Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1896-01-11
100000, or between $4,000 ana s7s.ooo of taxes
THE FUNDED DEBT.

annually.
THE FUNDED DEBT.
The public funded debt OF the state In Janu-
AIRY, 1892. was w 2g5, Cos, bearing per cent. In
tereSt. The debt on November Is, 1905, was 81 =
TSl ,6bS This sum includes $500 900 OF o loan by
certificate of Indebtedness payable July /, 1890,
also bearing per cent. interest, which was nu-
thorized by the Seventy-lrs general assembly.
There has been paid on the public debt of the
state ~ OOO,OOO in the past four years-S250, 900
annually The next payment of $3.50, 900 is due
July i, 1890 The entire public funded debt Of
the state VIII be extinguished on July |, 1900:
and provision is made to this end by an annual
lew, the proceeds Of which go into the sinking
1und and are ample for that purpose, Early
provision should be made to take care OF this
temporary loan.
LOCAL INDEBTEDNESS.
cannot refrain In this my last message to
the general assembly, to renew my former rec
ommendation more strongly, II possible, than
ever, that some provision be made TO check the
growing tendency to increase local indebted
ness, There Is nothing within the reach OF your
duties more important than this. We have q
provision In the state constitution limiting the
Indebtedness which the general assembly can
| put upon the state at large. Why should there
not be limit put upon the county and munici-
pal authorities OF the slater Why not limita-
ton OF the rate of taxation to certain per-
Sentage OF the taxable property OF the locality
me great bulk of the taxes that are paid by the
people are for LEGAL purposes, and but the
smallest part for the uses OF the state 1t is not
taxation for state but for local purposes which
1s the great burden upon the people. In no case
should counties or municipalities be permitted
Tor by general laws for extraordi-
nary purposes, nor issue bonds there
voe na for S ss sTeh
should be levied without the approval of the
people; The increase Of local Indebtedness
not only In this state, but in others, is alarm
Ing and 1t must be checked. The Eighth arti-
Gle OF the constitution regarding the state debt
mas been most salutsry check upon the tend
ency to extraordinary expenditures by the leg
tslature and the state government. 1t Is q graft
Tying fact thrt while the state debt in 1851 was
over s2l 100000. 1t Is now less than II 800 900;
and as have already shown, II no further debt
Is incurred, in six years the state will be free
from al debt. except the irreducible school
The condition OF our canals is surprisingly
good. taking into consideration their age and
the inadequate appropriations made for their
maintenance In late years. The question Of
what shall be done with these public works is
serious one and must receive the we'll consid-
ered Judgment OF the Legislature. On August
Ia, 1891, the congress OF the United States
adopted the following resolution:
The secretary of war is hereby authorized to
whose duty it shall be to survey the Miami and
Erie canal, the Ohio canal. and such branches
thereof, ana such river and stream channels as
may in their judgment form available portions
OF continuous canal connecting the waters OF
OF Ohio, and to report as to the feasibility and
advisability of improving and widening such
canal 40 feet at the water line, and deepening
the same to seven feet"
In pursuance of this resolution the secretary
| OF war appointed Gen. o. N Poe, Col. Amos
Stickney, Maj. William Marshall and Mai. w.
). stanton, engineers OF excellent ability, who
have been actively engaged in making such
surveys. assisted by an able corps in the field.
The surveys are about completed and will be
presented to congress for it's consideration at
the present session. During the past four years
l have frequently pointed out to the general
assembly the wisdom of keeping our public
works inviolate. And now, in view OF the
action OF congress to which have referred
f, and the increasing Importance and value OF our
Il n
should not dispose OF any part OF the canal sys-
tenn OF Ohio until ut least the report OF the en-
gtneers Is made and the action OF congress In
relation thereto is definitely ascertained. This
| Is good time to keep what we have. While on
this subject, submit to the legislature whether
1t would not be wise to provide that the money
derived from the sale or leasing OF our canal
lands should go into the general revenue fund
OF the state instead OF being placed as now to
the credit of the board OF public works. Under
the present law these sums are credited to the
public works, and over their use and applica-
tion the general assembly has no direction
whatever. This is manifestly wrong.
STATE INSTITUTIONS.
Reports from the state institutions and vart-
Gus departments OF the state government up to
the close OF the fiscal year ending November IS
1895 have been submitted to me. am much
gratited to be able to say that the state insti-
tutions and other departments OF the public
service are In very satisfactory condition-in-
deed l do not believe that they have ever been
more economically or successfully managed
upon the whole than they are to-day. The
needs of the state are continually increasing
and 1t Is an ever present problem how to apply
the financial resources at the disposal of the
state government so as to properly meet the
pressing and growing wants of the unfortunate
wards OF the state. 1t is q matter OF congratu-
lation that the inmates of the state institutions
have during the past two years enjoyed unusu-
ally good health, and there mas been a most re-
marka6le absence of epidemics. The board of
state charities in It's last annual report under
date OF November Is, 1895, says:
The board claims for Ohio that her benevo-
lent institutions are equal, II not superior to
those OF Simular institutions In the cd
States We do not claim perfection for any of
them and some OF them are far from what we
hope they may attain yet many OF them are ad-
vancing towards the highest present ideals of
what is sought to be attained. We hope the
members OF the general assembly will visit
them all and give each your careful scrutiny
and your generous support. They ask FOR and
will welcome your sympathetic aid"
The report OF the board of managers OF the
Ohio reformatory ut Mansfield for the current
year is OF unusual Importance 1t appears from
1t that with an expenditure OF s4S 900 the re-
formatory can be made ready for partial occu-
pancy. The over-crowded condition OF the Ohio
penitentiary makes this especially pressing
and important / recommend, therefore, that
this sum be promptly appropriated for the use
OF the board OF managers. The cost OF the con-
struction OF this institution up to date is S706,-
s70S3; The board of managers report that II
sufficient funds are provided within the next
two years the entire institution can be COM
pleted and that, too, for 800, 900 less than the
There is urgent necessity for the immediate
| completion and occupancy OF the Massillon
Cleveland state hospital is very greatly over
taxed There are s1s patients actually present
IN the hospital. Of which the normal capacity is
$50 There are but six rooms in the entire in
| stitution that have but one bed, and at least rs
patients sleep on beds in the halls Within the
past year the superintendent OF that institution
has been compelled to decline more than 100
applications for admission because of want of
| capacity to accommodate the unfortunates, and
| in addition thereto has returned to the county
| inhrnaries OF that portion OF the state 81 pa
tients. The condition OF the insane in the
county intirmares of this district is such as to
! demand relief speedily as possible. Their
] apartments are overcrowded and the facilities
| for their care and keeping are very inadequate.
For the sum indicated in the report OF the
board OF trustees, the hospital could be made
ready for admission during the year 1897 of
| fully 500 patients. This accommodation would
relieve the congested state OF the Cleveland
state hospital and provide for the accommoda-
tion Of the insane now in the inhrmaries OF that
| district as we'll as relieve the other asylums of
| the state Not less than POI inmates have in
the last few years been transferred from the
| Cleveland state hospital and from that district
to the hospitals at Toledo. Columbus and Day
ton, and to this extent take the place in those
institutions OF the patients OF, those districts
rightfully entitled to admission therein