Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1868-05-01


ommitted to MIR. Sherwin as committee
# one, with Instructions to amend.
Mr.. SHERWIN Immediately reported
he bill back amended as instructed, The
'eport was agreed to, and the question be-
ng on the passage of the bill. the yeas and
rays were called thereon. and resulted
7eas 81, z. So the bill passed.
BRIDGE BILL.
On motion of Mr.. PENNISTEN. II. B. |
No. 342, to amend an act passed April 8 |
1868, entitled an act supplementary to an |
ict entitled an act to provide for the crea-
hon and regulation of Incorporated com |
pantes in the State of Ohio, passed May l, |
1852, was taken from the table, and, pend |
Ing the consideration of the bill,
On motion of Mr.. PENNISTEN, the
House took a recess.
AFTERNOON SESSION.
A call of the House was had and 81 mem
bers were found present.
On motion of Mr.. Permission the Ser
geant-at-Arms was dispatched for the ab-
sentees.
Messrs. Wolf. Henricks, Howard and
DUNCAN appeared within the bar of the
House.
On motion of Mr.. MANN all further
proceedings under the call were dispensed
with.
The question was then on the passage of
the Cincinnati and Newport bridge bill.
Mr.. COCKERILL moved to recommit
the bill with instructions to amend by
striking out $50 feet and inserting 800 feet
as the length OF span.
The yeas and nays were called on recon-
mitting, aud resulted-yeas "a, nays 55. So
the House refused to recommit.
The question was then upon the passage
of the bill.
Mr.. WARREN thought the spans of all
the bridges across the Ohio ought to be at
least $50 feet. He deemed the matter of
great Importance to the navigation of the
Ohio, and trusted the House would so re-
gard it.
Mr.. .PENNISTEN thought that the addi-
tion of fifty feet to the span provided for
in the original bill would not prevent the
construction of the bridge. On the other
hand. he had assurances from the projec-
tors of the bridge that they would go on
and complete the bridge with $50 spans,
with foot and carriage tracks on the same.
Mr.. POND thought he had sufficient as
surance to warrant him in believing that
the bridge with $50 feet span would be
completed, if the present bill passes. He
thought il important to secure every foot
possible in the width of those spans. He
regarded the construction of such bridge
as of great consequence to the people of
Ohio. He hoped the bill would pass.
Mr.. JEWETT said if he had commu-
nication to make he would always accom-
pany it with its author. He thought there
were persons who might undertake to
make greater span than 300 feet; but the
question with him was the safety of such
bridges. He felt certain that experience
had demonstrated that 800 feet spans were
safe. That was the length of the spans
fixed by Congress for all the bridges across
the Ohio, and he thought it better to ad-
here to that regu alton.
Mr.. BAKER favored the 300 feet spans
as the Safest. He discarded the idea of ex-
perimenting by widening the spans TO $50
or 400 feet. He regarded all such bridges
as unsafe and hazardous. AS the question
was to be settled now, for all future years,
he desired the action of the House to be i'll
the direction OF safety and durability.
Mr.. WELSH said he was willing the
river should be- bridged If the bridge could
be made with $50 feet spans. He thought
such Il bridge could be made so as to be
durable, safe and permanent. He desired
to see all the bridges spanning the Ohio OF
uniform spans, so as to leave the channel
of that beautiful river, as far as possible,
unobstructed. He thought the free navi-
cation of the Ohio ought to be preserved.
He knew there was an ambition on the part
of the railroads to cripple that navigation.
that they might profit by an increase OF
freight. He thought all such designs
ought to be prevented. In his opinion, a
$50 foot span would be but small OBJ
struction, and therefore he favored the
present bill.
MIR. SWAIN had made an estimate of the
losses sustained by the construction of the
Steubenville bridge, by boatmen, and il
amounted to over 100000. He had to con-
clude therefrom that 300 feet spans were
injurious to navigation. He felt it to be
his duty to support all measures looking to
greater width of spans. He desired to
maintain the free navigation of the Ohio
and was of opinion it would be best pre-
served, if bridges had to be built at all, by
having greater spans than three hundred
feet.
Mr.. FIELDING relied most on the testi-
mony of professional men who understood
the art of bridge building. The testimony
of % bridge men at st. Louis was in favor
of 300 feet spans, as making the safest and
best bridges. The testimony of other eX-
perienced men in different sections of the
Union, concurred in the same opinion. He
felt warranted therefore, in casting his vote
against the present bill.
Mr.. WOLF had heard nothing to change
his opinion about the feasibility and safety
of 300 feet span. He deemed a greater
span than 300 feet as unsafe, aud dangerous
to life. The question to be settled was,
whether bridge could be built across the
Ohio that would be entirely safe, and at the
same time would produce as little obstruc-
tion as possible to the navigation of that
stream. In his opinion,a 300 feet span would
be but little obstruction. The enterprise
was one that should be well guarded, both
as to the free navigation of the river, and
the safety of human life. He could not con-
sent to vote for the present bill, because he
doubted its safety.
Mr.. DILWORTH did not regard it AS be-
fnf 5foh hi lich haI hnv, nd lA,h fbnf otar
span than 300 feet would necessarily be un-
safe. He thought a span of $50 feasible /;
and the losses at Steubenville convinced
him that less span would endanger navi-
CATION and cripple the river trade. He
would therefore vote for the longest span.
The yeas and nays were called on the
passage of the bill, and resulted-yeas 40,
nays so. So the bill was lost.
JOINT RESOLUTION.
Mr.. DICKSON offered the following res
olution, which was laid on the table, under
notice to discuss by Mr.. Swain:
h. ]. R. NO. 20.
WHEREAS, Each day of the session of the
General Assembly adds to the already
heavy burthens of taxation at least one
thousand dollars;
AND WHEREAS, The present session has
already been protracted beyond precedent
In time of peace, and even in the late war
there was but one session of equal length
to wit: the session of 1851:
AND WHEREAS, There is well founded
impression prevailing throughout the
State that the present session OF this Gen
eral Assembly is thus prolonged not by
reason of any exigency in the public ser
vice requiring it, but by reason simply of
an anticipated vacancy in the representa-
tion of this State in the Senate of the
United States, which vacancy. should any
occur, there is ample provision by law for
filling, though the Legislature were not in
session; therefore,
Be it resolued, That when this General
Assembly adjourns on Tuesday the fifth
day of May next it adjourns until the 1st
Monday OF January next at 10 O'Clock
A. NJ.
MEDICAL BILL.