The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1872-01-11

ing in railroad securities, and adds
that "the violation of these laws is
believed to be very common among
railroad officials"
The Commissioner also gives ex-
amples of "the increase of watering
of stock" by railroad companies, and
remarks, "the foregoing statements
are the more striking in view Of the
fact that the stockholders in the COM
pany have been in receipt Of regular
semi-annual dividends for several
years offrom six to ten per cent. per
annum."
The significance of this remark of
the Commissioner lies in the fact
that the rates which railroad cOmpa-
nies may charge for transportation
of passengers and freight may be
prescribed by the General Assembly,
whenever the net profits amount to
ten per cent. on the capital actually
invested.
The interests involved are Of such
magnitude that all legislation ought
to be based on the fullest and most
accurate information which a care
ful investigation can furnish. I,
therefore, recommend that a COM
mission of FIVE citizens, of whom the
Railroad Commissioner shall be one,
be organized, with ample powers to
investigate the management Of the
railroad companies of the State, their
legal rights, and the rights of the
State and its citizens, and to report
the information required, with a
Recommendation of such measures as
the commission shall deem expedi-
ent.
/ During the past year the travelling
| public has enjoyed in Ohio remark
able immunity from railroad acci-
ldents. According to the reports Of
the railroad companies to the Com
missioner, not a single passenger has
lost life by the fault of the railroads
in the State during the year. But
the number of persons "other than
passengers" and of "emplOyees" who
have lost their lives is quite large.
One hundred and ffty-seven persons
are reported to have been killed,
and it is without doubt that many
deaths have occurred which have
not been reported. Many of these
fatal accidents happened in the
streets Of towns and cities, and at
street and road crossings. It is per-
fectly practicable to protect citizens
from these dangers by enforcing
proper regulations as to the'speed Of
trains, and as to the occupancy and
crossing of streets and roads. Your
special attention is called to this sub
ject.
HONESTY AND ECONOMY IN PUBLIC
EXPENDITURES
One of the most difficult and in
teresting practical problems which
now engage the thoughts of the
American people, is how to main
tain economy, efficiency, and purity
in the administration of local affairs,
and especially in the government of
towns and cities, without a depart
urs from principles and methods
which are deemed essential TO free
popular government. Many of the
most important functions of govern
ment are in the hands Of the local
authorities. They are directly charg-
ed with the expenditure of large
sums of money, with the protection
of life and property, and with the
administration of civil and criminal
Justice. These duties, in one way OF
another, touch nearly and constant
Iy the interests and feelings of every
citizen. Upon their faithful per
formance depends the prosperity,
happiness and safety of the commu-
nifty. It is true that as yet Ohio is
happily in a great measure free from
the operation of causes which in the
commercial metropolis Of the cOun-
try recently led to such extraOrdin-
ary corruption in the government Oi
that city. But those causes do not
belong alone to the great cities Of
the East. They are already at work
in our midst, and they are steadily
and rapidly increasing in power, Nc
political power is altogether free
from their influence, and no political
party is solely responsible for them,
We have laws prohibiting almost
every conceivable official neglect and
abuse; and penalties are affixed to
the violation of those laws, which
cannot be regarded as inadequate,
The difficulty is to secure their en-
! lforcement. Those whose duty it is
to detect and prosecute, are often in
terested in maintaining good rela-
tiOns with the wrOng-dOers. The
contractors for public work aud sup
plies not unfrequently have a CON-
munity of interest with those who
are the agents of the public to let
and superintend the performance Oi
contracts. Where these abuses eX-
ist, there is apt to be a large circle
of apparently disinterested citizens
who labor to conceal the facts, and
to suppress investigation. What the
public welfare demands is a practi-
cal measure which will provide fol