The Democrat-sentinel. [volume] (Logan, Ohio) 1906-1935, 1909-02-25
Thursday. February 25. 1909.
Tie the Governors Hands.

As puSoSu W WV "'"SS "
Woods bill for an investigation of
state departments and institutions
is "a fraud. 1t is but another
piece of trickery such as the
desperate plotters of the state Re-
publican machine have been wont
to prpctice upon the people in the
past few years.
Pretending to give the governor
enlarged powers of investigation
into the conduct of state depart
ments and institutions it abridges
and makes impotent the limited
authority vested in the governor
by existing statutes to personally
examine the auditors Office and to
cause an official examination of
the state treasury.
Instead of giving the governor
proper authority to inquire into
any charge or complaint made
against state department or
institution, the Woods bill as
passed by the house would take
all such power out of his hands
and confer it upon two men to be
named by him subject to approval
by the senate. In other words,
the governor could not make in
quily into the most trivial com.
plant or follow up suspicion or
clue he may have found himself
without summoning a special
court of inquiry created "with the
advise and consent of the senate,
and ask that committee to investi-
gate, subject to all the technical
ramitications of an inquisition.
Further than to start an investi
cation the governor would be
absolutely powerless, so complete
ly would his hands be tied by the
Woods bill.
Take for instance the cruelties
at Newburg asylum, which led to
grand jury indictments. The
governor could do nothing except
to summon two men of opposite
politics "with the advise and con-
sent of the senate''-at the next
sessi on-and turn over his author
ity to them. If such scandal
were to occur after the session
next year, there would be on
session at which the committee
could be confirmed by the senate,
unless special were called at
extraordinary expense to the state.
Without such confirmation legal
technicality would arise on which
to base injunction proceedings.
If the investigation were permitted
to go on, the governor would be
estopped from taking any action
to purge the institution pending
the result of the investigation.
In fact, it would be a question,
even if the committee were to dis.
cover guilt, whether the governor
could do more than transmit the
committees report to the legisla.
ture, so that such an investigation
as a bipartisan committee would
make under the circumstances
would be abortive.
Imagine also, the summoning of
such an ipquisition to investigate
the birth of child at the Athens
hospital; or complaint that stew
ard was taking "tips"; or that a
rocking chair bought for some
institution had been sent to some
body's residence; or the thousand
and one things reported to the
which could be investigated in no
other way than by committee of
two men of opposite politics
with the advice and consent of
the senate"
One or two Investigations could
easily exhaust the appropriation,
and there would be no fund to
probe subseq uent complaints
Besides, the bill was amended
in the house il is doubtful wheth-
er the governor could even so
much as cause such investigation
as 1t authorizes without the senate.
All that Governor Harmon asked
in his message to the legislature
was that funds might be provided
for such inquiry as the cheif exc.
cution of the state should have
authority to make into the con-
duct of the states affairs IN the