That wolves and panthers were dangerous to and destructive to life and property, is evidenced by an act of the Legislature to encourage their killing. The law required the county authorities to offer a reward for wolf and panther scalps taken within its boundaries. For these animals less than six months old a bounty of not more than three dollars nor less than fifty cents was to be paid, and for the scalps of animals more than six months old not more than four dollars nor less than one dollar.

Perhaps no law was ever more zealously enforced and in a few years these destructive animals were either killed or driven into remote and unsettled districts, where there were no county organizations, and from which they occasionally raided the flocks and barnyards of the settlers.

Acts were passed regulating weights and measures; promoting the construction of public highways, ferries and bridges; improving the election laws, organizing counties, levying State taxes and perfecting the militia laws.

OFFICIAL DIRECTORY, 1807-1808.

Acting Governor-THOMAS KIRKER.

Secretary of State-WM. CREIGHTON, JR.

Treasurer of State-WM. MCFARLAND.

Auditor of State-BENJAMIN HOUGH.

Supreme Judges-RETURN JONATHAN MEIGS, JR., WM. SPRIGG, GEORGE Tod,

SAMUEL HUNTINGTON.

Adjutant General-THOMAS WORTHINGTON.

SIXTH LEGISLATIVE SESSION, 1807-1808.
Met December 7, 1807. Adjourned February 22, 1808.

KIRKER, THOMAS, Speaker.

SENATE.

SCOTT, THOMAS, Clerk.

SHERLOCK, EDWARD, Doorkeeper.

The Senate constituted as follows; met at Chillicothe, Monday December 7, 1807:

Bigger, John ... War., But., Mont., Gre.,

Cler.

Cham., Mi.

Rs., Frk., High.

Cone, Calvin.

Trum., Gea.

McArthur, Duncan.

McConnell, John
McLaughlin. John.
Price, Hezekiah
Scofield, Elnathan.
Sharp, John.

Thomas Richard S.

Wood, Stephen..

Rs., etc. . Jeff., Col. Jeff., Col. Ham.

Fair.

Wash., etc.

War., etc.

Ham.

The Senate met at Chillicothe, Monday December 7, 1803, at ten A. M., and formed the following pro tempore organization:

Speaker, Thomas Kirker, Adams; Clerk, Thomas Scott; Doorkeeper, Edward Sherlock. On the fourteenth this organization was made permanent. Owing to the resignation of Gov. Tiffin to become United States Senator, Speaker Kirker became Acting Governor, and there being a failure to elect Tiffin's successor, he continued as Acting Governor until the subsequent election of Samuel Huntington. John Bigger was chosen Speaker pro tempore of the Senate.

The two Houses met December 8 to canvass the vote for Governor. The returns indicated that 6,050 votes had been cast ostensibly for Return Jonathan Meigs, Jr., and 4757 ostensibly for Nathaniel Massie.

Many of them were concededly irregular. One deduction of the irregular votes gave Meigs 4.531 and Massie 4,361. Another reduced Meigs vote to 3,299 and Massie's to 2.317, giving Meigs a majority of 982. No formal declaration of the vote was

made, and an act to contest the election was passed. Massie contested it on the ground of Meigs' ineligibility. A failure to elect was declared.

The enumeration of the white male inhabitants of the State of the age of twentyone and over, showed an aggregate of 31,308.

On the thirtieth of January the Senate passed a House Joint Resolution to continue the seat of Government at Chillicothe during the present session of the Legis

lature.

Also a House Joint Resolution declaring it necessary to elect an additional Judge of the Supreme Court.

The House met at ten A. M., December 7, and organized pro tempore by electing Thomas Worthington, Speaker; Thomas S. Hinde, Clerk, and Adam Betz, Doorkeeper.

On the tenth the House effected a permanent organization by electing Philemon Beecher, of Fairfield, Speaker, and confirming the previous election of Hinde and Betz, as Clerk and Doorkeeper.

Five ballots were necessary to a choice of Speaker, as follows: First ballotPhilemon Beecher, Fairfield, 10 votes; Thomas Worthington, Ross, 9; John Sloane, Columbiana, 5; Wm. Lewis, Ross, 1; Wm. W. Irwin, Fairfield, 1; Elias Langham, Ross, I. Second ballot-Beecher, 12; Worthington, 11; Sloane, 4; Irwin, 1. Third ballot--Beecher, 14; Worthington, 11; Sloane, 3. Fourth ballot --Beecher, 14; Worthington, 11; Sloane, 1. Fifth ballot--Beecher, 17; Worthington, S.

