The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1874-01-09


fish Of the lakes, instead of costing ten cents |
per pound, as they now do when placed upon |
our tables, ought to be afforded for four cents |
at most. But to effect this there must be q
more plentiful supply.
The General Assembly, at it's last session,
authorized the appointment OF three fish com
missioners, who were to act without compen-
sation, but whose actual expenses while pros
ecntlng their investigations were provided Tor
by small appropriation. These commission
eTs were not expected to undertake the actual
work Of tish culture, otherwise larger appro-
pilation would have been made. The board
are now ready to commence restocking our
waters, and are satisfied that IN almost un-
limited supply of fish can be furnished, with
IN three or four years from the time the work
IS entered upon IN earnest, In the interest OF
both comfort and economy recommend an
appropriation of at least $4,000, for the pur-
pose OF erecting hatching-hcuses on Lake Enc,
IN our reservoirs and rivers. and 20 pay the
expense OF propagating the most desirable
kinds Of fish.
RAILROADS.
Recognizing that railroads have contributed
very largely to the prosperity Of the State,
that lines heretofore projected ought to be
built, aud that new routes ought to be located
IN order to secure the best Development OF our
resources and the highest reward for our IN
dustries, 1t is undoubtedly the duty OF the
General Assembly to encourage legitimate
railroad enterprises. But several abuses have
crept into tho management of some OF these
corporations which ought to be corrected. IL
is no uneomon thing for the officers OF rail-
road companies to associate themselves To-
gether, as the proprietors Of fast freight hnes'
or in some other ike capacity, whereby they
are enabled to contract with themselves, SO as
to secure unwarrsntsd profits at the expense
| OF the stockholders they Officially represent,
and the people who trsnsact business with the
roads. Another difficulty is that these fast
freight lines, not being organized under the
| laws OF Ohio, though doing business WITHIN
the limits Of the State, pay no taxes whatever,
| When the officers of the railroad corporations
are asked TO list the property, they answer
that they do not own it and have nothing to
| do with it. It has been impossible to reach
these interior organizations. One fast freight
| line has heretofore owned and used four thou
sand cars, and all this property escaped tax
alton In Ohio, although operated IN this State,
1t is worthy Of consideration whether or not
this evil can be reRdied by State or National
| legislation.
1 am informed it is the custom for many Of
the railroad companies incorporated by the
Jaws of Ohio to keep their transfer books on
| Wall Street, in the city Of New York, the
| practical result of which is that when money
is borrowed on railroad stock pledged as col
! lateral security q transfer is made on the
/ books to the banker or broker, who has only 0
remote interest IN tho Ultimate value of the
| stock so held in pledge, and voting the same
sometimes enter into transactions to the ex-
tent Of millions of dollars, involving the valid
| ity OF railroad securities, and affecting the
fOancial in terests Of many innocent persons
A controlling influence is thus often exercised
by men having no pecuniary interest at stake
to the discredit Of the whole railroad system
/ and to the prejudice of the public welfarh,
| It would be well for the GeneralAssembly tc
/ compel Ohio corporations, under heavy pen
| sltics for refusing to obey the law, to keeT
their transfer books, or duplicates thereof, al
some Office or place within the limits Of the
State, and the books should bo closed for al
least ten days besore the annual meeting o.
the stockholders
In this connection, it may not be improper
to say that the subject OF cheap transportation
is one which is sngrossing the attention Of the
whole country. A committee of Congress now
has the matter under consideration, and it il
| hoped Just and satisfactory solution of thii
troublesome question will be reached. II Con.
| gress should fail to afford refisf, it may be.
come the duty Of State Legislatures to consid
| er what can and what ought to be done.
CONVICT LABOR.
