The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-03
Senatorial Question Is Most Important Subject to
 Come Up
GOVERNOR HARMON SENDS
 INAUGURAL MESSAGE
Harmon Emphasizes the Duty of the Citizen to the State in Paying Taxes and Suggests Use of
 Income Tax

Columbus. Ohio. January 2.--The
 seventy ynnth general assembly of
 Ohio opened today at 10 o'clock with
 the democrats for the first time in two decades in control of both branches,
 and Judson Harmon, a democrat, In the
 gubernatorial chair. Unusual interest Is shown in the pro- | ceedings of the legislature because a senator will be selected to succeed United States Senator Dick, repub- l lican, and because Governor Harmon is thought to be in training for the | presidential nomination. In the senate there are 19 democrats and Is republicans and in the house 70 domecrats and AS republicans. The
 republicans lose one member by the death of Representative elect c. ]. Ling of 'Ashtabula county. The dem-
 ocrats, therefore, have majority of 2s
 on joint ballot.
 | The retiring secretary of state, Carmi | Thompson, called the house to order1 | and the house immediately elected Sam
 uel J. Vining of Mercer county as | speaker, he being the democratic eau | GUS nominee. MT. Vining at once as- sumed his seat.
 | In the senate Lieut.-Gov. Francis w.
 Treadway rapped for order. He will preside for a week when Lieu -Gov.- elect Atlee Pomerene of Stark county | will succeed him. MT. Pomerene taking the oath of office on January g. | Many questions of more than state
 wide interest will come before the leg
 slature. The democrats are pledged 1 to many reforms, including the limit
 ing of the tax rate to l per cent with
 out authority to increase this except | by vote of the people, The democrats are also pledged O
 pass the bill to establish a non-par-
 tisan judiciary by providing for the
 election Of all Judicial candidates on a separate ballot without party designa- ton.
 The democratic state platform re- | quires the passage of bills limiting the
 hours of employment of labor for woni-
 en and the adoption of resolutions fa-
 voring the initiative and referendum, the election of United States senators | by direct vote, and a federal income | tax.
 Governor Harmon's Speech When the government is conducted by | the people themselves" said Gov. Judson Harmon in his annual message to the
 Ohio legislature. every citizen ought to
 contribute largely to it's support as a
 patriotic duty, the shirking of which in- | wolves disgrace. You may evade taxes | The result is that those who do and .
 those who from their condition or the
 nature of their property have not equal Irflap nf Sln lnt hax, tl,. | their share of the public expenditures, so | that discontent mars the cordial relations which should exist between the people and their government. "The people who support the govern
 ment have to economize. Why should | their public servants not do the same? At the last session. continued the | governor. "I transmitted the proposed amendment to the federal constitution authorizing the levy of tax on incomes and recommended its adoption, but no action was taken. A few states have un- dertaken to tax incomes but as I am ad- vised. with little success. Changes of l legal residence are too easy too make. The efficiency of federal income tax has been approved
 John A. Dix Inaugurated Albany. N. Y. January 2.-John Alden Dix, a democrat, was formally inaugu- rated governor of New York state at noon today. He succeeds Gov. Horace White, who became chief executive last October,
 when Gov. Charles E. Hughes resigned to become an associate justice of the United States supreme court. Surrounded by a brilliant gathering in the great assembly chamber, Governor White relinquished the office to Governor Dix. the first democratic governor to as- sume the office in IS years. In his in- augural address Governor Dix said in part:
 "The end of all governors should be the
 preservation of true lberty-thet liberty which guarantees to every man -e fullest measure of individual rights asistent with a proper maintenance of t. rights
 of all others and at the same tiksA pre- serves and maintains the coliectiy ,fiSSts
 of the members of the state. Under our constitution such liberty we
 possess in New York. It must be our con-
 stant aim to so strengthen and aid the
 legislature of personal and alienable right by the individuals to bring the state the
 greatest growth and highest development
 of which our citizenship and resources are capable.
 T am succeeding to the governorship when business training and understand-
 ing seem absolutely essential to the proper administration of public affairs. Great as are the public resources of our commonwealth, expenditures have outgrown in a measure of all proportion to the revenue of the state, and we seem committed to an outlay which will not alone tax to its full extent our income. but demand that we draw upon the future in a way which in my opinion is of very doubtful wisdom. The pressing duty of the hour Is a measure of reform and re- trenchment. Tn my opinion 1t Is far better to insist on inconvenience and difficulty in the public departments than to resort to an expenditure which will compel return to direct tnxation."
 Preceding the inauguration ceremonies there was a parade. Balloon h Missing Berlin, January 2.-The spherical bal loon uiidebrandt which asconded at