Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-08-28

the salaries of the Commission and its
employees The work of codifying these
laws was the work of this Commission
ana all the General Assembly did vos 70
SIMPLY ratify work that was brouobt 70
IL already done. That this is so is nro,,ad
Oy the Iact that the Democratic Housa on
the last day of its session. bv a mani
nous vote, adopted resolution thankino
the COdifying Commission for doing and
completing this work. The code of Ohio
laws, as it now stands, consists of :, ,436
sections. OF these sections, 3,S76 were
ratified and approved during the last ses.
sion of the 62d and the first session of the
SD General Assemblies, and are pub
lished in the volumes of laws for 1877 and
1873.
Only 1850 sections were ratified and
approved during the last long session..
The first session of this Democratic
Legislature approved as many sections as
it did the last, yet it was not in pretened
session so long, by thirty-eight days.
This false cry will not cover up the
shameless waste of time and money upon
themselves that has been committed by
the late Democratic General Assembly.
HOME RULE.
One of the. battle-cries of the Demo
cratic party is, "Home Rule!'' By this,
the impression is intended to be conveyed
that this party desires that the people
shall be governed by men, whom they may
choose by their own free will at the bal
lot box, and that it is the special gurdian
of the people in this respect.
The last General Assembly gave the
lie to this pretense at its late session, and
showed that the Democratic party is in
favor of ''Home Rule,'' so long as the
people elect Democrats to office But,
that so soon as the people think their in
terests require officers belonging to an
other party, the principle of Home Rule
is to be ruthlessly thrust aside.
The municipal improvements and great
public financial interests of the city ol
Cincinnati have, for several years, been
looked after by five officers elected by the
people, and called the Board of. Public
Works. The affairs of that city haYe beer
wisely managed by this Board, and tn,
people of that city, without regard. tt
party lines, had great confidence in it.
Prior to the April election, 1879, it con
sisted of three Democrats and two Repub
licans. At that election each politica
party presented a candidate for tha
Board, and the people at fair election
said, as solemnly as they could say at he
ballot box, that they preferred to have the
Republican candidate serve them. Thu!
the political standing of this Board wai
changed by the direct act of a majority o
the people.
This kind of ''home rule''' did not suit
our Democratic General Assembly, ant
so soon as the will of the people becam,
known, bill was introduced and made
law, which legislated these five officer
out of Office, and replaced them with fv,
others appointed by Democratic Polio,
Judge. In thirty-seYen days after tht
election; the man who had been elected
was thrust out of Office, and the man VIII
had been rejected by the people was pu
/ in his place.
The constitution of this State provides
that the State Board of Public Works shal
consist of three members, one to be elect
ed each year by the people of the Who'll
State. In January, 1879, the Democrat
Legislature discovered that this Board ha
: upon it two Republicans and one Demo
crat. One of these Republicans had bee
elected by amajority of the voters of th
: whole State, at the preceding election
October. FtHOme Rule'' as exemplifie
in this Board did not please the last Les
islature, and it therefore proceeded
nullify the power of the majority, by pr
viding that the Chief Engineer, a ma
appointed by the Governor, and Demo
crat, should have equal power with an
member of the Board of Public Work
in the makingof appointments. Thus b
giving the Engineer the same power 8
= the officers created by the constitution
and elected by the people, they made til
Board stand two Democrats and two r,
publicans.
This is Democratic -FfHome Rule'' &
practiced by the last Legislature, but it
e due to many good Democrats in Ohio
: say that they demurred to and violentl
) opposed these acts.