The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1879-02-04
OUR COLUMBUS LETTER.
COLUMBUS, o, Jan. %, I8'

SoLS"bOSs " oh' SoS AOso'
Ed SPIRIT: Both Houses are now bu.
silly engaged in considering the work OF
the Codifying Commission, and on that
account very few bills of Importance
have been passed since the Legislature
has convened Nearly all bills of gen.
eral nature will be embodied in the codi-
flying bills, which will save great deal
Of time.
The Booth fee bill which passed the
House few days since, has not yet
passed the Senate, and will not in all
probability in its present shape.
A bill has passed tue Senate and was
amended in the House, which will be-
come law in day or two, and which
is very important one to County Com
missioners. 1t is amendatorJ to section
four of chapter three, laws of lS7S,ipage
460. The law as it now is makes it the
duty of the County Commissioners, on
or before their March session in the year
1879, to advertise in one or two newspa-
pers of general circulation in the coun-
ty, to receive sealed proposals to con-
struct the necessary maps and plats to
enable the several District Assessors in
the county to reappraise all real estate
The new bill does not require the Com
missioners to make such map or plats in
any county where there is already such
county map, but where there is no such
map it makes it the duty Of the Commis
sioners to have such map made. This
will relieve eighty seven counties from.
the expense of having them made. Pike
County is the only one in the State that
has no map. This will save conside-
rable sum Of money to each county.
To-day quite lively discussion arose
in the House over hill proposing to re.
duce the homestead from $1,000 to
$500, which did not reach vote.
The bills which were introduced to re-
peal the law known as the "dog law"
after a long discussion on both sides.
was put upon its passage and voted
down by vote of % to 46; so those
persons who are unfortunate enough to
have any OF the canine species can pre-.
pare themselves for another tax.
According to instruction from the
teachers of our county, l have introGuc-
ed bill to secure uniform standard Of
textbooks in the common schools Of
each county in the State. AS they left
| it to myself to frame the bill it may
probably not meet their approval The
substance of the bill is as follows: The
board of county school examiners shall
at any time in the month of August,
1879, and every three years thereafter,
determine the studies to be pursued, and
the text.books to be used, in the common
schools Of their respective county. and
no textbook shall be changed within
three years thereafter, unless demanded
by three fourths of the Boards of Edu.
cation of their county. Then such change
shall be made by the Board of Exami-
ners; but this shall not prevent Boards
of Education from causing the German,
or other languages, to be taught; but all
branches taught in the common schools,
and textbooks adopted by the Board OF
Examiners, shall be in the English Ian
guage. II any member of the Board of
Examiners shall receive any bribe or
compensation from any publisher or
book agent he shall be liable to fine
not exceeding $500, and shall be dis
qualified from being member Of any