Year: 1860

question now pending.


MIR. Vincent said he had thus far did moth
| ing in relation to an adjourned session--hRd
waited for the action of older members Of the
| House, who had been better acquainted with
our condition and necessities. But at the last
discussion Of this question he had been in-
structed, as Chairman Of the Finance Commit
tee, 10 prepare appropriations for two years
Acting on this instruction the Finance Com
mittee he begun their work. lie now found
the condition of the Finances Of Ohio such as
to almost preclude the making Of such aPPro~
priatiOns.


The citizens of the State were emerging
from the commercial crash Of 1857; but the
State itself was at this hour borne down with
the whole weight of that calamity. Previous
legislatures have tried to relieve the people by
levying as light taxes as possible, and this
had caused great deficit, while the public
works have fallen off in revenue to the State;
so that we are to-day behind over 100000
for current expenses and reduction of State
debt The law directs US not to appropriate
money not under our own control, and hence
we are not prepared for appropriations for one
year. t


How the Committee could guess at the ne
cessary appropriations for another year, with
out any knowledge of the revenue Of the State,
or its necessities, was more than he could tell
We as Stale are borrowers in the market Of
over S6,O00,000 this year, to take up bonds
falling due; and if ever the wisdom Of the State
was required to look our conOitiOn square in
the face ,and get over our exhausted financial en-
ergeRcy, it was tO>day. -- ..


A resolution is now before us TO sell, or hy-
potheeate the railroad stocks and bonds own
ed by the State 1t looks like great sacrifice
to sell these securities now. Whether we
can hyp9thecate them, and how we can do so,
can not now be known.


Other remedies are proposed, and without
going into detail, all the efforts to get out of
our difficulties are contingent on future events,
and all demand legislative action.


We are here, and the question is, Shall we
stay two months more now, or shall we go
home and sit again two months next winter,
when we can be of some service to the State by
ratitying the action Of our officers who are
trying to relieve US, and deVising ways aud
means to get out of our trouble. If we ad-
ourn, it is the same session of this Legislature,
held in two paris, to accommodate the interests
of the State, instead of one long session at such
time when we cannot have before US our
actual condition.


He regretted that we could not adjourn



action, that It would be impossible to do so
now But we must make the part Of our sss-
sion to be held next winter enough shorter, to
equalize is,nakiDg not much over four month
for the whole Two years.


BE could not now give the detail of import
ant measures pressing upon this body. The
penitentiary is to be enlarged, A new one is
to be built The Benevolent Institutions are
pressing important appropriations. The pub.
lie works OF the Slate are crushing the life out
Of US.


The State is now bound to furnish water
power along the canals, and every year thc;se
privileges are Increasing in value while the
fact is more and more apDee..ent that the State
mus, get nd of thl.Ssse Works. We should GER
tainly ges rid of all leases which can be forfeit
ed: get of our hands as cheap as possible
all others. It was the great block in the wheel
against the sale of these Works. We have
never had message from our Governor on
these and kindred subjects, and his views are
known to be wise and prudent, should they be
given to US as we should meet again.


We need G revision of our criminal laws, now
running through sixty statutes, and tapping
and conflicting in various ways, furnishing
ample loop-holes for the escape of rascals. This
we have not time nov to complete, and need to
carefully mature.


The capital of Ohio has gone largely into
railroads, almost all of which are in financial
trouble, aud looking to legislative action to save
their scattered remains in the hour of their dis
solution.


A large number ofbiIls are before US REQUIRE
ing mature delibeTation, to pass or prevent from
passing, as we shall judge best for the State.
To complete these now would take us at least
ninety days, and by areeesswe can act on them
in a month. He had decided that his duty to
the State required him to vote for an adjourn,
meut and he should do SO not as a Republican
measure, or Democratic measure, but as his
deliberate conviction Of duty in an emergency
such as he hoped the State of Ohio would
not again find itself in.


A call Of the House was then ordered, and
eighty-fVe members answered to theiT names.


Mr.. Hitchcock moved to amend Mr.. Nigh's
resolution by adiourning on the 18th of March,
which motion was lost.


Mr. Tanneyhill said that he had been reared
in the JeffeTsonian school of politics, one Of
the cardinal principles of which school was
frequent elections and frequent sessions of the
Legislature. Under the new Constitution the
Democratic party had set the example, and
nghtfully, he believed.


Mr. Tsnneyhill proceeded to give his reasons
at some length for the vote which he should
give on this question.


Mr. Hitchcock was sorry that his amendment
did not prevail. He thought that the House
could get through by the 18th He moved an
amendment to adjourn on the Goth,
Mr.. Tanneyhill said that if the amendment
of the gentleman prevailed, be should consider
it his duty to vote against an adjourned ses-
sion, if the goth inEt. was the day fixed for ad.


ournment.


Mr.. Andrews said that he had ever beer
ready since he had been q member of the Gen,
eral Assembly-and he believed he was oldest
in continuous service of all the members-tc
vote and act on all proper occasions for .,arty
ends; but he never had, and never would, act
solely to make buneombe. He thought it q
preposterOus idea to pass a resolution to-day
the 9Th of March, to adjourn Oh the 18th. The
appropriation bills were not yet drawn; after
these were perfected, il would require six days
according to the rules, to pass them, even
though they give rise to no discussion. There
are other subjects yet untouched, the considera-
tion of which amounts to absolute necessity
| Among them the construction of new peni.
/ tentiary is prominent, If the 18th had been
| fixed on month ago, perhaps the proper busi-
ness could have been transacted; but th 26th
would now be the earliest day that could be
fixed on with safety.


As to the question Of an adjourned session,
Mr.. A. was IN rather paradoxieal situation
in reference to it. BE had uniformly beer in
favor of biennial sessions, but this position could
now scarcely Withstand the oensUres of his
riper judgment. The Finance COMMITTEES had
been instructed by the House to bring forward
bills making appropriations for the year '6I as
we'll as the present year; he was the only mem.
Der of the Committee who had experieuce be-
fcTe the present session, and the balance Of the
Committee had to some extent deferred to him
in making the estimates; but he was entirely
unable. with all the light before him and the
benefits of four or fiEs years experience, to
make figures at al satisactory to himself for the
year '6i It had been said by member, few
dave since that after making the estimate= sor