The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-12-22
C0R0AERS AT WORK
FOR THE ADOPTION OF A STATE
SALARY LAW
Coroner March Is Active in the Organ
ization--Canton Legal Firm Is
Preparing the Proposed
Law.

The first organized movement in ia
vor of the adoption OF salary law by
the state legislature at its coming ses-
sion will begin at Cleveland today,
when the coroners of Northeastern
Ohio will meet at the Cuyahoga Coun-
ty Morgue to organize and discuss
plans to accomplish the passage of
such q statute.
The movement is universal over the
state and it is rather remarkable that
of all the county officers, the coroners
alone seem to be unit in the salary
movement. Prominent Democrats have
been active in the organization, among
them Coroner Sullivan of Wayne coun-
ty, while Coroner-elect Faber of To-
ledo, one Of the most prominent Inde-
pendents in the now dominant party or
Lucas county, is earnestly advocating
the bill, which insures the support of
the Independent members of the up
per and lower house.
Coroner Harry March, who together
with Coroner Jones of Columbiana
county, Coroner Humphrey of Summit,
and Coroner Scarborough of Mt. Ver-
non, has been active in organizing the
officials of Northeastern Ohio will be
In Cleveland today When question
ed by News reporter last evening re-
gardlng the probable proceedings to-
day, DR.. March was at first disinclined
to talk for publication, but finally
said that the law to be presented was
being prepared by prominent legal
firm in Canton. Before IL is present
ed to the legislature tor its action, the
law will bear the criticism of the best
lawyers in Canton, Cleveland, Column
bus, Toledo, Dayton and Cincinnati,
SO that there will be no quibbling re-
garding the Constitutionality, as is so
often the case in new legislation in
these days The coroners with whom
| have corresponded seem to think
that the scope of the Office should be
broadened and made advisory to the
state Inspector of workshops, the state
railroad commissioner and the state
fire marshal as it is at present to the
state mine Inspector 1t may not be
generally known that coroner is re-
quired to visit the scene of every IA
tality about coal mine, take exhaus-
tive testimony of all the witnesses of
the tragedy, investigate the precau
tions taken against such accidents by
the owners of the mine, etc, and send
all to the chief state mine inspector
as well as file the same data in court
A deputy mine inspector does the same
but his point of view is different. The
mine inspector gets probably hund
red dollars for every fatality in a dis
trict such as Stark county owns, while
the coroner's fees seldom reach eight
dollars. We would have the same pro-
cedure followed in all fatal accidents,
and as 1t is universally acknowledged
that it has been beneficial in the min
ing business, 1t should be benefit to
all in other branches of industry.
Many of the best known labor ex-
perts have suggested such a proceeding
In factories, while every man who
crosses a dangerous grade crossing on
raiiroad would be more or less pro-
tected by the publicity given the bad
crossings where fatalities are of COM
mon occurrence"
The difficulty in framing salary
law has been to make it universal in
Its application without boosting the
salaries of officials in the large cities
way up into the thousands. A case in
point is that of the auditor of Cuyaho-
ga county, who earns considerably
more than the president of the United
States, The coroner, in the same coun-
ty has fees aggregating about three
thousand dollars, but is allowed a
deputy on salary and stenographer
and constable.