The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-10-16
BLYRIA STONE.
4 Great Essential In the Stats
House Pavements!
Contracts Which Seem to jus.
tify Governor Campbell's

Saying to Hts "Paving Commissions"
"I Believe You, too. To 30 Di.honestis
Behold, How Altogether Lovely 10 Dem.
scratio Ruie In ohio.
II has long been matter of common
remark among Intelligent citizens that
the Democratic party, as it has been
oficered and led in Ohio since the war,
b utterly incon nlpetent to govern the
state or manage its business.
The inordinate greed and hoggish.
ness OF the leaders rs to political spoils
was fully illustrated last winter in the
disgraceful performance of the senate
In railroadiny out Of Office, without
trial, Lieutenart Governor Lampson,
who was ELECTED W the psople, and in.
Quoting w. '. Marquis who was de-
feated 10y the people, !. proceeding utter.
~ withodt u siDgiv redecai:mS feature;
indeed, a deliberate case Of larceny.
Those traits were further shown by
the gerrymander Of the congressional
districts by which the same leaders ex-
pect to secure to q minority of voters,
as against majority, the control Of
over thrce-fourths Of the congressional
districts Of the state.
OF like character are the numerous
ripper bills by which Republican off,
GERS were legislated out and Democratic
run in. One Of these foul birds-the
Cincinnati board of mprovements-ha
early come home to roost, and is giving
@His Excellency" about these days most
dire distress. Not only do these in
stances illustrate the voracity Of that
political organization for spoils, but
they show that the leaders have no
| political sense-in other words, that
they don't know how to govern.
Equally incompetent are they in the
management Of affairs of business. A
recent example of this is now attracting
attention at Columbus. The visitor at
have noticed that the walks about the
state house yard needed repairs. The
asphaltum walks were in some places
broken and worn, and. in many
places, cracked. The stone walks
leading from the north and south
gates were worn out and needed
to be paced with new. With
this done, and the asphaltum repaired,
where bro en-, and re-sarfaced, the ap-
proaches to the state house would have
been better than new, and in every way
swell enough" At liberal estima to
this should not have cost to exceed
$4,000. This was the situation, and
these were the needs. Now note how
the powers that be" have met this situ-
alton. In the appropriation bill passed
by our Democratic legislature at its
late session (S7 Ohio Laws, p. S0D under
head of "state house and grounds" il
the item: New walks and repairs,
SS,000.00.p BY custom these repairs
would have been made under the direc-
tion OF the adjutant general. But, for
some occult reason; that official couldn't
be trusted to build or even repair .
common sidewalk!
So he was induced to request the
legislature to give him assistance in the
matter, and. on the last day of the ses-
sion, a resolution was adopted %. L. v.
81, p. 64S) providing for the appoint
ment of q committee of five to act with
the adjutant z neral in the matter.
At the heRd of this paving commits
sion' was pnt Senator Van Cleaf, of
Pickaway, now chairman Of the Demo
cratic state executive committee, and
under tho lead of that enterprising
statesman the commission hasn't been
at all idle. 1t is also we'll known to
some members Of the house that Repre-
sentative Cromley, now tho Democratic
candidate for secretary of state, also
from Pickaway county, interested him
self very much in the appointment Of
the house members Of this joint COM
mittes. OF course all this machinery
didn't mean economy. 1t meant Just
the opposite.
When this commission met in the
adjutant generals Office on the day. the
Legislature nd ourned to organize. Il did
just three things, viz: First, elect
| n,
elect Adj. Gen. Hawkins secre-
tary; and last, but most important,
adopt q motion that it would put down
only natural stone, and the secretary
was instructed to at once advertise for
bids. All this was done without making
any examination whatever as to tie
merits OF artificial stone, although 1t
was then well known by members Of
the high joint commission that the
manufacturers Of artificial stone de-
sired to be heard, and to compete for
the work. Their wishes finally pre-
vailed, but only after 30 strong Q show
ing had been made in favor Of artificial
stone, at q later meeting, that its merits
could not be utterly ignored. The COM
mission then consented t. give the arti-
fcial stone men all the paving fronting
on High street, and at once proceeded
70 call Tor DDS Tor work involving tho
tearing up Of nearly all the asphaltum
walk and the substitution Of stone Of
one kind or the other instead. Numer-
Gus bids we've put in.
The Acme Stone company, Of Colum-
bus, manufacturers Of artificial stone,
was the lowest bidder, and, IL it could
guarantee good job, was because Of
that fact entitled to Q contract for all
that was to be done. II 1t could NOT
guarantee good job of course it was
not entitled to contract for even q foot
of the paving. Its bid was fifteen cents
per square foot. After much higgling
Q majority Of the commission, with the
adjutant general, having inspected
work done by the Acme company In
different parts Of the city, voted to
award it contract for about one-half
Of all the paving that it was proposed
TO have done, and the work is now un.
der way.
But to award the whole work to the
lowest bidder appears not to have been
the purpose Of the august paving com.
mission" To have all the walks laid in
| artificial stone would never 40. n nor.