Ohio History Journal

ADDRESS BY GOVERNOR A. V. DONAHEY

 

At the annual meeting of the Ohio State Archaeo-

logical and Historical Society the audience was favored

by the presence and encouraging words of Governor

A. V. Donahey. A most cordial reception was accorded

to the Governor and he responded with the following

address:

 

Governor Campbell, Ladies and Gentlemen:

I came here this afternoon to loan my presence for a

few minutes and to say that I am deeply interested in the

archaeological and historical work of our state. I might say

that when I served as auditor of state I always aided this

organization in every way I could, believing, as I did, that the

work you are leaving to posterity will be most valuable. I have

often thought that no public official is fully qualified, and no

citizen is fit to exercise the power of voting, until he or she

has studied the past.

You have here a great collection. Ohio far excels many

states of our union in its collection of antiquities. I remember

visiting Minnesota, in company with Dr. Thompson and other

educators, a few years ago. I investigated that feature there

and found that Ohio can well be proud of its work in that line

and of the splendid work done by this Society in the past.

When I moved into the Governor's mansion I found there

a number of splendid bookcases, built into that home, but I

found that save about twenty volumes dealing with history we

had little in that line. We did not have even a set of the re-

ports of the Ohio State Archaeological and Historical Society.

I would like to suggest that a set of those reports be sent to

the mansion and placed there, as a part of its library. I want

to assure you that the set I have in private life I have taken

great pleasure in reading.

I remember when I became auditor of state I wanted to

know what other auditors of state had said. I struggled with

reports covering fifty or sixty years, and finally I came across

a report that stood out -- the report of old John Brough, after-

wards Governor of Ohio. His report shows that he under-

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