Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-06-19
OUR COLUMBUS LETTER.
I he State ReformatOry Institu.
lions.

always the same StOry-'SO SlOw"-|
The Constitutional Convention had
been in session but a week or two
when this complaint was heard. The
barkers do not always have Consti-
tutional Convention 10 howl at, and
they appear determined to take advan-
tage of this rare opportunity. Perhaps
they have an idea that the conspicu-
business Of the object they assail will
exalt them proportionally. There's
where they make their mistake. The
puppy was only a puppy, although he
barked at the moon.
The complaints from many mem
bers of the State press, that the Consti-
tutional Convention is going slow
fooling away their time and wasting
the money OF the State, are unjust and
uncalled for. A better trained, harder
working, more faithful body of legisla-
tors was never assembled in Ohio.
| Those who make these complaints
betray their ignorance concerning the
vast amount, and the exceeding i'm
portance and delicacy of the work
which is intrusted to this Convention
to perform; and which the people ex-
pect them to perform icell.
During the last week the Conven-
ton has held open sessions of about six
hours per day. This, with committee
work, has given each member already
ten hours labor per day, of hot, heavy,
harrassing work. The hardest part of
the work is done in the committee
rooms. Let any one disposed to find
fault with the present Convention turn
to the records of the Convention of
1851, and look over the first ole or two
hundred pages of Vol. of the Debate,
and 1 think he will see reason to
change his mind.
Another thing, some who wish to
curry favor with the people their form
OF doing. is to cry ECONOMY" The
Convention resolved that the pay of
the members should suffer no reduc.
tion on account of temporary absence;
and Immediately howl is raised, and
we hear the old cries about the i.hard
earned money of the people being
lsquandered, and all that. Now, this
is all very foolish, and those who have
no axes to grind at the "dear people's''
grind stone look upon it as such. /
would like to say few words upon
this subject. But perhaps it is hardly
worth the space; for sensible people
will be willing to give the men who
do their hard work at least money
enough to pay their personal expen.
ses (and that is all they are doing) and
II with those who refuse to do this it is
useless to argue,
/ The discussion of Campbell's report
from the committee on Public Institu
tions proposing substitute for Art.
of the Constitution has been very live
ly. or course proposition involving
such radical changes in the organic law
OF the State could not fail to provoke
discussion; nor the alarming accusa
q lions of fraud, mismanagement and
corruption, with which the presenta
: tion of the substitute was accountant
led, by Mr.. Campbell, fail to raise .
Istorm. The storm came. 1t was {
shower of figures and statistics accom-
/, panied by a great deal of wind. There
1 are, as yet, no signs of fair weather
n for the storm thus far has been entire
s ly in the Committee of the Whole
: and next Thursday we have got to be
E gin it all over again in the Convention
! proper. THrH1 1a ~7 aaas
AS soon as the Substitute came be
: fore the Convention there were an ava
lanche o. amendments, alterations ant
ef substitutes to the substitute proposed
: and nearly every member of tn,
al House had something to offer. Tn
: result of Mr.. ICampbelI,s charges ha
= been to give the management of tn
r Public Institutions about as thoroug]
e an overhauling as they ever experj
: leneed. In my opinion the results an,
It discussions have hardly been commeu
+ surate with Mr.. Campbelps alarmin
@ statements and his accusations of frau,
y and mismanagement hardly substanti
, ated. {; Yet enough has been develope
to show that he had foundation t
d build upon. ass7sr El...afJad ,lzT
'r The Committee of the Whole wres,
g led with the subject for ten days, and
q olgreat many interesting points were dc
e veloped during the able and Interest
= ing debate. At last the Committee {
e the Whole have done with it. Th
q following is the substitute for Art. 7 a
e originally received through MI
Campbell from the committee ON Put
y tic Institutions: i-1 aBt
l. SUBSTITUTE a.Hf
'oi For Article VII of the Constitution :
vi the State of Ohio. -
Sec. 1. Institutions for the benefit {
tho insane, blind, deaf and dumb. shaI
Is be supported by the state. The pen
D tive and refOrlnative institutions sha
= be reform school for boys, house 9
,fl discipline, and a penltentiary; all put
= lie institutions shall be subject to sue
regulations as may be prescribed b
e the General Assembly. .1fl
ol SEC. 2. There shall be three commits
icl sioners of benevolent, and primitive
and refOrmatory institutions. VIII
!, shall be elected by the people at tn
T. first general election after the adoptio
eI Ofthis Constitution, lone for the teri
h of one year, one for the, term of tw
= years, and one for the term of thre
years. One member shall be electe
c ANNUALLY thereafter, to hold his ofsic
for three years. Said commissioner
shall supervise said institutions, an
lshall nominate officers to manage tn