PART VI.-VOL. I. From 1840 to 1851. OFFICIAL DIRECTORY, 1840-1841. Governor-THOMAS Corwin. Secretary of State-JOHN SLOANE. Treasurer of State-JOSEPH WHITEHILL. Auditor of State-JOHN BRough. Supreme Judges-PETER HITCHCOCK, REUBEN WOOD, FREDRICK GRIMKE, EBENEZER LANE. State Printer-SAMUEL MEDARY. Adjutant General-EDWARD H. CUMMING. THIRTY-NINTH LEGISLATIVE SESSION, 1840-1841. Met December 7, 1840. Adjourned March 29, 1841. For Speaker pro tempore, Wm. McLaughlin, of Richland, received all the ballots except one which was cast blank, probably his own. For Clerk, Caleb J. McNulty received twenty-six votes and eight were cast blank. For Sergeant-at-Arms thirtyone votes were cast for Samuel Burwell and three were blank. On the tenth of December, the pro tempore organization was made permanent by practically the same vote. Wm. B. Arven, John Duffey and John G. Miller were admitted as newspaper reporters to the floor and privileges of the Senate. On the eleventh of December, the two Houses met jointly and canvassed the vote for Governor, declaring the result as follows: Thomas Corwin, 145,442; Wilson Shannon, 129,312; scattering, 8; total, 274,762; Corwin's majority, 16,122. Gov. Corwin was inaugurated on the sixteenth of December, and delivered a felicitous address. On the eighth of December, retiring Gov. Shannon sent his annual message to the Legislature, reviewing the condition of the affairs of the State, and suggesting numerous topics for the consideration of the General Assembly. The most bitter and prolonged election contest which had ever come up in the Legislature, occupied a large share of the attention of the Senate from the first day of the session until the twenty-sixth of March, 1841. It was instituted by John C. Wright, of Hamilton, against the right of George W. Holmes of the same county, on the ground of frauds in the election. The depositions taken in the case made 420 printed pages. The Committee on Privileges and Elections by a majority found in favor of Holmes, but the minority found that seventy-seven illegal votes had been cast for Holmes and twenty-one for Wright; that Wright was entitled to 6,021 votes and Holmes to 5,957, giving the former a majority of sixty-four. The Senate, however, by a vote of twenty-one to eleven seated Mr. Holmes. On the twelfth of December, the Governor and Secretary of State met the Senate and declared the election of Congressmen, at the preceding Congressional election, as follows: Nathaniel G. Pendleton.. John B. Weller.. Patrick G. Goode. Jeremiah Morrow. Dist. 3+36 78 a o 2 Joshua Mathiot. James Matthews. 12 13 9 Samuel Stokeley. 19 789 The Committee on Public Institutions reported that they had made a detailed inspection of the Lunatic, Deaf and Dumb and Blind Asylums, and found them in a most excellent condition, and that the inmates were well cared for, and enjoyed every possible comfort. The Committee on Banking and Currency, consisting of Joseph Vance, John L. Green and E. L. Sill, reported a bill in favor of a Safety Fund and State Bank, the State to hold five per cent. of the entire capital of the institution. The retiring Board of Fund Commissioners submitted a memorial and report, showing that the balance on hand, subject to draft was $579,733.922. Mr. Glover from a select committee on House bill 88, to protect religious meetings, by creating a special jurisdiction to prevent the sale or giving away of spirituous liquors over an erea of about sixteen square miles, made an adverse report thereon, as its provisions were at variance with the Constitution. THIRD STATE BOARD OF EQUALIZATION, 1841. In accordance with the joint resolution of the preceding Legislature, Gov. Shannon appointed the following board from the Senatorial Districts to equalize the values of real estate for purposes of taxation: The equalized valuation of the real estate, subject to taxation was returned at The vote on the election of officers pro tempore was as follows: For Speaker, Seabury Ford, 49; Thomas W. Bartley, 19; blanks, 3. For Clerk, John M Gallagher, Wd., Ott. Jack. 26; John P. Arbuckle, 20; scattering 3. For Sergeant-at-Arms, there were 5 ballots: First, Charles Chapman, 5; Ezekiel Birney, 32; Jacob Harper, 20; E. V. Brooks, o; scattering 11; blanks, 2. Fifth, Chapman, 38; Birney, 20; Harper, 2; Brooks, 6; scattering, 4; blank, 1. On the tenth of December, the ballot for permanent