Under the existing laws, tbs labor of con
victs in the Ohio State penitentiary is not fol
the most part employed by the State, but j.
| let out to highest bidders therefor. The con.
tractor pays for such labor, on an average
about ninty cents per day per capita, and the
] prisoners are clothed and fed at the expense
of the State. It necessarily happens that man.
ufaeturers who obtain labor at so low a rats
49,.
competitors less fortunate in this regard
They are enabled, it is believed at profit
to undersell the market price, The result
must inevitably be that all kinds of bushes,
/ similar to those carried on in the penitentis-
~ are embarrassed, while the prison con-
tractors make inordinate gains. 1t may be
urged that the hiring Of this convict labor il
| open TO competition. Nominally, it is so
practically, it remains for many years in the
same hands, and is not fully paid. 1 am Of
opinion, after Bome Investigation, that it would
be more profitable for the State to utilize and
control the labor of all thei prisoners than to
| adhere to the contract system. At ali events,
the prison could be SO conducted as to inter.
fere less with the legitimate pursuits OF busi-
ness men who pay the ordinary wages tol
| work.
The State, looking to the interests Of all it
citizsns, could have no iBducement to sell its
manufactures below the market price, for Its
plain duty is 20 encourage business every
where, and to embarrass as little as possible.
hope the General Assembly will investi-
gate this subject, and do what is deemed best
for the good Of the whole State.
/ renew the recommendation 1 made lapt
year with regard to enlarging and improving
the cells of convicts in tho penitentiary.. As
at present constructed they are not in keeping
with the humane spirit Of the age. The cost
Of making the necessary changes would not
be great, as most of the work could be done
by the prisoners themselves. A decent regard
for the health and reasonable comfort OF these
unfortunate criminals requires early attention
and action on the part Of the legislature.
CRIMINAL LAW.
Another years experience in the matter of
hearing and deciding applications for pardon
has confirmed me in the opinion that the law
should be SO modified as to leave less discre-
ton with the courts in passing sentence for
criminal offences. It often happens that two
prisoners work side by side in the peniten-
tiary, both sent there for precisely the same
crime, one for one year and the other for ten.
In such cases it is impossible to convince the
convict incarcerated for the longer time that
be has been fairly dealt with. And 50 long as
he is stung with a sense Of this injustice, he is
not likely to reform. There is nothing ap-
preaching uniformity in the length of sentsn-
oes pronounced by different judges for similar
offences.
earnestly recommend that the criminal law
be so changed as to secure more exact Justice
SO amended as to leave results afentiDg the
lives and liberties Of men less dependent upon
the Judgment, the temperament or the caprice
Of those who administer the law.
STATE ORDINANCE.
Il may not be universally known that under
an act Of Congress, approved April %, 1903,
two hundred thousand dollars is annually ap-
propriated for the purpose of arming and
equipping the militia Of the United States,
this sum being divided among the States and
Territories according to their representation
in Congress. The yearly quota Of Ohio under
this rule is Sll 800. But during the late war
large sums of money were charged against
some of the states for arms and other ordnance
stores issued to said states by the War De-
partment. By reference to the report OF the
Adiutant General, which will be laid be-
fore You, it will be seen that Ohio stood charg-
ed on the lst Of December, 1858, with 1884,
1858 in excess of her quota. The amount at
this time appearing to be due, after doducing
the credits allowed since December !, 1858, is
about $4,000. As the arms and other ord
nance stories now In possession Of the state are
uncomfortable in quBntity and Of little value
it is undoubtedly true that We stand charged
with stores issued to troups and used during
the war, and which have been accounted for
to the United States government by command
ing officers in the field. 1t may bs that errors
occurred in keeping this accounts, but certain
it is that Ohio ought not to be charged with
this large amount Of money. Indeed, Gener-
al A. B. Dyer Chief OF Ordnance, says:
Large sums Of money were charged against
some Of the states for arms, etc, furnished by
this department during the war, and other
states, equally populous, had 10 charges made
against them during the same period; and it
seems to me highly probable that errors
occurred in keeping the accounts with
the states, which do great injustice to some of