The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-12-13
THE COUNTY COMMISSIONERS

THE COUNTY COMMIooIONbho
Was the heading of an article in las
weeks Repository, got up for the PUT
pose of instructing our Commissioners II
the law. The most Of the long article
was solid reading, and was claimed by
the learned legal minds Of that concern
to be "the law" They did not give thu
chapter and page, nor yet the date ofth'
act or acts quoted. ,
We suggest that the Repository folks
require the Republican member OF th'
Board, Mr.. Woods, to call at their sane
tum and receive instruction from them
Had this been properly attended to some
years ago, when Republican Commits
sioners constituted the Board, the coun
ty would not now have heavy claim
against the Tuscarawas Valley road tc
recover damages for county road taken
when that railway was built. The
amount claimed for the county is five OF
six thousand dollars, and we under
stand the claim is necessary, on account
Of the then Commissioners not attending
to their business according to law. Lei
the new lights of the Repository then 60
on with the task of gratuitous instruction
in statutory and common law,
The Repository is still troubled over
that "Massillon bridge"-that is not
built, and not even ordered to be built,
the former contract with the Massillon
Bridge company being annulled. The
Repository finds fault that that annulled
bridge was given to Stark county ess
tablishment instead of to Pittsburgh
company, claiming the latter was little
cheaper. Our Commissioners may pre-
fer giving such jobs to home establish
ments, other things being equal, even at
a little higher price. But the Repository
claims some informality in the initiatory
steps. If.so, the Republican Commits
sioners of years past failed to comply
with all the requirements of the law, and
for years, during Porter, Lee, collars and
Truby's time, when the bridge expendiN
lures equalled nearly, and exceeded
sometimes, one hundred thousand dol
lars a year The present Board OF
Commissioners, in their official course
and steps, have followed their illustrous
predecessors, and the very same mode
followed in other counties of the State.
But informally is not necessarily illegal;
and we are confident our Commissioners
intend and desire to comply with the
law in all respects.
Some years ago, under Republican
rule, a,bridge was erected over the SuN
garceek, from and to which was no road
at all and dnever was. The present Board
removed it, and placed it where it is used,
We are not aware the Repository ever
referred to this. Had the mammoth
Keystone Bridge company of Pittsburgh
the contract for the new bridge at Mas.
silon, instead of the Massillon Bridge
company, the Repository would have re.
mained quiet and found no fault with
the Commissioners. We have heard of
monopoly concerns UNDER
bidding on purpose to drive new enter
prises out of existence, knowing that
when competition had ceased, they could
make up for losses.
AS to heating the Infrmary by steam,
the Commissioners are not cropping in
the dark, for the same company about a
year ago put their works into the Court
House and Jail, and it is a grand suc-
cess. When failure, steam is costly
failure. For example, at the Children's
Home, near Mt Union, year ago, a
steam apparatus was put Inlet to the
Lowest responsible bidders," and the
county Commissioners Of Columbiana
and Stark letting the job, and of course
knowing nothing about such work nor
the plans. The result, however, after
one winters test is, that the two count.
les have been at the expense to take out
the boilers and remedy other defects, all
at an additional cost of near two
dollars.
In the Canton main school building
years ago, steam heating was tried at
great expense, and was finally aban-
1oned on account of being failure.
There are private houses in Stark coun-
y, and in all our cities, the steam heat
ng arrangements in each Of which have
cost two to three thousand dollars. or
more. All must admit the Importance
of having safe ald successful heating ar
in our Infrmary, with its
:wo hundred inmates, made up of the
aged and young, the imbecile, insane
and crippled. No doubt the cost will be
but once in, it will be per-
nanent and save trouble. We under
stand that along with the heating, proper
ventilation is being also provided for.