The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1902-02-20

| Oh I0at pOTIlOn Oh Ine MlaInl anu HTle
between Dayton and Cincinnati, has
raised a storm of protest which was
unexpected. 1t was realized that the
members of the board of public works
and all of the board employees would
vigorously resist the measure, but ad-
ded to their innumerable number, an
army of manufacturers whose plants lie
along the canals and depend upon the
water for power, have taken up the
cudgel Of war.
IF you wipe out the canals you wipe
US out with them and throw thousands
of men out of employment. We rep
resent $40,000,000 OF capital and must
Re respected" is the burden of their
complaint, and it has something of
meat and matter for serious consider
alton in it.
In response to this contention the
advocates of canal abandonment say:
Every advance is met by objection
and some one must be hurt. The own
ers OF omnibuses and five and ten mile
road-houses raised the same cry fifty
years ago when the steam railroad
came in. But there is no one would
want the railroad abolished today. The
canals for years have been annually
costing the state $150,000 more than
they earned, and it is only the part Of
good business judgment that they
should be given up. Why should the
state maintain department that is
of no use and makes the Taxpayers go
int bnip 40
They have got to go, and now is as
good time as any,"
This question promises to be the
more serious and stubbornly contested
one OF the session. No measure Is OF
more Importance, or more directly af
fects the interests Of the people. For
years the canals have been looked upon
as an established institution, and out
side of weak objections now and then
there has never been movement of suf-
ficient character to give 1t character,
looking to their abandonment until
now. The first glimpse that anything
could be done came through a notice
that Attorney General Sheets was
drafting a bill, which would be pre-
sented by Painter, of Wood, doing
away with them root and branch. This
information was followed by the par
tial appropriation bill in which no
provision for the payment Of the sala-
ries of the board members, the chief
engineer, the canal commissioners and
Office force was made after May 10,
rejecting very clearly the purpose of
tho state administration and the
finance committee Of the legislature
But severe as this was upon the higher
officials in canaldom 1t is now found
that IL hits even harderthe canal super
intendents, collectors, lock-tenders and
foremen, company of some 200 men.
These employees are paid out of what
is known as the repair and improve
ment fund of the public works depart
ment." There is in this fund at pres
ent about $4,000, and every dollar of
this will be needed to pay outstanding
bills and the February 18th payroll.
Therefore there being no provision
made for more money, these men will
be forced to suspend operations on the
fifteenth of the month, in the dead of
winter, and remain idle until at least
some definite action in the canal mat
ter is taken. If later it is decided to
continue the waterways and an ap-
preparation for their care and main
tenance Is made, they can return to
work.
The friends of local option, san
guine as they are of ultimate success,
may be forced to accept an amendment
to their original bill before it comes
to a final vote in the legislature. The
original bill provides N~or the removing
of saloons from wards and municipali- |
ties by the holding of elections and
against this tho cry of economy has
been raised. To Offset that alluring ap-
peal an amendment is under way by |
the provisions of which saloons may
be removed from ward or a munic- |
ipality upon the strength of petit
ton bearing the signatures of more |
than fifty per cent. of the voters. Rep |
resentatlve Cain, of Morgan-Noble, Is |
the originator OF this new pplan and |
he has impressed sufficient number of |
members with It's eXpediency to make |
it more than probable that the anti |
saloon leaders will accept it rather |
than to insist upon the original idea
and take the chances of defeat. But |
there are other obstacles of a somewhat |
serious character presenting them
selves against the bill. The play of |
Price, when he put in his measure to
raise .he Dow tax from $3.50 to $780,
is now apparent. He hoped to secure
the passage of this and then protest
against the enactment of further liquor
legislation, both from the standpoint
OF fairness and party expediency. This
appeal has won a number OF support
ors, and the scheme TO switch senti-
ment may not be without suficient
force to carry. Price is urging imme-
diate action on his bill and the COM
mittee cannot hold II much longer.
What looked like a simple measure
drafted for the purpose OF readjusting
the complex and puzEling taxation
laws Of the state, turned out to be a
plan OF a number of corporations TO
defeat the bills aimed at them. The
bill, which was introduced by Mr.. Fra
ser, OF Lucas, though not OF his own
provides for the creation OF
= state tax commission OF three mem
bers. TO be appointed by the governor,
who shall revise the taxation laws and
report back at the next session OF the
legislature, together with such recon-
lpsndations for changes - shall SUE. |