John Cleves Symmes, of Hamilton, had been returned as one of the Representatives from that county. His seat was contested by John Jones who was given the seat, Symmes not having been seated on the face of the returns.

The contest to decide the eligibility of Return Jonathan Meigs, Jr., to the office of Governor occupied several days, the two Houses sitting in joint convention in the hall of Representatives. The contest was tried pursuant to an act of the same Legislature.

Nathaniel Massie entered formal contest and set up the following reasons why Meigs was ineligible:

1. That Meigs did not possess the qualifications necessary to hold the office of Covernor, inasmuch as he had not been a resident of this State for four years next preceding the day of election.

2. That within four years preceding the election he had been a resident of the Territory of Lousiana, and there exercised the office and powers of a United States Judge.

3. That he now holds an office under the Government of the United States.

4. That on the second of April last past he was appointed a Territorial Judge for Michigan.

Mr. Meigs submitted a statement which was accepted as agreed facts as follows: I. That he went to Louisiana and Missouri in December, 1804, and remained until August, 1806, when he returned to Ohio, and again returned to Louisiana where he remained a few months, his entire residence in Louisiana being eight months and in Missouri three and one-half months During all this time he was on colonial business for the U. S. Government and for the State of Ohio, and regarded this State, where his family resided, to-wit, at Marietta, as his place of residence.

2. That during the preceding session he had been commissioned by the Governor of Ohio to an important office in connection with the Burr-Blannerhasset conspiracy, thus recognizing his citizenship, as well as reposing other State trusts in him.

3. That he had been appointed Territorial Judge for Michigan, but had never assumed the duties of the office in consequence of being summoned to Richmond to appear in the Burr trial.

4. That he is and has been a resident of Ohio for thirteen years last past.

Upon these statements, given in fuller detail, the case rested. After argument by Henry Brush, counsel for Massie, and Jos. Hammond, counsel for Meigs, the question was submitted and Meigs was declared ineligible by a vote of twenty-four yeas to twenty nays. The vote was as follows: Yeas, Senators Bigger, Bryan, Claypool, McArthur and Thomas--5. Representatives Campbell, Corwin, Corry, Ellison, Elliot, Harlan, Hough, Irwin, Jones, Philip Lewis, Wm. Lewis, Langham, McClure, McLene, Patterson, Pollock, Tatman, Vance and Worthington—19; total, 24.

Nays, Senators Cone, Dillon, Jewett, McLaughlin, Price, Scofield, Sharp, Wood -9. Representives Bureau, Cooper, Foster, Looker, Matthews, McCune, Montgomery, Palmer, Sloane, Seeley, Beecher (President)—11; total, 20.

Every member voted except Speaker Kirker of the Senate, who became the beneficiary of the verdict, inasmuch as he became Acting Governor, since there had been a failure to elect.

The two Houses met in joint convention the thirteenth day of February, 1808, for the purpose of electing State officers, judges and other officials.

The following were elected: Supreme Judge--William Sprigg. First ballot, Sprigg, 14; Richard S. Thomas, 13; Ethan A. Brown, 9. Second, Sprigg, 22; Brown, 14.

Additional Supreme Judge, Return Jonathan Meigs, Jr., Auditor of State, Benjamin Hough, Jefferson. President Judge of the Fourth Circuit, William Wilson. Associate Judges, Hamilton, John Master, vice Nimmo, resigned; Franklin, Wm. Thompson, vice Dill, resigned; Ross, Thomas Hicks, vice Reuben Abrams, deceased; Miami, Wm. Barbee; Athens, Elijah Hatch; Preble, John Moroney, James J. Nisbet, John C. Irvin; Delaware, Moses Bixby, Thomas Brown, Josiah Kinney; Licking, Timothy Rose, William Taylor, Alexander Holmes; Knox, John Mills, Wm. Fauquahar, Wm. Gass; Tuscarawas, 'John Hackenwaller, James:Clark, Christian Deardorf; Portage, Aaron Norton, Amzi Alwater, Wm. Whitmore.

Collectors of non-resident taxes, District 1, Aaron Goforth; 2, Abraham J. Williams; 3, Wm. Skinner; 4, Wm. Wells; 5, Robert Carroll; 6, Reuben S. Clark.

Hamilton and Butler counties. Boundary line between established by the act of January 20, 1808.

