The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-03-04

y
tives late Wednesday.
by the overwhelming vote of 81 to
I17 the lower branch of the assem-
| bly, passed the Schrieber resolution
proposing an amendment to the
constitution providing for the ni-
tiative and referendum, the amend
ment to be submitted at the gen.
eral election next year. The vote
was preceded by a debate as stormy
as that when the Woods public
utility and tax commission will was
the bone Of contention.
Advocates of direct legislation,
men who have been leading a for
lorn flight for years, are fairly be.
side themselves with joy. Their eff
forts win now be transferred to the
senate. The bombardment has start
ed. Excited over the big vote in the
house the strong Direct legislation
organization rs confident the reso
luton can he forced through the
senate next winter If not this. Moth
ing, the leaders say, can prevent
this big question from going to
vote of the people at the nexC
state election.
While the house was getting ready
to vote on the initiative and refer
ndum the senate was squirming
away from the Woods public utility
bill. Rather than give the bill
second reading the senate adjourned
and quit business for the day The
motion to adjourn was declared car
ried in the midst Of noisy protest
from the Democratic side and tu-
multi in the entire chamber.
Opponents Of the bill made
tremendous effort to get reconsider
alton in the house Failing I'm
this the powerful political and cor
poration lobby turned its attention
TO the senate. The Democratic mem
bers are determined TO force a vote
on the big taxation measure in the
upper branch. They are still wait
ing for the sanction of Gov Harmon
on the proposition to use the gen.
eral appropriation bill as club to
get act,on on the Woods bill
Without a negative vote the SEN
ate passed the compromise Rath-
burn-AIendelson bill providing for
the qundrennial aDpraissment Of
real estate The bill, which radi-
cally changes the methods OF ap-
Ipraisement for taxation, was put
on its passage as soon as reported
by the committee aal Whirled
through without argumen' II was
hastily messaged to the house.
where strong sentiment prevails
against the present mett.rd OF APP
praislng rsli estate only oLCC in ten
years.
If the bill passes the house which
now seems probable, Oh will be
one of the last states in the union
TO fall in line for the appraisement
of property oftener than every ten
years. The measnre Is Of especial
importance to the big cities where
read estate values are constantly
shifting In addition to quadren-
nial appraisements the hill provides
for the election of appraisers and
assessors-five In each city and one
in each township Appraisers will
be elected just as members OF
boards of education are chosen.
There Is to be a separate ballot
and the names OF all candidates
will appear in alphabetical order.
An important feature of the hill
Is the provision requiring the pub
ll'9tion of the amount at which
each taXapyer's property Is ap-
praised, The amounts are to be
lpdnted In pamphlet form and dis
| tributel through the offices OF the
cn"nty auditors. The publhity fea-
| IturC, n is argued win compel all
taxpayers to pay their Just share
of the public burden.
The controversy over the initia-
tive and referendum, which was the
only matter taken up by the
horse began with an effort to
smother the resolution in commit
tee. Brenner of Springfield offered
the moss covered excuse that there
had not been sufficient time to
Iconeider the resolution He moved
that II be sent to the Judiciary
committee Schrieber of Toledo
shouted that such an excuse was
sickening
| "Ouly a rank coward will at
temTt to dodge vote on this ques
tion," he continued,
! The Bremen motion was defeated
! 70 to Is Bowerssox of Williams,
supported by Brenner, then at
tempted to cut the resolution to
pieces by eliminating all provision
for the initiative and leaving a
limited referendum only. There
was two hours of savage debate
ending in the defeat of the amend
ment. Winters OF Erie succeeded IN
getting the only important amend
ments, of all that were proposed,
doubled the number of petitioners
into the resolution. His amendments
doubled the number of petitioners
required to submit any law to pop.
ular vote
As the resolution goes TO the SEN
ate II provides that the electors OF
Ohio reserve the right 10 reject or
enact any law at the polls or any
proposed law which, having been
introduced by any member of the
assembly, has failed to pass or hav-
ing passed has been vetoed by the
governor. No laws passed by the