The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1874-07-02
The New Constitution.

lowing answer TO some OF the -OOJSC
tions that are urged to the adoption o
the New Constitution: 7d1 @ doc
Ftrst-On the ground that the Con
Vention was so long in session ant
cost 50 much that its work ought t,
be rejected anyhow, no matter what j
may have been. tits not 10 be denieC
4 that popular prejudice has been stirred
up on this subject, but when it is re
collected that the length of the twt
/ sessions of the Convention has not ex
ceeded the average sitting (220 days
of an Ohio Legislature for many years
and the whole cost, including the pub
LEGATION of the debates, is more q thar
$4,000 less than the average (S236, ,215
of the last thrae Legislatures (two Re
publican and one Democratic), it maj
be concluded that the making of {
Constitution requires as much time
and is worth as much as the framing
of laws which can be repealed at any
time, if mistakes are committed. EVel
though absenteeism of members pro
longed the session of the Convention
for want of the necessary fifty-three
votes to act finally on pending ques-
tons, as is often the case in the Cen
eral Assembly. it is no reason that the
members of the Convention who lab
orcd faithfully at their posts should be
condemned, but the proposed CoRsti-
tuition ought to be faRly considered
on its own merits, and if, on the whole
it is an Improvement on the present
one, ii should be ratified with view
to the general public good, o., &.
s Second-Itlis . asserted that under
the proposed Constitution the cost of
the government will be largely in
creased, and fabulous estimates are
paraded as to the expense Of the Ju-
dietary system. The facts are that be-
sides a Supreme Court Commission
for three years to close up the docket
tional officer is created, except twenty
one Circuit Judges to perform the du=
ties now imposed on the District
Court so that suitor may not be
compelled to, try his cases twice be-
fore the same judges, a reform uni
Yersally demanded. In place. of 80
Common Pleas and two Superior
Court Judges, 46 Common Pleas
Judges are Substituted, thus diminish
ins actually the number of judges six,
and the cost of the Supreme and Com
mon Pleas J Judges So, GOO, even if. the
General Assembly, at its session next
winter, should fix the salaries of the
Supreme Judges at 81, 1000. which is
entirely optional with that body. On
the other hand the saying made by
requiring salaries to be paid to County
Treasnrers, Clerks and Pro-
bate Judges, and that the fees be paid
into the treasury, will mole than pay
the salaries OF the the Circuit Judges,
at $3, 500 apiece, together with the an
nuaI expenses ofthe General Assembly
State officers, amounting to about and
$I46, 600. The fees and allowances of
County Auditors, Treasurers, Clerks
and Probate Judges last year, as ap-
pears by the. report of the Auditor of
State (page 15) amounted to $969, ,407.-
II, or for 452 officers in the SO coun-
ties, an average of .$2,754 each more
than is paid to q Common Pleas Judge.
A proper scale of salaries, adjusted as
in Illinois, allowing not more than ST.
700 to these officers in the 46 counties
less than %, 900 inhabitants;
50, 800 IN the 36 counties between 25.-
600 and $4,000 Inhabitants; $4,000 in
the four counties between. 45, 900 and
10000, and 5000 in the counties Of
Hamilton and Cuyahoga, would bring
down the cost of these officers in the
SS counties to $754 S00-thus making
a saving of $214, ,607 per year, acord-
ing to the last years returns, by the
operation of the salary provision of
the proposed Constitution Ifthe fix
ing of these salaries should be trans
ferred by law to a county board elect
ed by the people, as in Illinois, by pro-
portiona1 suffrage. so as to give each
party check on the other, instead of
the Legislature, no doubt reform and
in this matter; will be
carried still further by the tax-ridden
people in fixing the salaries of their
own officers. The proposed Constitu-
tion relieves Ohio from the anomaly
of paying mere ministerial county Of
ficers more than her Governor and
Supreme Judges--for instance, a
treasurer in Hamilton county $4,000,
in Cuyahoga $4,000, and in franklin
$4,000. 8o i3tsos5ois iss ou |
Ibird-The legislative apporEion-
nent has, as usual, been made target
Of partisan criticism from the most OPP
1osite stand points, A well known
correspondent of the Gin
sinnati Commercial, on the 9th of |
June last, figuring out to his entire |
that a majority of the
Senate districts are irretrieVably /
against the Republican party, while !
.ertain Democrats charge the reverse
s the fact. The trouble is that there |
ire several very close districts, which |
will compel the putting up of good |
\ 4 l.zfl -, 4 h. /
is politically fair, though |
n some cases there may be local OBJ
ections. The Senate districts, under |
he present Constitution, would, in
he present state of parties, elect Is to
Is, and without gerrymandefing /
where there is an odd district, the /
nap of Ohio geographically inclines
he chances against the party whose
is concentrated in twelve /
Western Reserve counties lying to-
gether. At any rate majority of
0oth political parties in the ConYen-
ion voted for the apportionment ar
icle.i 6 So far from there being any /
partisan design in the application of |
he cumulative voting system to o.coun.
les. or districts having more than two
Senators or Representatives, it was
anu Cdfl1eQf E1fO0Su t0e I
by the votes of seven
of the. Hamilton county del +
sgation, with the concurrence of I
majority of the Cuyahoga delegation,
% prevent the large counties from be-
ng cut up into single districts, as in
he city of New York. BY its opera
ion during the present decade one
party will probably lose four members /
N the county of Hamilton, to be par
tally compensated by a. gain of two /
N Cuyahoga. Cuyahoga at the cen
Jus of 1870 had a population of l32, ,0l0,
IA increase of 81 per cent. during the
decade, while Hamilton stood, still |
With scarce 20 per cent. increase, so
It the apportionment of 1880 while /
will have three. Senators
md niue Representatives, giving the {
q Senator and four members,
here will be no change in Hamilton, |
while Lucas aud Stark, the only other |
that then can be possibly at I
fected by the cumulative system, (the /
ratio for a representative is now over |