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

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dissatisfaction and a movement oil
some consequence toward taking the
power from the governor.
Hands out of the Treasury.
One Of the most important measures
that have passed the legislature this
week, If not one Of the most important
{ the session, is the McKinnon bill
Itch passed the senate and became q
law Thursday. It provides that no per.
son can be employed to represent the
state in any suit as attorney unless he
is employed by the attorney general
and the retention Of him is approved in
writing by the governor and auditor OF
state Many Of the state officers have
been taking careof their lawyer friends
in a lavish way by engaging them to
take care Of legislation which they rep.
resented that the attorney general had
not time to attend to. Enormous claims
have resulted, which the legislature has
felt in duty bound to pay
Only the day before this bill came up
in the senate that body was asked to
pass a bill appropriating 81 900 to D. J.
Ryan and $500 to II. M. Daugherty,
who had been retained by the state in
suranCe commissioner in an insurance
case. The same bill also allowed an
attorneys fee in the litigation growing
out of the Urbana lynching. But the
| bill was intended to strike at the Office
Of the state food commissioner espe-
cially. In that Office enormous sums
have been paid in the last six years for
attorney service. So large have the
totals of the attorneys fees here been
as to make scandals in the department
on several occasions. Under B. f. Nc
Neal the attorneys fairly took posses
sion of the office. 1t will be different
in the future.
Senator Riley took exceptions to the
appropriation for prosecutions in this
department made in the general bill
when 1t was up for consideration this
week. He noted that it was 100000
which was within about $4,000 of the
amount appropriated last year, and
about which there has been so much
complaint. A liberal appropriation had
been made. he said, for the attorney
generals Office to meet the demand for
additional attorneys services, with the
intention that he should take charge Of
this work, and yet there was very little
reduction in the appropriation for the
prosecutions in the pure-food depart
ment. The point was we'll taken, but
the senate refused to make any changes
in the figures as they then stood in the
bill.
An Honor Question.
Senator williams is generally rec
ognized by his Democratic colleagues
as one Of the fairest-minded men on
the Republican side, and usually
would be considered the last man to
take an unfair political advantage,
yet he came very near it on the ques-
tion of the rejection of the Swain bill
repeating the Dana law, asked for by
Senator Garfield. When this matter
questions with the Republicans,
though undera pairing agreement with
Senator Finck. When called to terms
by Senator Pugh he declared that he
did not regard the question as a po-
litical one, and would not be bound
by the pairing agreement not to vote.
His conscience got in its work, evil
IDENTIFY, before the main question was
reached, however, for on that he re-
Trained from voting, and so the bill
was saved
There has certainly not been a more
decidedly political measure, or rather
party measure, before the legislature
this winter.
The Republicans evidently appreci-
ate fully the political advantage the
Dana law, which the Swain bill seeks
to repeal, gives them, and will make
every effort to keep it on the statute
books. It's repeal will facilitate the
combination of the minor parties Of
the state in a general war upon the
Republican party. The more effective
this combination can be made the less
will be the chance for the Republican
party to control the state. Just this
week there was a convention in this
city Of representatives Of five Of the
minor parties of the state, to agree
upon a basis for combination.
l. II. GALBRAITH