Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1885-03-12
FROM COLUMBUS,
From our Regular Correspondent.l

ms city Is at present agetated from
stem to stern and from center to circum-
ference by the Myers reorganization
and redistricting law recently passed
by the Legislature. This law makes it
the duty of the city fund commission
ers, composed of three Democrats and
two Republicans, to redistrict the city
into wards. At the April election one
member of the council and one mem-
ber of the board of education shall
be elected from each ward. The men,
bers Of the council shall then elect a
board OF control of three members,
whose duties shall be to take charge of
the fire, water-works, police and street
departments. These mlesnbers shall
serve three years, give bond in the sum
of $25, 900 and be paid $500 each an
nually.
Under the present condition of af.
fairs there are six different boards gev-
erning or rather misgouerning the city.
These are the boards of common coan-
ell, education, fire, police, street and
water works and none of them account
able to each other. The new law re-
duces these boards Go three, and all of
their duties simplitied so that there can
be no confusion and shifting of respon-
sibiity from one bothe other. AT pres
ent there are fourteen wards with two
councilmen from each ward. Politic-
ally the city is very close, sometimes
going two or three hundred Democrat
ic and at other times that much Repub-
lican. When in 1879 the Republicans
bya scratch obtained the centrol of
council they gerrymandered the city
into wards in such an outrageous man
ner as to forever secure themselves
majority of the council no matter what
the Democratic majority in the city
might be. BY it the Democrats were
practically disfranchised and the Re-
publicans have been running things
with disregard of ofpopular rights ever
since. Notwithstanding the increasing
population and wealth of the city they
have plunged it over 81 JOG, 600 in debt
in a few years. time with the streets
and public works in worse and more
pitiable condition than ever before in
its history. Manufacturers are seeking
other locations and capital is going
elsewhere ON account of eX0rbitant tax
alton. The new law proposes to rem
edy these evils by dividing the city in
to eighteen wards with an equal num-,
Der of voters, as near as possible, i'm
each ward. In order to make one ward
Republican the Republican council
made it about four miles long. Now
when the Democrats propose to inaug-
urate system of fair play the Repub-
'lican ringsters grow exceedingly wroth.
They are mad as hornets Tt is indeed
laughable to- witness their agonizing
contortions. Their nefarious practices
have made the taste of arbitrary power
so agreeable that when they find the
'knot of their 'eonspiracies entirely brok-
Ell they resort to the courts in the vain
hope of thwarting the prospective will
of their fellow-citizens. Whether un-
der a simpler system of city govern
ment controlled by responsible agents
,of the people better condition of af-
fairs will long exist is hard to tell, for
be it known that on both sides of the
political house in this city, with only
few honorable exceptions, there exists
the most conscienceless, brazeR, lying
and abandoned rsce of political prosti-
tutes that ever cursed a people. Under
the Myers law, slowever, the people
will have a chance to correct abuses,
while under Republican rule they were.
rendered powerless to punish the pub
lie plunderers.
The leading citizens of this city are
cold -blooded and setfish in their nature,
and their example sets the fashion for
the common people 30 follow. Coasid-
erableGf the wealth existing here ss,s
been obtained through pickings ans
stealings,Gn State contracts and pap-
sucking around the various State in
stidutions and public buildings. So
much is this spirit in vogue. here that
it iseonsidered violation of their di-
vine right for citizen of aRy other part
of the State ito come here ,and ask for a |
slice of patronage from the "powers
that he" The State authorities are re-
garded somewhat in the light of inter-
lopers. or outside barbarians who have
no rights that tine people of Columbus
are bound to respect. And 80 far as
prices of living and clothingareeoncern-
ed it is the dearest city in the State. Ifl
any of yourreaders should be so unfort-
unate as to he compelled to come here
on business let them not hug the delus-
ion to their souls that they can buy
cheaper here than they can at home.
If they do they will be nightly fooled.
Besides thugs and thieves prevail in
and vice runs roit in its
most hidcous shape, ready at all times
to trap the unwary and nnsuspecting.