OHIO. 



605 



military companies of the State, and place 

 them, as far as equipment is concerned, in an ex- 

 cellent condition. All of the State war claims 

 that were supposed to be collectible under the 

 laws of Congress were presented to the United 

 States previous to the year 1874. The total 

 amount of these claims was $3,235,183.51, all 

 of which were presented as valid accounts 

 against the United States. Of this sum, the 

 United States had paid $2,959,194.69, leaving 

 a balance outstanding, November 15, 1875, of 

 $275,984.82, on which there was paid, Decem- 

 ber 27, 1875, the sum of $5,578.27, on special 

 settlement forwarded by the Adjutant-General, 

 February 27, 1875, leaving a balance yet un- 

 paid of $270,406.55. This amount consists in 

 claims that are disallowed or suspended for 

 want of proper evidence which it is impossible 

 for the State to obtain. 



The General Assembly, which met in ad- 

 journed session December 1, 1874, continued 

 in session until March 30th. A large number of 

 bills were passed, mostly of a local character. 

 Among the measures enacted were two modi- 

 fying the liquor laws of the State. One so 

 amended the so-called Ad air law as to require 

 notice not to sell liquor to any individual to be 

 filed with the township clerk. The other re- 

 pealed the local-option clause of the municipal 

 code. Laws were passed authorizing stock- 

 holders of railroads and mining companies to 

 vote by proxy ; authorizing railroad companies 

 to extend their lines of road beyond their origi- 

 nal termini ; authorizing railroads to increase 

 their capital stock before commencing their 

 roads; authorizing mining and manufacturing 

 companies to borrow money at eight per cent, 

 interest; making all checks, bills, and drafts, 

 drawn on banks and bankers, payable without 

 grace; extending the jurisdiction of justices of 

 the peace under the water-craft lien law to 

 three hundred dollars ; prescribing penalty of 

 a fine of not less than fifty dollars against school 

 boards for refusing to levy tax to a sufficient 

 amount to maintain schools six months in each 

 year; providing for the appointment by the 

 State School Commissioner of special commis- 

 sions to examine into any alleged default or 

 misfeasance of local schools and officers ; pro- 

 viding for teaching industrial pursuits in chil- 

 dren's homes ; providing that inmates of orphan 

 asylums may become wards of such institutions 

 upon the neglect for six months of parents to 

 provide for them ; providing for vagrant and 

 mendicant children (street minstrels) ; pro- 

 viding for an inquest of lunacy on persons con- 

 victed of crime, and suspension of execution of 

 the lunatics; prescribing proceedings for the 

 extradition of alleged fugitives from justice ; 

 providing for the appointment of trustees of 

 minors, idiots, lunatics, and imbeciles, residing 

 out of the State and having property in the 

 State ; punishing rape upon a child under twelve 

 years of age with imprisonment for life ; amend- 

 ing the law of divorces and alimony so as to 

 allow the wife a support pending an appeal 



to the District Court ; providing for the sup- 

 pression of tramps, vagrants, and common beg- 

 gars ; providing for the appointment of three 

 commissioners learned in the law to revise and 

 consolidate the General Statutes of Ohio; grant- 

 ing the consent of the State of Ohio to the Gov- 

 ernment of the United States to acquire land 

 within the State of Ohio, needed for the im- 

 provement of the navigation of the Ohio Eiver; 

 authorizing the giving sectarian instruction in 

 matters of religion in penal and reformatory 

 institutions. The last-named law filled so large 

 a space in the political history of the State 

 during the year that its full text is here given : 

 SECTION 1. Be it enacted etc., That as liberty of 

 conscience is not forfeited by reason of conviction 

 for crime, or by reason of detention in any penal, re- 

 formatory, eleemosynary institution, or any house 

 of refuge, workhouse, jail, or public asylum in this 

 State, no person in any such institutions shall be com- 

 pelled to attend religious worship or instruction of a 

 form which is against the dictates of his or her con- 

 science ; and it shall he the duty of every director, 

 trustee, superintendent, or other person having in 

 charge any such institution, to permit ample and equal 

 facilities to all such persons for receiving the minis- 

 trations of the authorized clergymen of their own re- 

 ligious denomination or persuasion, under such rea- 

 sonable rules and regulations as the trustees, direc- 

 tors, managers, or superintendent shall make, but 

 no such rules shall be made as to prevent a clergy- 

 man of any denomination from fully administering 

 the rites of his denomination to such inmates ; pro- 

 vided such ministrations entail no expense on the 

 public Treasury. 



The bill was originally introduced into the 

 Legislature by Mr. Geghan, a representative 

 from Cincinnati, and thus became known as the 

 " Geghan bill." As introduced it was of much 

 greater length than given above. While the 

 measure was pending a letter from Mr. Geghan 

 to a friend was made public, in which the" bill 

 was spoken of as an act of justice to the Ro- 

 man Catholic Church, of which both the writer 

 and the receiver of the letter were members, 

 and its passage urged as a debt due by the 

 Democratic party, then in the majority in the 

 Legislature, to the party members of that faith. 

 At the same time the Cincinnati Catholic Tele- 

 graph published one or two articles demanding 

 the passage of the bill. These facts arrayed the 

 Republican members against the bill, which was 

 passed by a party vote, and immediately on the 

 adjournment of the Legislature it was made an 

 issue in the political canvass at once com- 

 menced. The closing days of the session were 

 much disturbed by proceedings in regard to 

 some local legislation. Charges were made 

 that members were bribed on the matter of 

 the proposed removal of the county-seat of 

 Wood County, and an investigation was had, 

 which ended in finding that irregularities had 

 taken place, but no further steps were takes. 



The political campaign opened early. The 

 Prohibition Convention was held at Colum- 

 bus, February 24th, and the following ticket 

 placed in nomination : For Governor, J. Odell, 

 of Cleveland ; Lieutenant-Governor, H. A. 

 Thompson, of Franklin County; Auditor of 



