Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1896-01-14

was H. i0l. Add to that number the 500 en-
ployes and we see that there are 1870 persons
to provide for in various ways Such num-
ber constitutes population equal to that of
many Of the smaller municipalities of the
state.
When we stop to consider what vast
amount OF food and clothing, of material which
produces bodily comfort and health and OF the
numberess things which are needed in such
institutions. it can be seen what vast amount
OF supplies Is required and IL can be easily
seen that in purchasing for such population
large sums of money could be saved for all
know that money can be saved by purchasing
goods in large quantities
1t should be the part Of G.l state officers to
practice all possible economy in public expen-
ditures One way OF saving the state con-
siderable amount OF money is that Of condens-
ing the department reports thus relieving the
state of good portion of it's annual charge for
public printing. The vouminous state reports
could well be supplantcd by concise documents
which contain only material information and
records The detail of the large business of
the state departments Is usually OF little inter-
est to either officials or people and could well
be eliminated. a
The report OF the board OF managers and the
warden of the Ohio penitenttary, showing that
there has been q net loss OF s55,i622 to the
state during the fiscal year OF 1895 on account
OF IDlS ETeuC pVUul institution, may well SuR-
gest that something has to be done to correct
the conditions, unless the taxpayers are will
ing to accept yearly reports showing largely
increased eXcesses OF expenditures over re-
ceipts. During the year ending October 81
1895, the per capita cost was reduced to the
very low figure of 8l363O, which was aGecrease
of $40 per capita from that of 1893, when the
earnings we're much greater and the insti-
tuition showed handsome profit to the
state The lamentabe result of the year
1898 is attributed to general business depres-
sion, to tho effect of the law which provided
for the branding of all prison-made goods,
and to the Llewellyan law, which restricts the
number OF latorers IN making one kind of
goods in all penal and reformatory institutions
OF the state to ten per cent of the free labor in
making the same goods within the stste. The
fist OF these laws is not operative at this time,
the courts having declared it unconstitutional
after q bill repeating Il had passed the senate,
but the second is in full force and effect and to
it, in part, is due the fact that nearly LOO con-
victs are now in the idle house. While there
is propriety in all consideration and support
that may be paid and given to the free labor of
the state, and while there is Justice in protec-
tion against the compytion brought about by
convict-made goods. al must acknowledge
that their is eminent propriety in the great
state Of Ohio aiIording some Find of work for
all abie-bodied prisoners in its one operating
penal institution.
The prison statistics show that tho average
population OF the institution fo- the year 1895
was 2.0S5 u number slightly in excess of that
of 1894 At the present time the number OF
convicts at the penitcntiary closely approxi-
mates 92O0, and there is almost certainty
that within comparatively few weeks the
number will be Increased to over 100. thus
surprising all the records of convict popula-
tion ut the institution. Under the most favor
able circumstances, under present conditions,
very nearly 100 persons will be without q
fixed occupation during the period Of their de-
tention. or these l,l00 perhaps twenty per
cent. will be engaged in doing the small
amount OF state work now required aud the
remainder will be sitting in the idle house
with nothing to do but stare at blank walls
and brood over their imaginary wrongs. The
experience of the world has proven time and
again that idieness bsgets melancholy and
crime. Certainly the ends OF refo formution are
not subserved by allowing prisoners time to
become melancholy or to hatch schemes for
future misdeeds. 1t seems to me that there Is
propriety in the suggestion that eucI OF the
convict population at the penitent. " is can
bn employed in producing material available
for use in state institutions should be put to
work as feasible. The material they
would produce, while necessarily competing to
some extent with that of free labor, would still
reduce that diSagreeable fact to minimum.
This employment of idle prisoners would he
humane act and l can not believe that honest
labor would make any objection to tnc prison
ers being thus employed
If it Is not deemed proper or feasible, that
idle convicts shall be used in producing state
material, the opportunity for some labor can
be Afforded them within the prison walls, and
the result will be to the benefit of the convcts
themselves as well rs to the state property.
Anything-any empoyment-is preferable to
the state of idlcness in which we now find so
many of these cOnVictS
No subject should apply to the wisdom OF
the Legislature moro strongly than that which
concerns the idle population OF our great peni-
Tertiary. 1t is eminently desirable that the
prison shall be self-supporting at least. but
be- ond that there is the consideration OF hav-
ing the institution place which will show
Ohio's advance in the management of penal
institutions,
The report of the auditor OF state for the
year ending November Is. 1898, shows that the
grand total of the local debts was 9S 1888 260 II.
which was an increase OF 81, SOC 293 30. or this
increase, $272, s59.S3 is to be attributed to the
increase in the debt Of ountes, II, ,O3l o993 80 to
the debt OF cities and villages and 1891, 1875
to the debt OF special school districts. The
debts of townships decreased s177, 100 Is.
While requests for authority to issue bonds
for public improvements are signs OF enter
prise and energy. there is still good reason
why the general assembly should protect the
people from indiscreet tinanciers. Believing
that the best interests of the people would be
subserved if Limitation was placed upon To-
cal Indebtedness, l recommend to the general
assembly such law as will limit tho local in
debtedness of counties, cities, villages, town
ships and school districts to ten per cent. OF
the tax duplicate.
The subject of mandatory legislation is one
which demands attention at your hands.
Heretofore communities have been afflicted
seriously by so-caled mandatory laws. and the
tax payers have been called upon to meet ex-
penses imposed by local improvements, which
were ordered, in some instances, perhaps, in
defiance OF the wish aud will OF the people
concerned. II our theory Of government by
the people is a correct one-and the expert
ence of the past has shown it to be one of the
strongest foundation stones OF this great re-
puolic-then these mandatory laws, which vir-
tually deprive the people of the right 10 say
whether they shall or shall not be taxed for an
improvement which is deemed necessary by
some and which Is thought unnecessary
b. others, are certainly infringements upon
the code of coed government, to say nothing
about their being In violation of the rights OF
the people, The supreme court of Ohio has
cast serious doubt as to the constitutional
ality Of this mandatory legislation, and since
there is room for a doubt, IL certainly seems
proper that the people should be given the
benefit OF it l recommend the discontinuance
of mandatory legislation ana hope that you
will take some action which will relieve the