The Hocking sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1871-1906, 1885-04-16
LEGISLATION.
The Most OF the Important
Measures Still Incomplete.

The Result Of the Investigation as t
the Causes Of the Hooking
Valley Strike.
special Cerresps ndence to the SENTINEL
COLUMBUS, April IA grea
many of The most important
measures introduced into the
Legislature at this session, are
still in an unfinished state, await
ing the action of one branch o1
the other.
The bills having a local refer
ence and of purely local interest
to your readers. have been no.
ticed from time to time in your
issues, and are of course familiar
to your readers, and their wis
dom or unwisdom fully known
to your tax paying citizens, who
are much more capable of pass
ling judgment upon them than an
outside correspondent.
| The partial appropriation bill
has already been referred to
deliberately in this correspond
ence, and the sums appropriated
are familiar to your readers. The
genera! appropriation bill, is of
course, matter of interest to the
tax payers Of the State, not SO
much as to each particular item
appropriated, az to the total
amonnt, for that represents the
bulk of the peoples State taxa
ton.
At this writing the bill is not
wholly completed, some of its
provisions being still under con-
sideration in the Senate. 1t will.
however, be substantially what
1 have heretofore given and will
aggregate about s2,65O,00O, rath-
er below the ordinary aggregate.
The deficiencies and. extraordi-
nary appropriations will run the
sum up to approximately $4,000,
600 or $25O,OOO or 100000 less
than the total has been for a
number of years. The apprepri-
alton bills have been carefully
drawn and fully matured by the
finance committee, and the
course Of the Legislature has
been uniformly against extrava-
gance. The result will be that
The vote of taxation this year
will be fraction less than last,
when it was decreased from the
previous year.
As yet the canals are left in a
state of suspence; no appropria
ton being made for them, and
there is a strong disposition on
both sides Of the House, espec-
tally among Republicans to
omit appropriations and dispose
of them in some way. This | re-
gard as a suicidal policy, and it
will be much better for The De
mocracy to make such appropri-
atlons as will maintain them and
keep them from falling into the
hands Of railway corporations
and other spectators. There
will no doubt be a. big contest
over this matter before the Leg
islature adjourns.
The most important act of the
Legislature was the submission
of a constitutional amendment
to change tho vote of the fall
election from October to Novem-
ber, the full text of which your
readers will find in your issues
from this on 10 the day of elec-
ton. l take it that the people
will adopt the amendment. They
certainly should, as it will re-
lieve Ohio of a vast political
pressure. and prevent the use of
much corruption money, espec
rally in Presidentia; contests.
The attempt to submit on
amendment in favor of licensing
the liquor traffic failed, owing to
the fact that the total number Of
Democrats IN the House was but
60. and it required 63 votes to
submit it. All the Democrats
vo,ed for it and all the Republi
cans except three voted against
it. These three refused to vote
at all. and thus the amendment
was defeated after having passed
the Senate by the votes of the
Democrats of that body.
There has been considerable
talk about the Legislature re-
funding the Scott law taxes by
an act for that purpose. No
such an act has been introduced
and none will be. The Legisla-
lure will 90 by the rule laid down
by Judge Friesner of the Hook
ing Common Pleas, and reaf-
iirmed IN the Circuit Court. In
fact no other course could be
safely followed.
The committee TO investigate
the causes of the Hooking Valley
Strike, consisting Of Senators
Lewis, Walcott.and Elliott, and
Representatives Barger, Kohler
and Slalter, have submitted their |
report which covers over 500 pa