ANNUAL REPORT OF THE QUARTER-MASTER GENERAL. TO THE GOVERNOR OF OHIO. FOR THE YEAR 1856. 33-PUB. DOC. PART I. REPORT OF THE QUARTER-MASTER GENERAL. To SALMON P. CHASE, STATE OF OHIO, QUARTER-MASTER GENERAL'S OFFICE, Governor and Commander-in-Chief of the State of Ohio: SIR-I have the honor here with to submit a tabular statement showing the quantity and kind of Public Arms in the State Arsenal on the first of March, 1856; the numbers and kind drawn from the United States since that date; the number and kind collected in Franklin County; and the number and kind issued to Companies since that date to December 1, 1856. I took possession of the State Arsenal on the first of March last, and found the Public Arms in a building entirely unfit for the purposes of an Arsenal, and for which an agreement had been made to pay a rent of five hundred dollars per annum-a sum I conceived by far too much; and as soon as I could procure better rooms, I caused all the Arms and equipments to be removed. The rooms now occupied cost a rent of three hundred and seventy-five dollars per annum. While the old Penitentiary building was standing, it was used as an Arsenal, without expense to the State, but since it has been torn down, rooms have to be rented. I would respectfully suggest that if the General Assembly shall deem it expedient to enact a law re-organizing the Militia of the State, and providing for the proper use and safe-keeping of the Public Arms, (for which there is is a very great necessity,) provision should be immediately made for the erection of a suitable building for a State Arsenal, where all descriptions of Arms can be safely kept together, and properly taken care of. The rents which must necessarily be paid for rooms, under existing circumstances, would, in a few years, be sufficiens to erect a building suitable for an Arsenal. The condition of the Public Arms heretofore distributed over the State, the manner of their distribution, the hands into which they have fallen, &c., are subjects to which I have given much attention, and directed many inquireis; and I am prepared to say that there seems to have been an entire want of system, and almosta total disregard for the use and care of this description of the public property. In the year 1808, Congress passed a law, providing for the distribution of arms to the States and Territories, in proportion to the number of the effective militia in each State and Territory. It is not probable that for several years, any report has been made of the effective militia of this State; and up to the present year arms have been furnished to Ohio, according to the last report made. There can not, probably, be any thing like a correct estimate made of the value of the Public Arms received from the General Government, and distributed over the State. By a report made to the Legislature in 1850, by my predecessor, I per ceive he then estimated the value of the Arms distributed over the State, at the round sum of four hundred thousand dollars. Since 1850, it is probable the value of the Arms received is little short of one hundred thousand dollars, making a total value of near half a million of dollars worth of Arms issued to Ohio alone. In 1855, Congress passed a law, providing that the distribution of the Arms thereafter made, should be according to the number of Representatives and Senators in Congress. The quota to Ohio the present year amounted to one thousand and fifty-one muskets, in value amounting to the sum of thirteen thousand nine hundred and twenty-five dollars and seventy-five cents. Each State is permitted to select any description of Arms manufactured by the Government. Under a decision made by your predecessor and the Attorney General, there is no officer of the militia known or recognized above the rank of Captain. This decision was made under the provision of the Constitution which provides that all officers of the militia" shall be elected by the persons subject to military duty in their respective districts." Consequently there is no officer empowered to make requisitions for arms, to take charge of the arms, nor to receive bonds for their proper use and safe-keeping. This state of things renders the distribution of the arms embarrassing to this office; and I have been governed by my best judgment, and by the adoption of such requirements as I deemed proper, aided by your counsel and advice, in issuing arms to companies organized since my appointment. The Legislature at its last session, passed an act, (Laws of 1856, page 201,) making it the duty of the Sheriffs of the several counties, under the direction of the Quarter-Master General, to collect together and safely keep all the public arms and accoutrements belonging to the State, except those in the hands of regu |