Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1889-01-17

corporations and private individuals. They
have in many cases secured an acknowledge
ment and a satisfactory adjustment of the
rights of the state.
Negotiations are still pending with others.
They have also made rapid progress in the
work of surveying and plating the canals,
reservoirs, basins, etc. They will, at an
early day, make a full report of their pro-
ceedings, in which they will advise you as to
their work in all its details. What they are
doing is of great Importance. They will not
only reclaim a large amount of valuable
property, but they will give to the state a
complete record of all its property and its
title thereto. When this is done it will be
time enough to consider whether or not the
state should dispose of any part ofits canals. "
The board of pardons have done their work
well, and the governor made full report of
the pardons granted during the year.
'The penitentiary is in satisfactory con-
dition in every respect Financially it has
been moro than selfsupporting during the
year. It's receipts exceed expenditures to the
amount of SIS, 40. This gratifying result
has not been at the expense of any other
feature of the institution. The sanitary con-
dition was never better. The discipline is
well-nigh perfect, and at the same time the
prisoners are well fed and clothed, never
Overworked, and always kindly and hui
namely treated The board Of managers
have shown good Judgment, painstaking
care, and wise conservatism in the grant,
ing Of paroles, and on that account in almost
every instance the prisoners getting the
benefit Of the system have shown by their
IaV1oY.ffnopt a ,nrornaI, orY,rooio fioY, ~ tho
opportunities thus afforded them for reform
ing their habits and redeeming their lives,
and in this way have exerted good influence
upon all eligible to such favor.
Believing that harsh and cruel punish
ments brutalize and degrade both the pun
ished and the officers who administer them,
without any adequate compensating benefits,
the cato -nine-tails, the electric shocks, the
sweat box, the tread mill, and lastly, the
bull rings, and the ducking tubs, all instru-
ments of torture and relics Of Earbarism,
have been discarded, and solitary confne-
ment, withoutfood, until obedience is yielded,
has been substituted as the severest punish
ment that is inflicted"
The governor reported all the state insti-
tutions in excellent condition, and referred
for details to the reports made by the various
boards Of trustees.
The governor speaks in glowing terms Of
the Ohio National guard, and especially of
the work done during the past encampment,
when the whole command was brought to-
gether in camp at Columbus.
"Non-partisan boards of elections and reg
istration laws are no longer experiments
Wherever tried the experience has been such
that the people would not willingly dispense
with them. They not only make elections
honest but orderly. They are worth inf
nitely more than they cost in time, labor and
money. You should extend, with only such
notifications as may be necessary to give
appropriate application, the provisions Of
the laws of this character now applicable to
only the larger cities, to every city of the
state having a population at the last census
of not less than 10000 Honest elections will
not hurt anybody that is honest. No one
desiring the purity of the ballot will make
complaint on account Of any increased cost
or increase of Inconvenience that may arise
by reason of such legislation. It is inmate
rial what may be the views of others.
"There should be also such change in the
election laws as to require that the two clerks,
at each polling place in every township
throughout the state, should be of opposite
politics, as is now required in the cities"
The governor explains at length about the
organization known as the White Caps. He
states that owing to the difficulty in ascer-
tanning who its members were and to COM
mand the evidence necessary to support a
prosecution and secure a conviction, it was
thought best to make an agreement whereby
the organizations were to be disbanded at
once. The state promised immunity from
proceedings to all who, in good faith, signed
and kept the agreement. This had the effect
of disbanding the organization, and there
are now no whippings or raids by White
Caps in Ohio.
He further says: "The criminal law ap-
plicable to such cases should be amended
Under the law, as it now exists, grand jury
cannot indict for crime except in the county
where the crime is alleged to have been COM
mitted. Neither can the accused be prose-
cuted except in the county where indicted, or
an adjoining county. So far as the constitu-
ional provision on the subject is concerned,
there might be either an Indictment or
a trial in any county of the judicial dis
trict, without regard to whether it was
adjoining the county where the crime was
committed or not The limitation Of the
statute is a wise and just one in all ordinary
cases, but experience with the Paulding
county reservoir matter and with the Brown
county White Caps has taught that instances
may arise where prosecutions could hardly
be made successful with these limitations in
force The law should be SO amended as to
give the right to the state to institute a
criminal prosecution and conduct it to the
close in any county Of the judicial district in
which the offense is committed, against par
ties who maliciously destroy the states prop
erty, or band themselves together, for the
purpose of violating the law, in such num-
bers as to make it impracticable to indict and
prosecute them in the county where they
commit their ofPenses.
"Another difficulty encountered in dealing
with this matter should be mentioned. It
arose from lack of funds at the command
of the governor with which to pay the ex-
penses Of the investigation, and other ex-
penses necessary to be incurred 1t is em-
barrassing, as well as bad policy, that he
should be required, when suddenly confronted
by such emergencies to hire detectives or in
cur other expenses on credit, or advance the
money out of his own pocket. He should be
provided with funds to meet such cases."
The governor concludes by saying: "The
governor should be provided residence.
Aside from the inconvenience resulting from
having no fixed home for the executive, it is
sometimes difficult to find for rent suitable
house. The property 1 now occupy is well
located, commodious, well finished, and well
adapted generally to the purpose. have so
short time to remain that feel free, as one
having no personal interest, to recommend
its purchase, provided, of course, it can be
bought at fair price. Itis 50. desirably To-
Gated that it can be sold, no noubt, without
trouble or loss should the state at any time