The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1870-01-07

the remarks of the Board Of State
Charities Of the Irish convict system.
The distinguishing merit of that sys-
TEN j. that ''il enlist, the cooperation
Of the prisoner in his own amend
ment, without withholding from him
the punishment due tO his crime. y
| If the adoption Of that system, with
such notifications as our condition
requires, j. deemed al experiment 10
I try, until its advantages are better Un-
/ deTstoOd, | submit that the least that
! ought now 20 bc attempted i To pro-
! vide for classification Of convicts, 50
as to separate beginners in crime from
! hardened offenders Whether this can
( best be done by alterations and an cX-
| tension of the present Penitentiary or
/ ley the erection Of a new one, i FOR
your wisdom To determine.
/ In several other States voluntary as
! sOciations have been formed To pro-
vide for, encourage and furnish en-
ployment 70 discharged conyicts, and
I their efforts have been Of incaiculable
/ benefit 10 this unfortunate class. II 4
similar association should be formed
/ by the benevolent citizens Of Ohio.
they viii reasonably expect q receive
/ proper assistance from the General
Assembly, and in that expectation
trust they Will not be disappointed.
COMMON SCHOOLS.
( The total number OF persons of
I school age in the State in 1860, was
officially reported At l,O29, SO an i'll
crease of l,10S over the previous
wear. The total number enrolled in
the public schools in 1869 was Az, ,3s2,
an increase Of 500 over the previous
wear. The average. daily attendance
! in the public schools in 1869 was 43i,-
/ S65. an increase over 1865 of d,
The total taxes for schools, school
buildings, and all other purposes, the
present fiscal year, is II, SO, 1876 s., an
increase over the taxation of the last
fiscal year of $780, T9j IS. OF this in
crease of taxation, the sum of 81, ,S:'':3;-
S. i in the State taxation for school
purposes, and the sum of SOS, 96l 81 Il
the increase of local school taxation.
The State Commissioner of Com
mon Schools, in his report, will rec0m-
mend the adoption of county superin-
tendency, the substitution of town
ship boards of education for the pres.
ent system of township and sub dis
trict boards, "a codificatiun of school
laws and other important measures,
to which your attention Is respectfully
called.
BOARD OF STATE CHARITIES.
Priortn the organization of the Board
of state Charities in 1861, there was
no provision for u systematic exam
inatiun of the benevolent and correc-
tional institutions under the control of
the State and local authorities. The
members of the board serve without
pecUniary compensation. 1t Is simple
Justice to them to say that they have
faithfully performed the thankless
task of investigating and reporting
the defects in the system and in the
administration of our charitable and
penal laws, and have furnished in
their reports information and sugges-
tions of great value. If il is true that
an abuse exposed iS half corrected, it
would Ice difficult To Over-estimate
their work. They have, their reports,
show. discovered abuses and crueltieS
practiced, under color of laws, in the
midst of communities noted for intel
ligence aud virtue, which would dis
grace any age. Let the board be grant
til increased powers and facilities for
the discharge Of their duties, and it
will afford security-perhaps the best
attainable-tO tile people of the State,
that the munificent provision which
the laws make for the poor and unfOr-
tunate will not bewasted or misapplied
by TN officials who are charged with
its distribution.
THE CHRONIC INSANE.
During the last year NOR than nine
hundred persons claSSed as incurably
insane, have been lodged in the cOun-
ty infirmaries, and almost one hundred
have been confined in the county iails.
Besides these a large number of the
same class of unfortunate have
been taken care of by relatives
longer postpone making suitable
provision for theseunfortunatep people.
The treatment they receive in the in
fiTmaries and jails is always of neces-
sity unsuited to their condition, and is
often atrocious. To provide for them,
/ would not recommend an increase of
the number of asylums for the insane.
1t is believed by those best acquainted
with the subject, that both economy
and the welfare of the patients require
that the chronic insane should be pro-
vided for by additions to the asylums
already built, or to those now build
ing. 1t is prObable that in this way
such patients can be supported ut less
expense to the people ofthe State,
than in infirmaries or jails. However
this may be, their present condition
imperatively demands, and, | trust,
will receive, the serious consideration
of the General Assembly. Although
commonly classed as incurable, it is
quite certain that by proper treatment,
in suitable institutions, the condition
Of all of them will be vastly improved,
and it may well be hoped, that many
Of them can he entirely cured.
INEBRIATE ASYLUM.
The expcdiency Of establishing an
asylum for inebriates has not been
much considered in Ohio. The en-
cOuraging resultswhich are reported by
the officers in charge of the State In
ebriate Asylum of New York induce
me to recommend that the General
Assembly provide for a full investi%a-
ton of the subject.
AGRICULTURAL AND MECHA NICAL
COLLEGE.
The Agricultural and Mechanical
Collegr fund, created 10y the sale of
Land scrip, issued Ia Ohio by the Ma
tional Government amounted, on
the first instant, to S4O3, 81 31d. The
State accepted the grant, out of
which this fund has been created, Feb
ruary 10, 1864, and is bound, 10y the
terms of the acceptance aS modified by
Congress to provide "n0t les than one
college on or before July ,, 1872, where
the leading object shall be, without
excluding other scientific and claSSi
cal studies, and including military tao
tics, to teach such branches of learning
AZ are related Ia agriculture and me-
chanic arts The manner in which
this fund shall be disposed of has been
amply considered hy preceding Gen
erai Assemblies, and in the messages
of my predecessors in the Executive
Office. ] respectfully urge that such
action will he had as will render this
fund available for the important pUr-
poses for which it was granted. 1t Is
not probable that further delay will
furnish additional information on any
of the important questions involved
in its disposition. Much time and at
tention has been given to the
subject of the location of the college.
No doubt it will be of great benefit to
the county in which il shall he estab-
Iished, but the main object of desire
with the people of the State can he
substantially accomplished at any one
of the places which have been promi-