Democratic Northwest and Henry County news. [volume] (Napoleon, O. [Ohio]) 1894-1905, 1894-04-12

now being provided by this legislature,
will have comparatively little trouble in
paying of the comparatively small
amount that will be issued when the
bonds become due or within year there
after.
The Wooster Experiment. Farm Bonds
issued by Wayne county, the proceeds
from which were given 10 the state, will
probably have to be paid by the state.
There is moral obligation if not tech
nical one. The state passed law for
Wayne county to act under. She acted
and the state received the money and
spent it. The states courts decide that
the state had no right to allow the coun-
ty to act in the way she did, and the is
sue of bonds is Illegal. Thus the bond
holders are out in the cold unless the
state steps in and pays off the debt. If
the state is going to do this it can save
from $15, 1000 to $50, 1000 by doing it now.
The bondbolders agree to sell out for the
face value of the bonds, thus giving mp
the accrued ints'est, and the state in
stead of paying per cei-t interest would
borrow money at ? 1-2 per cent instead,
and then only for a couple of years,
whereas the binds run about seven years
at the higher rate The first question to
be decided is whether the state is going
to take up this moral debt, and if decided
in the affirmative the question of doing
it now almost decides itself when the
saving is figured out.
There May BE Change in the Plans
of making the appropriations 30 far as
the house is concerned. The program at
first was to wait until the senate had
passed the first appropriation bill before
passing the one far the second year. But
the senate finance committee took three
weeks to begin to consider the first one,
SO that the house may not wait until the
first bill is through the senate, but may
pass the second bill without waiting for
the senate. If this is done the time for
adjournment will be in the hands of the
senate, and if a long drawn out session is
the result the upper house will be to
blame and no one else. It must be re-
membered that the sentiment for bien-
nial sessions was weaker in the senate
than in the house and that the predic-
tions were made by senators that If only
one session was held it would be much
longer than if there were two. As if to
prove this prophecy true, the senate
finance committee seems to be taking its
time in getting the first bill through.
The Deficiency Bill
is through the senate and will probably
be law before the week is over if the
house concludes to concur in the amend
ments, though there is chance that tho
matter will 60 to conference commit
tee. The house will probably be ready
to pass the second appropriation bill next
week Wednesday or Thursday. The
bond bill may be considered before that
The Population at the Penitentinry
is increasing at the rate Of about so per
month. There seems to be no letup in
the steady growth of the prison popula-
ton. The average daily population for
the current year was placed by the man.
agement at 1850. Already that figure
has been reached and passed and the
fiscal year is not yet half over. There
are nearly 800 idle men in the prison
now, and the query is what shall be
done with them. One of the largest con-
tractors in the prison failed to renew his
contract a few days ago when his agree
ment expired, and the law passed last
year which prevents more than 10 per
cent of the number employed in the
state in any one industry from being
employed in that industry inside the
penitentiary, keeps the idle house full
| dIlu COuupcl6 1dUOI OuI9loo W WO1h tIIC
harder to support these idle men. 1t
costs $147 year to keep prisoner in
the penitentiary. These 500 men who
are now idle cost the state of Ohio over
$4,000 year for subsistence and gov
ernment and they return nothing there
for. These men if employed could earn
on basis of last years earnings over
$4,000, but because Ohio is foolish
enough to pass laws
Against Herself and Her Own Interests
these men will show a loss Of $40, 600 6
year instead of profit of perhaps $40 900
The courts have declared that the inten
tion of the legislature in passing the
Harshoarger law, so-called, which pro
vides for the labelling of convict-madt
goods, was not to affect goods made il
the Ohio penitentiary, but to goods made
in the prisons of other states and Offered
for sale in this state. OF course all know
that the law was especially passed tt
catch the goods made in our own prison
but the lancrare is SO ambiguous tina
T.1l C.a4ona ho-o 1,,o% va