The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1879-02-13
PROM COLUMBUS.
Tho Supreme COurt--PublIC WOrks-Tempsranc
&p.
COLUMBUS, Feb. 10th, 1879

So.
COLUMBUS, Feb. 10th, 1879
The Supreme Court will 10 assemble
on Monday Of next week, the 18th, 0fter
their short vacation.
Two hundred and ten bills have been
introduced in the House since the begin
ming of the present adjourned session,
and sixty three in the Senate. About
one. fourth of these are local bills, many
of which, even if passed, would only af'
feet school districts, townships and viii
lagos therein named Some of them are
very traiDg, such as for the relief of a
Township Treasurer who was too stupid
and incompetent to keep correct ac'
count of his funds, and similar smaller
matters, where it would be a saving to
pay the amount of relief asked for out of
the State Treasury, instead of being for
ced to legslate on the subject Large as
is the number of local bills, it does not
reach the total of this class introduced
during the closing session of the last
Republican Legislature. There is little
partisan legislation 80 far during the
session.
The law giving the Chief Engineer of
the State Board of Public Works vote
in that body has been charged upon the
Democrats as being partisan measure,
but in fact it keeps the canals out of pol
itics and prevents them from being used
for partisan purposes, and hence the
kicking among hungry Republicans and
their scheming friends.
Three of the House bills introduced
haYe an important bearing on the tenn
perance question. One by Mr. Eylar,
Democrat, and another by Mr.. Quimby,
Republican. providing for local option,
and the other by Mr.. Dodds, of Hamil.
ton, pro yiding for raising revenue from
saloons in Cincinnati, by means of liCen-
ces or their equivalent. When either of
the two first named bills come up for
passage, lively temperance oratory may
be expected. Nothing will be done, how
ever, until the advocates Of local prohib-
ition get the aid and comfort in their
work which they expect from the State
Prohibition Convention, called for the
22d inst, in this city.
Another bill of general nature, for
the passage Of which there be strenuous
efforts, is Mr.. Worley's measure creating
the Office of County Superintendent of
Schools. The educators have lobbied
for it vigorously, but in the present tenn
per of the Assembly, it is not likely that
bill creating so many new and highly
salaried offices will pass.
Booths Fee Bill, which has created 80
much stir among county officers, whose
fees il is proposed to scale to level with
the reduction in prices and wages in all
other departments of business and ocCu.
patton, has been in statu quo in the SEN
ate Committee on Fees and Salaries for
some time past The temper of the com.
mittee is decidedly in favor of a reduction
of some kind, and popular sentiment, as
expressed by numerous petitions, is also
strongly in the same direction. If any
mishap befals the bill or any substitute
for it, it will not be because those in fa-
vor of the principle want numbers, but
because of disagreement as to details in
the proposed reform.
There has been no bill introduced in
the Senate that has caused a greater COM
motion than that of Senator Howard in
relation to insurance. The underwriters
doing business in this State, as we'll as
the representatives of the great compa-
nies all over the State, will make the
matter the principal topic of their delib.
erations at the convention, to be held in
Cincinnati on Wednesday. As the au-
thor states, the points in the bill seek
nothing more than to compel the com.
panies to pay the amount of the risks
they take in the absence of the inten-
tional fraud, and not to allow them to
collect premiums year after year on any
stated amount of risk to and afterward
rid themselves of liability, in case of
loss, on the plea that the property was
over-insured by their own agents.