The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1876-03-30
Letter from the State Capital.
COLUMBUS, March %, 1876.

not have let himself loose in that
kind of way. Rather would he have
said, Tho slush, the confoundcd
slush," for POLITICALLY, or otherwise,
this would have made its soft impress
sion upon him. Butcnongh, lest our
pen wanders TO the subject of mud,
of which newspaper readers have seen,
heard and felt enough already.
Many members of the General AS
scmbly are suffering with colds, the
halls of legislation, seemingly, being
admirably adapted to such contingen-
cies. The money of the State has
been squandered to make drawings of
all the ''stun fishes" which the geolo-
gists can find in the limestone of the
State, while how to build q public
hall in which two or three hundred
persons can gather for three hours,
without detriment to health, is among
the "lost arts" Perhaps the "honest
granger" feels the pressure of bad air
the more sensibly from the fact, that
he Is accustomed to outdoor work.
How much of bad legislation may be
the result of bad air the reporter Will
not determine, but that the fits of
peevishness and iii nature, frequently
manifesting themselves arise from this
fruitful cause there is no doubt.
Two efforts have been made, this
winter, to have something done to
ventilate tie Hall of the House, but
penny economy still permits the seeds
of death to he sown with liberal
hand.
The Office of Comptroller Of the
Treasury in the State is no more, after
the expiration of the term OF the
present incumbent. This Office was
first created, in this State, soon after
the "Breslin fefalcation," as an added
safeguard to the State treasury. Thus
far 1t has been sort Of fifth wheel in
the State machinery, of more advan-
itage to the "wheel" itself than to the
State. 4H ht7 .'iti @
'a The reorganization of the Pcniten-
tiary brings the office seeker TO the
front with his gentle voice and per-
auasive manners. What can be SO in
yiting, especially in the position of
shop guards, the reporter is unable to
discover. And yet the fact is quite
prominent in human nature, that 'spol-
Eisning" official chairs is quite desira-
BILE, although the chair may be fasten-
ed in the dark, dingy, dusty and noisy
shops of the States Prison. The more
desirable positions have, not found
their affinities as yet. If shope de-
ferred makes the heart SICK" there
must be several around Columbus
Hotels about these days, feeling dubi-
Gus. If any newly appointed Director
of this Institution has felt anxious for
the position, he certainly has had
occasion to repent this freak Of his
ambition as applicants swarm around
him.
e. Yesterday came the fight on the
land scooping bill, which seeks to
gather up all the canal lands for the
benefit of the Agricultural College,
the Ohio University, and the Miami
University. A sort of tripartite treaty
had been formed by the friends of
these institutions having for their OBJ
jective points these lands, and GER
tain two per cent. fund.-" due from
the General Government. Practically
these institutions are all south of the
national road, and are entirely local in
their work, as all or most Of the high
er grades of schools must be from the
fact of their numbers. We may have
remarked before that although the two
last named institutions have been
founded for almost three quarters of a
century, private contributions to them
have been very meager, being just
nothing at all Of the character of en-
dowments. In fact one of the trustees
OF the Ohio University confessed, not
long since, to the writer, that men re-
fused to contribute to this purpose,
upon the plea that no one knew what
would be taught there half century
from now. And yet, while the men
who ought to be the friends of the in
stitutions, by the use of their money,
Withhold on this plea, they ask the State
to do the very thing they refuse to do.
The Republican State Convention
assemblies here next week, at which
time the representatives of that party
will proceed to set mp the pins to
stand the "Ides of October" Who
Shall be put on and who left off, is the
''questiOn OF the hour with those who
are anxious TO manifest their patriot
ism by serving the State in some of
the comfortably provided Office rooms
of the State house. Thus far. SO far
as we have observed, there is but one
candidate for the leading Office on the
ticket, Secretary of State, north of the
National road, Mr.. Munson, of Medina
county. Southern Ohio is not entirely
without men who are mindful of the
States interests, and would be glad to
subserve those interests. The other
offices, from present appearances, will
not go begging for candidates. Ordi-
narily such contingecies do not arise
with political conventions and their
surroundings.
Cleveland has her "viaduct bili'
safely through the House with fair
prospect of success in the Senate.
When this is accomplished one more
city's interests will be disposed of to
their satisfaction. The matter of tax
alton in municipal corporations is one
of no small importance, as the constant
increase of city debts, all over the
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