The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1868-01-10

The HumbeC II { 'ubiC s 3fi the Penfieu
tiary has aveT4ked one lhoUsand; twelve
huedred aRd ldety -oee hfFirg been in II
duriIfg Iie year sud one thousaied al a one
renaihiux theresst he date 5f The report Il
is manifest that i will not 20 to put o1any
longer Ne task - providing Cor he increase
/ OF cOnviets, which keeps pace with our in
crease of populf'ti,u. Such thought s
have been ale t, give the sur iect has con
vinced me that the increase Of prison room
ought TO be made by building an internedi-
ate prison, taking glade between the Reform
Farm and the present Peuitentiary, where a
thorough effort may he made to test the
value Of a really reforIuatofy system ppln
1 tie yoilnger mef, and less hardened class Of
! criminals convicted OF FIRST offences by the
! Courts.
This topic, among others, has been care
tifully examined.by the Bosrd Of State 'Chari-
ties, and their report viii be found to con-
tain lucid and interesting discussion Of it.
| l think their conclusions are sound, aud that
they will make proper and safe basis for
4 legislation. This Board las, besid S, made
careful examination of the condition Of our
county jails and iiifrmaries, and the facts
disclosed are startling evidence how easily
abuses grow up III the most enlightened COM
mnpities, where there is no regular or eff
| ciept mode Of making the public acquainted
| with the true condition of institutions at
| their very, doors. l recommend the print
l ing Of an extra number Of copies Of their re-
port, believing that the full details contained
in it should be widely known, and that the
knowledge would arouse pablo sentiment
which would most efficiently second such
Legislation as tie subj cts viii undoubtedly
receive at your hands. | would also recon-
| i Il. a I !
| by providing permanent secretary for them
whose whole time might be devoted 10 con-
| tinuing aud extending the investigations
they have so well begun mrs
| The reforms needed in the organization
and administration of the local correctional
Institutions, naturally lead to the considera-
ti0n of reforms in the criminal law The
| Attorney GeI eral in his report urges the
importance. of a codification of the crimes
act, and of the simplifieatiop of the rules and
| practice of criminal procedure, so that they
may be freed from curnbrous technicalities,
! which ar too often found to impede instead
offurtheriDg the cause of ofsubstantial Justice.
Much labor was bestowed upon the perfec
| tion of bills for the above mentioned purpose
at the last session Of the Legislature, but
they had not been finally acted upon at the
| adioui nment. An act was, however passed
| allowing accused persons TO testify their
own trials for crimes. Although this meas-
| ure was supported by most respectable
| authorities upon the bench as well as in the
! Legislature, my obiervation of its practical
workings as they have been revealed to me
in my examination of applications for par
| don, compels me TO believe that the change
is, npOn the whole, sn' unfortunate one
When prisoner has the right to testify in
his own behalf his failure~to do so is almost
| sure to be taken as a confession of guilt.
When to the knowledge of this fact is added
the temptation 10 invent a plausible theory
to account for circumstances proven in evil
dence, in the hope OF escaping punishment
thereby, few criminals will be found who
will not. add perjury to the crime already
Committed. The possibility that in some
rare exceptional cases, innocent persons may
be the victims of circumstances which only
their own testimony could explain, does not
as think oyer-balance the injury done to
the general administration of Justice when
perjury become regular aud expected part
of a judicial trial, and the dtstestation of the
crime is gfea ly lessened by its frequency.
My ex animation of the cases Of prisoners
sent 10 the Penitentiary during the past
year satisfies me that ] am not exaggerating
| the real evils which result Another practi-
cal effsct is the abandonment of the old
| principle OF our law that no. man shall be
| forced to criminate himself He does this
when his omssion to testify is taken for adj
mission of guilt. " tbiS principle is absn-
doned, i should prefer 10 adopt the French
system of inierrcgaiing. prisoners by the
Court, as avoiding at least the great tendency
to voluntary peHurF am cor strained
therefore, 10 recommend the reveal of the
law. ~
The increased number of prisoners in the
Penitentiary has made the duty of in esti-
gaiiog aPrl cations for pardon more burden
some during the past year than is coamcn
In large class OF cases occurring immedi
ately alter the close of the war, the sem
tenc5s were more SvvFre than had been nsuat
before, owing to the necessity felt by the
Judiciary TO check the apparent lendency TO
crimes of vi0lerce, In cons siderable num-
| Der of these cases the judges have regarded it
proper 10 recommend the remission of part
Of the sentence, especially when The com
munity seemed to have regained its ordinary
quiet and la n abiding character. Ihave en-
deavored TO use the right to exercise cem-
ency in strict CO operation aud good under
standing 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 tRe pardon. ra...l
The Secretary of State, besides presenting
the usual reports from his office has, IN ote-
dience'to the requirement of the last General
Assembly, collected with great industry
such information as could be obtained in re-
gard 10 authentic portraits of the earlier
Governors of the State, which there he'd
been SEINE thought of preserving in the Cap
itol. Whatever information on the subject
can now be made available is thus laid be-
fore you in authentic form for such action as
may seem appropriate.
The Supervisor of Printing reports that
the cost of printing public documents and
binding the same, for the year past has bl en-
butt little over one-third the amount expend-
ed in the preceding year; aud this change is
mainly owing to the difference in contract
price for the unit Of measurement, he guam
tity of work being about the same. He 81.
SO reports himself ready 10 assume entire
charge of the binding for the State under the
statute for iniroducing printing aud binding
into the mechanical instruction of pupils in
the Deaf and Dumb Asylum, if a small adj
ditonal appropriation is made for that pur-
pose.
The Commissioner of Railroads and Tele-
IoPAS udo ~ Iii Sbfh
since his Office was created, made thorough
investigation of the history, cost con. true
tion, management, &c, Of the various lines
within the State. Fse collection ana ar
rangement of these facts, in accessibl,. form,
is in itself of great value, and not only al
fords rel ible basis for legislaiing upon
this important class of intert SITS, but exhibits
to the world the most suthehtic evidence of
the extent to which grear public imprnve-
ments have been carried in Ohio. The
practical suggestions of the COmm missioner
upon the many delicate and intricate que
tions arising between the people and these
useful corporations, a. worthy of the most
careful consideration.
In accordance with the directions of the
statute on that subject, the lease OF the Ca
mails aud Pubhc Works has been renewed
and extended for ten years so that it now
runs 10 june lst 1881. The Board of Pub
lie Works express great satisfaction W th the
energy and promptness with which the les
see. have made the costly repairs required
on tae canals in consequence of the great
freshes of 1866, and good reasons for be-
lieving that the interests ofthe State are not
suffering 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
that everything has been done which was
possible 10 overcome the difficulty.
An pectorship of Gas and Gas Metres
was established by act of the last General
Assembly, aud that the duty is in he hands
of one Of the most able and well known
chemists of the country. His report details
the steps taken by him to carry oul The pro-
visions of the law, aud the means adopted 10
make the tests used for the protection of the
public as nearly exact as may be, in heir
scientific accuracy. His salary was by thu
terms Of the statute TO be collected by The
A .,.IiL1,r nf Stnt., f-,r,, fhn laas Gn1,,nnnils