant- Gene saFs.o flee. and
the Bureau of Soldiers Claims clo-
sed. The report Of Royal Taylor,
the commissioner, is appended here
to, showing that the business OF his
Office was faithfully performed, and
all the books records and papers
properly turned over to the Adju-
tant.General as provided by law. I
should be glad to be able to report
the same of JAS. G. Wetmore Esq.
fthe Washington agency. In June
last felt it my duty to make some
structures upon acts OF his Which APP
peared to me designed to defeat the
object of the law, for the sake ofper
sonal profit. by creating the impress
sion that the cessation to receive
new claims included also the cessa-
ton to prosecute gratnitously the
collection Of those already received.
The correspondence on this subject
was followed by the resignation Of
the agent on the FIRST Of July, when
I directed the Adjutant G encral to
ASSUME the duties OF the agency, aud
save the expense of q separate Office
for the short time it had still to ex-
ist. For this purpose General
Cawcn proceeded to Washington to
receive the transfer of the office and
its archives, but was unexpectedly
met BY refusal to deliver posses
sion OF the records and papers. AS
the duties of the agency were identi
cal in character with those of the
commississioncr of claims, whose
Office was in the State Capitol, and
I had then, and have now, no
more doubt of the right Of the State
to the records there than to those OF
the executive Office here, I directed
legal proceedings to be instituted to
obtain possession of the books and
documents. Ny view of the duties
OF that agent is that, like those Of
al other officers of the State Gov
ernment. they were administrative
only, and the State itself was the re-
sponsible principle to which the
soldiers entrusted their claims and
look for the performance Of the trls
the agent being strictly IN enlploye
of the State which paid him, and
in no sense the employe of the sol
diers.
Thelocal Court of the District of
Columbia, before which the case was
brought held, however, that the
agent was the agent of the State
only for the purpose of receiving a
salary, and that the archives of the
Office and record books furnished by
the State are the agents personal
property. Dissatisfied with this de-
cision, the Adjutant- General has,
with my approval, appealed to the
Supreme Court of the Uuited States
where the case will soon be heard
and decided.
a full history of this transaction,
as well as Of the means which have
been energetically used by the Ad
jutant General to protect the inter
ests of the soldiers under the en-
barrassments incident to the failure
to obtain immediate possession of
the records of the office, will be
found in General Cowon's report.
To that report I would also refer
for a full exhibit of the steps taken
to close up the military business of
the State, of all kinds, and to bring
everything to peace footing by
dimination of the number OF
employees and clerks, and reduction
of expenditures.
The laws of the State provide for
. Commissioner Of immigration.
whose duty is to use all proper
means to turn the tide ofimmigrants
toward our own borders, and to
spread Information as to the resour-
ces of Ohio. For two years no ap-
preparation has been made for this
Office, and the law is practically a
dead letter. 1t may well be doubted
whether the Office established in this
State could be of real benefit. but
there can be no question that q
careful compilation of facts and sta
tistics with regard to the resources
of the State, and the advantages it
offers as home to the immigrant |
would be most useful. II to this
could be added complete geologi-
cal survey Of the State in detail
showing not simply the larger gen
eral features which are already pret-
ty we'll known, but the minuter facts
of it's geology and natural history.
the advantage would be felt both by
our present citizens and in the at
traction hither Of desirable classes
of new comers. Valuable essays on
special parts of these subjects have
from time to time, appeared in the
reports of the Board Of Agriculture.
and inindependent publications, and
it is thought that no great expense
would be incurred in bringing to-
gether and completing snch an ex-
hibit of,our resources as has been
referred to.
A very. respectable horticultural
society has called attention to the
necessity ola full investigation of
the nature and habits Of insects
which often commit great ravages
upon the orchards and fields in the
county. They represent with .ap
parent reason that the labor Of such |
an investigation can not be under
taken by individuals, and that public
advantage requires that it be done
NJ public cost. AS part of the com
pletc survey Of the Geology and |
Natural History ofthe State, the to-
pic is worthy o. your attention land |
1 am persuaded that such a work.
carefully performed, would be most
profitable investment ST the cost, by |
the encouragement and assistance
which would be thereby rendered to
the UPpaf uPndunif,rr intaroStc of tho |