The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1906-01-12
GOVERNOR JOHN N. PATTISON
In His Inaugural Address Admorishes the People
Of Ohio That ii is Best to be Cood---LawS
Are Made to be Enforced. Especially Those
Relating TO Sunday Observance.

yesterday, Is a forcibhe appeal for the
observance of laws, especially those
relating to Sunday. All laws, he man
tains. should be enfor eu, or repeated.
He would have the canals improved,
but at the same time investigated.
Salaries should be substituted ior the
fee system. The referendum IL cities,
on questions of ownership OF pubhc
utilities is recommended, and cities
should be resti aimed iron giving away
franchises: and fraach .ses should be
taxed. The governor recommends that
the school laws be revised, that raii-
road passes be abolished, and that lie
insurance companies be investigated.
{ His address is as follows:
The members OF the seventy Seventh
General Assembly OF On.o:
8 Gontit men-I cUIgrat diatO yOu as Mem
bers OF the General Asscno.y upon the
privilege of serving a Sldto MhiSh an
many respects is the g.vatest OF al
the States of the UluOn, lou are eS-
pocially fortunate in being elected by
your constituents at n tl..Ie MnSh IN
people of the whole State were aroused
rs they had not been tor many yeas
they were aroused pdruCusariy as 10
what they believed was lOr the best m
terosts of the home, the com.nunity ana
the State; they were aroused as 20 lheir
rights as citizens, and lhor rlshl TO
representative governme
At the last e,ectiOn the people did not
think that partisan politics were IN
volved in the issues. trust therefore,
that you will pass no legislation for
partisan purposes. Let us, one and all,
do our re CspCc ctiVe duties with an eye sin
gle to the interest and welfare OF the
people. and by so dong We shai best
serve our State and Our party.
As the temperance quesIon was one
of the issues in the last election. | rec
ommend that the original Brannock law
as passed by the House and amended by
the Senate or one similar in purpose, lie
enacted. The Brannock measure, as
thus presented, represented the views or
the great majority of the people who
were in favor of excluding sa.oOns from
residential districts. Ohio is so great a
State. and we as citizens have fof many
years been so proud OF its greatness and
the many great men 1t has givSn The
nation, that we have failed to note the
fact that in laws in the Inter.st OF tenn
perance--lIw to restrain the evils OF the
liquor trafiic-many other States have
outstripped it, SINCE 1872 there have
been enacted virtually but three meas
ures to this end, namely, the BSatty
law, the Beal law and the Brannock ia~
the first to give local option to town
ships. the second to give II to munici-
paities. and the third to confer 1t on
residential districts within CitIes.
The Dow tax laws and other similar
laws were enacted at the request OF the
saloon and liquor interests In an at
tempt to make the business of the for
mer respectable; 1. therefore, recommend
for your consideration the advisabilitv
of enacting laws more in harmony with
those of Other states. uEu moe in aC-
cord with the best h-erests of the peo-
pie and the welfare of the State. While
IL Is Tor the General ASS NJ J - ul--.tr.
what. IL anything. should be done In this
direction 1T Is my 1Dluion that 1t would
be fair to give the pCop.e of the State
the same right by counties as they now
have, by townships, v,magss anu Ca. ;.
j believe this would greatly benefit the
people and would result In good to tho
cause of temperance.
II is said that 10: several years past,
In some parts of the State. there has
been an Indifference to Jaw. whether
or not this is so, it is the duty of every
citizen to obey the laws and the duty
of every officer to enforce them
lation of law on th5 part of the citizen
and a violation of has oath by me o..Icer.
Such violation brings lawiessness 10 the
community. usuaIiy " here th.re Is "A
continued violation of law, there Is a
continued breahing OF has oaln by the
oihcer. We shiu.d all r,aize that no
citizen can continue to be a viOlator of
the law without IUsing h.s chd. s.e. and
his rank as good citizen. NO less Is
Ii true that no oIt.cGr IAN cO..IIn~S -
faSgautly violate his oath of Office with
out loss of character. aLu especially IS
this so when he recelves--poutIcaIly or
otherwtSe-compensauo by so doing.
Likewise, no community. !arGe Or smaii,
can long permit its cltizOnS to vio.ate
the Laws, ITS ot,iCcrs 10 NIoiute mar
oath of Office, without irrr Icing a
loss OF character therein ami a general
lowering OF Oubiic mJrl's well as Of
private character. .f AL clti.ens CON
or would realize theSt EiSiS. they GER
tain.y would not be Indifferent to the
Yl"diHnce and .nf.rc' nt. ",w q
Is very easy Tor n, tgN SO-CaHt -BOUJ
citlzens-and they really think they are
among the best citizens-to say tina,
they are ''liberdf aDoLt Certain laws.
This simply means that there are some
laws on the staIute BOOKS when .ney
think should not be tn 30 and hence
they are willing that they and Others
should violate them. There are others
who are liberal about avs pertainmG
10 their own particular business anu
think they should vio.ate III N, and theS
do; and there are those of still another
class who may think the la, re,atinH
TO other persons property-Iaws against
what is commonly called stealing-are
WtODg, and so Ola.
Every patriotic and honest citizen must
admit that all the laws on the statutc
books of the State should bo oooyed anu
enforced; no one citizen has more righl
than any other TO seIecI whdt he ou,
obey and what he will not obey IL the
present existing laws are not what they
should be. or what any citizen or any
number OF citizens think they should be
Il is his privilege and theirs. now. whllS
the General Assembly is In ses ion. Il
show you wherein '1ey should | mod
fled, changed of repealed; but unles
this Is done. and whe ther 1t Is is no
done so Ion. as they or any otl r law
are on the statute books. they Ore tn,
will of the people OF our great State an,
every citizen should obey them. IL hi
falls TO obey them, he Is not a good no
patriotic citizen, and an officer VIII,
has taken an oath to enforce the ordn
ances of village or city and the law
OF the State and fails TO do so. shout,
at once be removed. If the statute II
reference TO his removal for such viola
tiOn hinders or does not permit the oh
tanning OF such q result trust the Gen
eral Assembly will at a very early dat
amend II.
The lack of respect for law Is one o
The evils of the times and all peopl
who are patriotic and who believe In
stable form OF government should real
ize that no form OF government can ex
ist without law. and no Republic ca
continue except on the foundation o
strict obedience 10 law and proper ad
ministration Of Justice. Tho dignity o
the law must be maintained or the Re
public will decay lincoln said tha
''reverence for law should he the relle
- f.,.s