The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1898-04-21

from the state treasury under the ex-
position pretense, to redeem worth
less land from the swamps, which
will be its property when the exposi-
tion is over and gone, and the state
will have what the little boy shot at
nothing.
Looks Rather Peculiar.
A bill was pushed through the SEN
ate last Monday evening which de-
serves a little scrutiny-the Riley bill
requiring railroad companies to stop
up the crevices of their switch frogs
so that it will not be possible for the
yard men, while about their work, to
catch their feet in them and be held
prisoners and be run down by engines
or cars and mangled. The ostensible
object of the bill is certainly COM
mendable, but it is whispered about
the legislative halls that it is in the
interest of the owners of patent de-
vice for stopping switch frogs, and
the rushing of the bill through at this
time suggests more influence behind
it than its merit. 1t has been said
that 1t seeks to do good thing, but
bills Of equal merit have been on the
calendar for weeks awaiting action,
and are there yet
Dilatory work on the part of the
finance committee Of the house in pre-
pairing the general appropriation bills
has resulted in leaving the legislature
with both the appropriation bill for
1898 and that for 1899 on hand for
final action in the last week of the
session. With these most important
measures to be considered and acted
upon, it is not likely that there will
be much time for the consideration Of
the many important bills which are
still on the calendar. 1t Is safe to say
that the Bracken and Valentine rail-
way fare bills will not be put into the
form of law. In fact, with all the
many bills considered this winter
which were regarded as hostile to the
interests of the railway companies,
but two have so far been enacted into
the form of law. One of these fixes
the standard of telegraph pole which
shall be used in carrying telegraph
wires over q railway track. The other
extends the time in which railway
companies must equip their freight
cars with automatic couplers to Jan.
/, 1900. To these a third might be
added-the bill requiring all railways
to maintain and operate telegraph
lines along their roads. This refers
only to the Cincinnati, Georgetown
and Portsmouth road, however, as all
other roads in the state already have
such lines. 1t will be noticed that the
railway legislation of this session has
so far not been of very drastic ma
ture.
The MuslSrat Tabooed.
The state of Ohio has abandoned the
muskrat to his fate again. The law
which gave him protection has been
repealed and he must take his chances
now with the jack rabbit and the
English sparrow. The boys in the
back woods will be glad to know that
there is left them a few birds and
beasts which they may make legal
targets for ,hei~ eN0tguns.
r~7TlE7-T
BY passing tne Hinsdale bill and
making it a law Monday the senate
perfected the Jones bill, which became
a law earle" in the season, providing
for the weighing of coal before screen
ing, to determine the pay of the men
who dig it out of the mine. The Hins-
dale bill provides that the checkweigh-
man-the man who weighs the coal
as it goes down the tipple--shall give
$500 bond for the faithful and hon
est performance of his duty, and must
also take an oath to the same effect,
upon which prosecution can be
brought If he does not observe it. The
miners win now have the satisfaction
of knowing that the coal they dig is
being fairly and honestly measured
for determining their wages, while
they are in the mine digging more.
Another Nice Hob.
A bill passed the senate Monday
evening which proposes to establish
q new state Office under the state
board of charities, to be known as the
state agent for children's homes. This
officer is to busy himself with hunt
ing for homes in private families for
the children in counties that have no
regular childrens homes. For this he
is to be paid salary of 81, 500 per an
mum and expenses. 1t would natur-
ally suggest itself to the unbiased OBJ
server of this proposition that the
thing for counties that have no home
for homeless children to do would be
to build homes at their own expense,
and not ask those counties that have
built such homes and are taking care
of they own children in that way well,
to also help take care of the homeless
children of counties that have been
too shiftless to care for their own,
There is a suspicion that the real OBJ
ject of this bill is to make nice soft
job for some one. But for the fact
that the state board of charities has
recommended it, that conclusion
would be irresistible. The house has
yet to concur.
]. H. GALBRAITH.