officers resulted: For Speaker, Ford 52; Bartley, 12; blanks 6. Clerk, Gallagher, 48; blanks and scattering, 19. Sergeant-at-Arms, Chapman, 48; Birney, 11; Brooks, 7; blanks and scattering, 10. H. S. Knapp, Wm. Lawrence and John G. Miller, were admitted as reporters, to the privileges of the floor of the House. Mr. Bartley endeavored to have certain rules framed to prevent the publication of certain of the proceedings, but the resolution was overwhelmingly defeated. The public printing was made the subject of a prolonged inquiry with a view of amending the laws relating thereto, but no definite conclusion was arrived at by the committee having the matter in charge. A select committee inquired into the management of county jails and made a report strongly condemning the methods and system of conducting them generally, and recommended legislation for the betterment of existing conditions. The "Black Laws" were again made the subject of a report. Dr. John Watkins, for the Committee on Public Institutions, filing a long and carefully prepared report, the conclusion being that it "would be highly impolitic" to repeal or modify the existing laws. A special committee reported in favor of memorializing Congress to lay an advalorem duty of at least twenty-five per cent. on foreign silks. The two Houses met in joint assembly and elected the following officers : Secretary of State-John Sloane. Treasurer of State-Joseph Whitehill. President Judges-Owen T. Fishback, Tenth Circuit; Jacob Parker, Eleventh Circuit; Joseph R. Swan, Twelfth Circuit. Major General of the Twentieth Division-David McIntosh. Associate Judges-Thos. J. Anderson, Marion; Isaac Barker, Athens; Elisha C. Berry, Champaign; Wm. Bevans, Knox; James Carothers, Fayette; John Cox, Putnam; Alexander Craig, Henry; Robert Crawford, Coshocton; Ferdinand C. Fitch, Putnam; Wm. D. Haymaker, Williams; John Hunt, Clark; Thomas Lee, Harrison; Robert Marshall, Guernsey; Moses G. Mitchell, Miami; Samuel Morehead, Harrison; Charles Mount, Van Wert; Alpheus McIntyre, Sandusky; James O'Connor, Butler; Isaac N. Richardson, Knox; Conrad W. Shaw, Hardin; James Steele, Montgomery; Charles G. Swaine, Montgomery; Nehemiah Wade, Butler; Jno. C. Winans, Miami. The act for the support of common schools, was amended and strengthened. By the act of March 29, 1841, the Commissioners of the Canal Fund were authorized to borrow the sum of $1,334,000 to pay the amounts due to contractors, and to further prosecute the work. An act was passed March 20, 1841, to preserve the purity of elections, which required the voter to be twenty-one years of age or over, having a residence of one year in the State, thirty days in the county, and an actual residence in the township or ward where the person offered to vote. This residence must be actual, and not for temporary purposes. If the latter, it was fraud, punishable, by imprisonment in the county jail not less than one or more than six months. Any person procuring persons to go into another county than the one of their residence to vote fraudulently, were punishable by not less than one or more than five years imprisonment in the penitentiary. Bribery and threats were made punishable by from one to six months imprisonment in the county jail. To vote out of one's proper county, one to three years in the penitentiary; out of the proper township or ward, one to six months in jail; voting twice or more at the same election, one to five years in the penitentiary; voting while under age, one to six months in jail. The Springfield and Middlebury R. R. in Summit county, was incorporated by the act of March 25, 1841, and the charter of the Sandusky and Monroeville R. R. amended by the act of March 20. James Hoge was appointed trustee for the Institution of the Blind, Samuel Spangler, of the Lunatic Asylum, Robert W. McCoy, Bela Latham, Dr. Robert Thompson and H. L. Hitchcock of the Deaf and Dumb Asylum. OFFICIAL DIRECTORY, 1841-1842. Governor-THOMAS CORWIN. Secretary of State-JOHN SLOANE. Treasurer of State-JOSEPH WHITEHILL. Auditor of State-JOHN BRough. Supreme Judges-NATHANIEL C. REED, MATTHEW BIRCHARD, FREDRICK GRIMKE, REUBEN WOOD. The vote on temporary organization in the Senate was as follows: For Speaker, James J. Faran, 18; Wm. I. Thomas, 15; scattering, 2. For Clerk, Thomas J. Morgan, 19; Smithson E. Wright, 16; blank 1. For Sergeant-at-Arms, George Knupp |