Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1872-01-10


8 AS to the laws regulating the occu
I. patton of streets and alleys by rail
4 road tracks, the speed of locomotive
J, in towns and cities, and railroad eros
: sings, he says that, statutes which b,
e regards wholesome are, sit is nOto
rlOus, wholly ignored by some compa
e nies, and only partially Obeyed by
| Others" --...
, He quotes the laws forbidding rail
t road officials from being interested in
D fast freight, express or transportation
: companies, and from dealing in rail
: road securities, and adds, that "thC
violation of these laws is believed tc
! be very common among railroad off.
! Gals"
! The Commissioner also gives exam.
: Piles of 'the increase or watering OF
} stock" by railroad companies, and re-
marks, 1.-THE foregoing statements are
1.-THE more striking in view of the fact
that the stOckholdersin the company
have been in receipt of regular semi
annual dividends for several years, of
from six to ten per cent. per annum. %
The significance of this remark of
the Co 1missioner lies in the fact that
the rates which railroad companies
may charge for transportation OF pas
sengers 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 careful
| Investigation can furnish. 1, there
fore, recommend that a commission
| of five citizens, of whom the Railroad
| Commissioner shall be one, be organ
| lied, with ample powers to investi.
gate 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 informa-
| ton acquired, with recommends
tion of such measures as the commits
sion shall deem expedient.
During the past year, the travelling
public has enjoyed, in Ohio, remarka-
bic immunity from railroad accidents.
According to the reports of the rail-
road companies to the Commissioner,
not a single passenger has lost life by
| the faults of the railroads In the State,
during the year. But the number of
persons 'Other than passengers, /" and
of "employes" who have lost their
lives, is quite large. One hundred
and fifty-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. 1t is per-
lectly practicable TO protect citizens
from these dangers, by enforcing prop
er regulations as to the speed OF trains
and as to the occupancy and crossing
of streets and roads. Your special at
tention is called to this subject.
One Ofthe most dinicuit and inter-
esting practical problems which now
engages the thoughts of the American
people, is how to maintain economy,
efficiency, and purity in the admins
tration Of local affairs, and especially
in the governmental of towns and cities,
without u departure from principles
and methods which are deemed essen
tial TO free popular government
Many of the most important functions
of government are in the hands of
local authorities. They are directly
charged with the expenditure of large
sums of money, with the protection
of life and property, and with the adj
ministration of civil and criminal
justice. The duties, In one way or
another, touch nearly and constantly
the interests and feelings of every
citizen. Upon their faithful per-
formance depends the prosperity, hap
piness, and safety of the community.
1t is true, that as yet, Ohio is happi- I
ly, in a great measure, free from the
operation of causes which i'm the !
commercial metropolis of the country |
recently led to such extraordinary |
corruption in the government of 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 in |
creasing in power. No political party |
is altogether free from their influence, 1
and no political party is solely respOn- /
sible for them. We have laws pro- |
hibiting almost every conceivable 4
official neglect and abuse; and penal
ties are affixed to the violation Ofthose /
laws which cannot be regarded as
inadequate. The difficulty is to Sc
cure their enforcement. Those whose
duty il is to detect and prosecute, are
often interested in maintaining good
relations with the wrong doers. The
contractors for public works and sup
plies, not unfrequently have a COM
munity of interest with those who
are the agents of the public, to let and
superintend the performances Of con-
tracts. Where these abuses exist,
there is apt to be large circle of ap-
parently disinterested citizens who
labor to conceal the facts, and to sup
press investigation. What the public
welfare demands, is practical meas
ure which will provide for thorough
and impartial Investigation, in every
case of suspected neglect, abuse or
fraud. Such an investigation to be
must be made by an authori-
ty independent, if possible, of all local
influences. When abuses are discoY-
cred, the prosecution and punishment
of offenders ought to follow. But
even if prosecutions fail, in cases of
full exposure, public opinion almost
always accomplishes the object de-
sired. a thorough investigation of
and criminality leads with
great certainty to the needed reform.
Publicity is great corrector of official
abuses. Let ii, therefore, be made the
duty of the Governor, on satisfactory
that the pub bile good re-
luires an investigation Of the affairs
)f any public office or the conduct Of
any public officer, whether State or
ocal, to appoint one or more citizens
who shall have ample powers to make
iueh investigation. IL, by the inves-
igatiOn, violations of law are discov- &
,red, the Governor should be author {
Zed, in his discretion, to notify the q
Attorney General, whose duty il
hOuld be, on such notice, 10 prose- q
ute the offenders. The Constitution c
makes it the duty of the Governor to I
see that the laws are faithfully exc s
.uted." Some such measure as the '
lie here recommended, is necessary 8
o give force and effect to this cOnsti- S
utional provision 5
In compliance with the ConstItu- '
ion, the last General Assembly sub 2
nitted to the people the question of .
lOlding a convention, ito revise alter 7
II amend" the Constitution; and at !
he October election, a large majority y
f the voters Of the State decided in '
avor of a convention. 1t is the duty y
f the General Assembly, at its pres P
Mt session, to provide, by law, for
he election of delegates, and the as 9
of the convention. y
The vote on the question Of calling y