The star. (Cincinnati [Ohio]) 1874-1875, 1875-02-22
GORDON'S 3 BILL.
What Some of CtnotnnatVs Best Men
THINK About A6olishing the Board Of

Hamilton county, have become restless
under the continued interference Of the
Board of Control with their pet schemes.
The office of the County Commissioner
used to be very paying one when there
was no Supervisory Board to approve
the bills and contracts before they were
made valid. A County Commissioner in
those days could draw his commission
on bills to be allowed by the Board and
contracts to be awarded. These with
the fees for Courthouse appointments,
and the regular salary of four dollars per
day, made margin OF profit sufficiently
large to warrant many seli-Sacriticing
men in immolating themselves upon the
altar OF the public good.
But day came When the dear people
awoke 10 realization of the fact that
they were being plundered. A vague
and at first underlined notion began to
take possession OF the public mind that
| there were too many knives at work on
the public cheese, and too many spig0ts
attached to the public tank--in tact there
was screw loose somewhere, and a
search reyealed that it might be
located in that part oil the public ma
| chine in charge Of the County Commits
siOners.
TO remedy this evil the Board of Con-
troll was constituted. Its members draw
| no salary, and it's powers are supervisory
and not legislative. What it has done
for Hamilton County is seen in the fact
that since its organization there has been
few If any misappropriations of public
moneys or fraudulent contracts made
with fraudulent bidders, The Board has
stood grim and immovable reality in
the way of jobbery and peculation, and
| has given no cOuntenance to schemes
looking toward private advantage at the
public expense.
1t is not probable then that the bill to
abolish this Board, introduced by Mr..
Gordon into the over house of the Leg
islature, on Friday last, will meet " ith
any approval among the men VINO figure
largely on the tax duplicate of Hamilton
county.
A STAR reporter made short
| tour Of investigation among the
business men of this city for the purpose
OF tinding if possible one who favored
The bill. The search was failure. On
'Change every man approached was
sternly opposed to the measure. There
| yet remains 10 be found one among the
heavy taxpayers who iav0rs it. From
some the negative was short and posi-
tive. From others he obtained state
ments of their opinions, backed by such
| SCI leasoning that they will serve to en-
tighten some OF The State Legislators as
to what the Board of Control is, has
been, and can be made. Among the
many visited was Mr.. Gazzam Gano. lie
thinks The bill, if passed, would be pro-
ductiye of bad results. He believes chat
the Board uf Control has had beneti-
cial effect in controlling the Jobbers, who,
if they can not be kept out of office,
should at any rate be kept under suryeil-
lance.
ID. Il. Woodrow is opposed to the meas
ure, and thinks the Board should be COR
tinued in existence. The tendency in
these days is for men to steal all that
they can get unless they are watched,
and Board OF such good men as we have
at present vested with supervisory and
not legislative powers is the body most
properly constituted to watch them.
hon. S. S. Davis thinks the Board Of
Control has saved Cincinnati and Ham
ilton county thousands Of dollars, and
| that tax payers are interested in Oppos-
ing this measure. The opportunities
that are open for fraud by the County
Commissioners are many and unknown
to the general public. 30 much greater
the reason then that we should have a
Board composed OF good men to act as a
check upon their operations.
MIR. Howell Gano has opposed the
measure from the first. lie believes that
a supervising Board of its character is
calculated to produce economy i'll the eX-
penditures of public money. and that 1t
is highly desirable to keep it In exist
ence.
Robert Mitchell is opposed to the
measure. He does not consider that
any one is interested in fayoring the bill
who is not either member of a ring or
has work for the ring to do. The Board
dis !,
under the present circumstances, or, in
TACT. under any circumstances. 1t is a
necessity if we would conserve the pub
lie interests.
John Shllto says he has not read the
bill and does not want to. He knew
long ago that the programme OF the ring
managers was to put the Board of Con-
troll out of existence, and he is opposed
to any legislation looking toward the
carrying out OF that programme.
The Board has become necessity to
Hamilton county Taxpayers and should
be sustained IN It's action at least so long
as it is composed Of such good men as IL
is at present. Oliver Perrin says that the
movement is one in favor OF the ring in-
terest, and that every man interested in
the prosperity and material welfare of
Hamilton county will oppose it. He
voted for Mr.. Safer because he knew him
TO be an honest man, but ii he is power
less to defeat jobbery alone, by al means
let us have the Board of Control to assist
him. The fact of two OF the County
Commissioners wanting to abolish a SUI
peryisory Board created for the express
purpose OF examining and passing upon
their official actions is Of itself suspi-
cious circumstance.
Jacob Elsas thinks that the Board has
exercised its supervisory powers in the
interest of the taxpayers OF Hamilton
county. Its members are all good men,
draw no salary, and are removed from
all Ring influences. He is consequently
opposed to the bill.
Enoch Carson thinks the Board is one
OF the best institutions in Hamilton coun-
ty. It has saved thousands OF dollars to
the tax duplicate which would otherwise
have been misappropriated. We can not
get along without the Board as long as
we have such majority in the Board of
Commissioners as we have at present.
Ii Hamilton county would elect a major
ity of honest men to represent her in the
commissioners Board there might then
be some reason in talking about abolish
ing the Board OF Control. AS it is, the
only Thing that needs abolishing is the
HIchn in ho