604 



OHIO. 



The Committee on Besolutions presented the 

 following, which were adopted : 



1. That one of great lessons of the war is that the 

 American people are a nation, and not merely a con- 

 federacy ot sovereign and independent States. 



2. That pur existence as a nation is based on the 

 great principles announced in the Declaration of In- 

 dependence, and vindicated by the proclamation of 

 emancipation, the constitutional amendment abolish- 

 ing slavery, and the spirit of republican democracy 

 and justice which underlies the reconstruction policy 

 of the Thirty-ninth and Fortieth Congresses, which 

 we hereby fully indorse, and which we demand shall 

 be carried into complete effect by every needful act of 

 additional legislation. 



3. That while we will always cherish and defend 

 the American system of local and municipal self-gov- 

 ernments for local purposes, and a national govern- 

 ment for national purposes, and while we are un- 

 alterably opposed to all attempts at centralization or 

 consolidation of power anywhere, we hold that lib- 

 erty and human rights constitute our great national 

 boon, which local or State organizations must not be 

 allowed to abridge or take away. 



4. That imbued with the spirit of true democracy, 

 and believing that the powers necessary for the pur- 

 pose of attaining the ends of government ought not 

 to be restricted to a privileged class, but should be 

 vested in the whole people, without unjust or odious 

 distinctions, or qualifications not equally attainable 

 by all ; and further believing that these sentiments 

 are in strict accordance with the spirit and tendency 

 of modern civilization, we place ourselves on the 

 simple and broad platform of impartial manhood 

 suffrage, as embodied in the proposed amendment to 

 the State constitution, appealing to and confiding in 

 the intelligence, justicej and patriotism, of the peo- 

 ple of Ohio, to approve it at the ballot-box. 



The financial condition of the State is such 

 as to secure a gradual diminution of the bur- 

 dens of taxation. The total receipts into the 

 Treasury for the fiscal year, ending November 

 15th, including a previous balance, were, 

 $6.176,955. The disbursements for the same 

 period were $5,498,864. The public debt has 

 been reduced by the payment of $782,826, 

 leaving the amount still outstanding $11,031,- 

 941, which will be rapidly extinguished by a 

 sinking fund of over $1,500,000 annually. 



There is another class of indebtedness called 

 the Irreducible Debt, amounting to $3,709,073. 

 16, consisting of trust funds, the proceeds of 

 school lands and agricultural college land scrip ; 

 only the interest of this debt is payable, and 

 this sum, amounting to about $200,000 annually, 

 is disbursed for school purposes. 



The taxable valuations of property in the 

 State for 1867 are as follows : 



Lands (25,416,974 acres) $501,144,584 



Eeal estate in cities and towns 174,849,173 



Chattel property 464,761,022 



Total $1,140,754,779 



The total levies for taxation upon the values 

 of 1867 are $20,253,615. The average rate of 

 taxation throughout the State is $17.78 on 

 each $1,000, of which 27 per cent., or $4.72 on 

 each $1,000, is for the support of public schools. 



The people of Ohio have ever been alive to 

 the interests of education and have made ample 

 provision for the support of common schools. 



The present assessment is sufficient to sustain 

 them six months each year, which is the time 

 required by law;, but the inhabitants of the 

 different districts by their personal contribu- 

 _tions maintain instruction without interruption. 

 'While the school system is excellent, it is pro- 

 posed to render it still more efficient by the 

 establishment of a county superintendency, and 

 the distribution of the public money in propor- 

 tion to the number of pupils in actual attend- 

 ance at the schools. The former of these prop- 

 ositions is in accordance with a memorial of 

 the leading teachers and educators of the State, 

 and is based upon the acknowledged necessity 

 for bringing the stimulus of competent super- 

 vision closer home to the district schools. 



The second is warranted by sound reason and 

 by the experience of those States which have 

 adopted the rule. If energy on the part of 

 school officers and parents, in procuring con- 

 stant and regular attendance of children at 

 school, is rewarded byi ncreasing their share of 

 the public fund, the stimulus is found practically 

 to be most powerful in bringing a larger pro- 

 portion of youth within the influences of educa- 

 tion. 



The various benevolent institutions show a 

 satisfactory account of their management, and 

 a systematic improvement in the buildings and 

 appliances connected with them. The Legisla- 

 ture made appropriations for the enlargement 

 of the Northern and Southern Asylums for the 

 Insane, and in a short time the accommodations 

 of these two institutions will be nearly doubled. 

 "The trustees appointed to locate and build a 

 new insane asylum have fixed upon Athena as 

 the place for it, and the liberal gifts in knd and 

 money of the citizens of that vicinity have se- 

 cured to the State an ample and eligible site 

 without cost. Plans for the new buildings 

 have been matured, and the preliminary work 

 begun. "When this asylum shall have been 

 built, and the enlargement of the existing ones 

 finished, it is confidently expected that the 

 chronic insane, whose pitiable condition in the 

 county infirmaries is now the reproach of the 

 State, will all or nearly all be brought under 

 skilled and constant treatment, and their lives 

 made more tolerable to them, even if cures can- 

 not be effected." 



The Legislature also provided for the erec- 

 tion of a new institution for the blind, but 

 owing to a deficient appropriation the work has 

 not been commenced. Asylums for idiotic 

 children, and for the deaf and dumb, have also 

 been nearly completed, in the place of the in- 

 sufficient and unsuitable quarters now occupied 

 by such unfortunates. The reform school for 

 boys continues its valuable work, and fully justi- 

 fies the most sanguine expectations of its found- 

 ers. An additional tract of*land has been se- 

 lected to give the variety of employment and 

 produce which is greatly needed. At present 

 fruit culture is the principal business of the re- 

 formatory, and, while it has proved profitable, 

 the expenses of the school can be diminished 



