The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-12-01
POWER MAY Be SHEARED
OHIO AssEMeLYMEN CONSIDER
PLAN TO RID SPEAKER OF
ABSOLUTE RULE.


Columbus.-There is likely to be a
repetition In the lower house Of the
Ohio general assembly next winter Of
the fight in the national house of rep
resentatives last spring over the Nor
ris resolution, which terminated in
Speaker Cannon's Being deprived of
his right to appoint working commit
tees, through the substitution Of a
committee on committees to make the
selections. A demand will be made
by progressive Democrats at the party
c@ucus, to be held probably a week
before the general assembly convenes,
tc shear the next speaker of his power
tc name working committees of the
house.
Should the Yequest be- refused, an
appeal is likely to be made on the
floor of the house for the adoption of
a resolution authorizing the appoint
ment of a committee on committees
to name all working committees of
the house. If the plan meets with
the approval OF a majority of house
members the next speaker, instead of
being able to csntrol considerable leg
islation and to smother some through
his control OF committees, will be
merely a presiding officer. He no
longer will be the real power in the
lower branch OF the general assembly.
The strength this officer has had
will revert to the members. No mem
ber hereafter will be compelled to
make pledges to the speaker to get
committee assignments and to get
bills on the calendar. The reform
cannot be obtained without a siren
uous fight, however, for it would
break up many alignments already
formed and would deprive special in
terests, to be affected by legislation,
of their most effective method of
wringing what they want from legis-
lators.
Want Unused Buildings.
II the legislature sees fit to
appropriate, $4,000 to remodel the
spacious and palatial dining room
and brick cottage at the state farm
into dormitories for residents of the
Institution for Feeble-Minded, Ohio
will be getting the use of building
that cost thousands of dollars and
which, for several years, has set out
in the fields unused, lonely and for
saken. Today the dining room, built
on magnificent lines, more like one
where millionaires assemble than the
feeding place for the states charges,
is not only useless but a constant ex-
pense to the state. Because of its
splendid architecture and its size,
rather than let it suffer from the ele-
ments, it is constantly heated Only
MICE rats and an occasional bat enjoy
it's shelter
Superintendent E.J limerick of the
Institution for Feeble-Minded Youth
would turn this white elephant to
lse. He would convert the dining
halls into bed chambers, the assembly
rooms into dining rooms and kit
chen, the basement into storerooms
and quarters for attendants. The cot
tage, little palace, now unused, also
would be remodeled for the home of
unfortunate youth Inspiration for the
plan comes from the crying need of
the state for quarters wherein to care
for it's feebleminded. The present in
stitution has 1,700 charges The state,
however, has 5000 within it's borders.
the institution few persons are pro-
bated any more to it. They are sent
to county institutions, infirmaries, for
instance. The waiting list is growing.
Within the last three years this has
increased to between 300 and 400.
With the remodeled buildings at the
state farm, between $50 and 300 addi-
tional charges could be accommodated
there. The state farm, at present, has
300 feeble-minded persons on it. Farm
life is popular with the unfortunates
and no difficulty is experienced in
keeping them contented. For more
than three years great progress has
been made in developing the farm
Buildings have been overhauled, new
ones constructed and others are in
course of erection. Two cow stables,
which serve as the abiding place of
lao of Ohio's bovine possessions have
just been completed at a cost of
$6,500 to the state. The work was
done by residents at the farm. Had
outside labor been employed the cost
construction would have been, per-
haps, three times as much.
SeNct Sites for Normal Schools.
The new state normal school for
northeastern Ohio will be located at
Kent. The one for northwestern
Ohio, rs the papers are now signed,
will go to Bowling Green. These two
places will obtain great educational
institutions, both located north Of an
imaginary line drawn directly through
the center of the state, after Is years
of agitation to increase the normal
school facilities of Ohio. The normal
school commission met in secret here
and signed it's report, selecting Kent
and Bowling Green. Official announce
ment will come through the governor,
to whom the sealed report is made.
Attorney Generals Opinions.
All initiatory expenses, including ar
chitects' fees, are included in the
maximum of $4,000 which is to be ex-
pended by members of the state arm
ory board, in building new armory,
according to an opinion rendered by