Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1891-09-24

| present Democratic Legislature so far
has failed to pass a single piece OF
/ legislation that takes from the shoul-
ders of the taxpayer 81 of taxa
ton. or in any degree hghtens the expense
| of State government On the contrary,
charge this administration with defeating
and suppressing laws that would lessen
/ the burdens Of taxation as well as increase
the revenue # the State. The Democratic
! party of OEi5 in its management of State
affairs has been party of high taxation.
| 1t has imposed through the present
Legislature more Indebtedness upon the
/ people than ever before. 1t fixed upon the
| taxpayers of this State in one session alone
/ of its General Assembly a local taxation
of SIS, ,9SS, 600, nearly $500 600 in excess of the
amount authorized by any two sessions of
| former Legislatures. The farmers, busi-
ness men and manufacturers of Ohio have
! justly been complaining of excessive taxa
tons for years. The only answer the
Democracy OF Ohio gives is an increase un-
equaled in the history of the State. This
is not the time nor occasion to give a
| detail of the evils of the Democratic party
in Ohio. but | shall leave that to the
future. If l wanted to summarize the in
| dictment that can be successfully main
tained against the Democracy, l would say
that 1t has disappointed public sentiment
by its imbecility and weakness and by its
failure to meet or solve any of the public
questions in State affairs.
1t has given no relief to the taxpayers;
neither has it passed any law which will
make his taxes lighter, and il this feature
it contrasts unfavorably with the last Re
pablican Legislature. It has piled upon
the taxpayer loae of taxation, resulting
from local legislation, greater in amount
than that passed by any other General
Assembly. 1t has debauched the public
institutions of the State by turning them
over to the strikers of the Campbell ad-
ministration with degree of indecent
haste never equaled in our political his
tory. 1t has interfered with the manage
ment of municipal governments to de-
gree never reached by any other Legisla-
ture. 1t has broken its promises TO its
friends and has cowardly refused to fol-
low the platform it thrust in the face of its
enemies.
The question of taxation is as potent
and prominent as ever, and if the tax
payers of Ohio are wise they will heed
the advice of Mr.. Ryan as well this year
as last. The best interests of the State
demand more imperatively than ever
the election of Republican Legislature.
The Special Session.
So much for the work of the Ripper
Legislature at its first session. No bet
ter summary of its course in the extraor-
dinary or adjourned sessions has so far
appeared than the review of its proceed
ings by Mr.. James Boyle, of the Cincin-
natl Commercial Gazette, soon after the
sine die adjournment. In this he says:
There is no necessity for more than a
brief review of the special session. Ad-
mirers of Campbell are lauding him as a
second Tildcn for his action in calling the
special session. The Governors record as
a reformer is very fiimsy, resting as it does
wholly upon tie special session-for it is
not claimed even by his partisans that in
any other phase of his administration has
a reform tendency been manifested. Now,
what are the facts? Governor Campbell
personally, and the Democrats as a party,
solemnly promised that as soon as the Leg
islature met the people of Cincinnati
would be given the right to at once elect a
successor to the Foraker Board of Public
Affairs Yev with Campbell's silent, if
not (as shown by the testimony ac-
tive approved, bill was passed Civ
ing Campbell the appointing power. He
appointed q remarkably unsatisfactory
board. Ugly rumors grew and mul-
tiplied about the board and a public
clamor sprang up for the removal of sever
al of the members. Instead of giving
the members an opportunity for defense,
as he ought to have dope in tair play land
particularly to his own appointees), the
Governor Joined in the deuuncistions of
the members referred to, publicly i'm
peached the honesty Cf one of them, and
called special session cf the Legislature
to provide for the creation of a new bosid
The incompetency of the Legislature is
shown by the fact that the law passed at
the special session creating the new board
was declared invalid by the Supre,a
Court, and Campbell's charges against ATS
board have been found to be mot proven, d"
as the Governors friends put it, but false
as claimed by those who are fighting the
Governors denomination,
The Adjourned Session.
When the legislature reassembled last
January the Democrats were badly de-
moralized. The special session had Gre
ated two factions and much personal jeal-
ousy and bad feeling, and at the Novem-
Der election the people of the state had ex-
pressed condemnation upon the Demo
cratic administration.
A large proportion of them had no inter
est in geners legislation now that the t.e-
cree had goc~ forth that the end had come
to political spoiliation, and another ele-
ment were disgruntled because the prom
ised "relief" to the liquor element
and free Sunday advocates had not
been AFFORDED. AS a consequence,
abseHteeism became chronic. Having
had its teeth drawn and it's claws
clipped, the Democratic tiger was
now harmless animal He became very
mild and conciliatory. Speaker Hysell and
his assistant, Robson, changed their style
of rulings, and became reasonably fair pre-
siding officers. All attempts at Demo-
cratic caucusing were failures right at the
commencement of the adjourned session.
Occasionally the Democrats of the House
land more frequently those of the Senate)
would draw the party line, but the occa-
sions were only incidental. Overtures were
made to the Republicans to proceed with
legislation in an amicable mood, with no
more reference TO pdrIlSdnSHlp Ihe'n
could be helped; and the overtures
were accepted in good faith. What
ever commendation is to be awarded to
the last session of the Legislature for pass
ing certain popular measures Is to be
shared by Republicans. 1t was rarely that
there was a Democratic quorum in the
Senate, and only once during the entire
session was there Democratic quorum in
the House. Not a single law was enacted
during the adjourned session by Demo
cratic votes alone; even more, the Demo
Gratis never cast enough votes on single
proposition all through the session to pass
it. Republican votes were necessary to
pass every resolution and every bill. An
analysis of the roll-calls will show that
the two parties were almost evenly divided
for and against most of the prominent
measures voted upon during the adjourned
session.
Finances.
A Democratic administration is always
costly luxury. The present administra-
tion is the most costly in the history of the
State. For tie fiscal year of 1890 the gen
eral appropriations were 50, ,4S3.3ol, being
$134, $50 in excess of the receipts. For the