Knox. Erected from territory hitherto included in Fairfield county by act of January 30, 1808. County seat is Mt. Vernon.

Delaware. Erected from Franklin by act of February 10, 1808. County seat is Delaware.

Washington and Athens. Line between altered by act of February 18, 1807. Certain sections detached from Athens and attached to Washington.

Stark. Erected from unorganized territory south of the boundary line of the Connecticut Reserve, and east of boundary line of the United States Military District, and the Indian boundary line. Became an organized county January 1, 1809. County seat is Canton.

Wayne. All the trace lying west of the tenth range and east of the sixteenth range, in the new purchase, south of the Connecticut Reserve and north of the United States Military District was erected into a separate county, by the name of Wayne, but to remain attached to Stark till otherwise ordered. County seat is Wooster.

Tuscarawas. Erected from Muskingum by the act of February 13, 1808. County seat is New Philadelphia.

Preble. Erected from Montgomery and Butler, by the act of February 15, 1808. As the bill passed the House, the name given the county was Bellona. The Senate amended it to Preble. County seat is Eaton.

Numerous amendments and additions were made to the acts relating to the organization of the judiciary and inferior courts; public highways, ferries and bridges, and the laws relating to marriages, encouraging and regulating the same.

At the time of the settlement of the State the forests were the homes of countless myriads of squirrels, gray, black and red, with an occasional white specimen. They invaded the wheat, rye and corn fields of the settlers and destroyed the ripening crop.

The Legislature hit upon an ingenious method of securing their destruction, or at least thinning them out so as to reduce their ravages to a minimum. An act was passed requiring that every male person of the military age should annually turn into the Clerk of the township in which he resided, at least 100 squirrel scalps, for which a receipt was given. If he turned in less than that number, or none at all, he was required to pay three cents each upon the deficiency. If he turned in in excess of the 100, he was given a receipt for the excess, and they were credited on his next year's quota. The money realized from those failing to turn in the required number of scalps, was divided pro rata at three cents per scalp among those who turned in an excess, and the remaining excess, if any, was carried forward to their respective credits.

The laws "regulating black and mulatto persons," afterward known as the "Black Laws," were amended and amplified. In addition to the provisions hitherto cited, no black or mulatto person was permitted to migrate into or be domiciled in any county, without executing a bond with the Clerk of the Court, signed by two or more freeholders of the county, in the sum of $500, conditioned for the good behavior and sup

port of such person. If such person entered a county, not having executed such

bond, he or she was placed in custody of the overseer of the poor, and his or her services, for support, sold to the highest bidder annually. Any person harboring or con

cealing a black or mulatto, were subject to a forfeiture for each offence of $100, onehalf to go to the informer. No black or mulatto was permitted to testify in any case where one of the parties was white, nor could such person maintain an action at law against a white person. In short he was denied almost every right possessed by a white person. Subsequently these restrictions were extended to any person having a visible admixture of African blood, and it was made a penal offence for such persons to intermarry with whites. None of the benefits of the school fund went to such persons, except under special statutory provisions.

OFFICIAL DIRECTORY, 1808-1809.

Acting Governor-THOMAS KIRKER, to December 12, 1808.

Governor-SAMUEL HUNTINGTON.

Secretary of State--JEREMIAH MCLENE.

Treasurer af State-WM. MCFARLAND.

Auditor of State-BENJ. HOUGH.

Supreme Judges-GEORGE TOD, WM. SPRIGG, THOMAS SCOTT, THOMAS MORRIS. Adjutant General-THOMAS WORTHINGTON.

The Senate met at Chillicothe Monday, December 5, 1808, and was constituted as follows:

The following pro tempore organization was made on the first day of the session: Speaker, Thomas Kirker; Clerk, Thomas Scott; Doorkeeper, Adam Betz.

On the tenth of December, this organization was made permanent, a formal vote for Speaker showing seventeen for Kirker, and one each for Bigger, Elliott, Cone, Scofield and McArthur.

On the seventh of the month acting Gov. Kirker sent a brief message to the Legislature, announcing that John Smith had resigned his office as United States Senator. Also that Wm. Creighton, Jr., had resigned the office of Secretary of State. Also that he had received and accepted the resignation of a number of Associate Judges, and requesting the Legislature to fill the vacancies, as required by law.

On the tenth the returns of the election were canvassed by the two Houses and the following result announced: For Governor: Samuel Huntington, Trumbull,