The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-01-02
E1nancea.

FINANCES,
BY the estimate of the auditor of
state the funds available, for all pur.
poses, for the fiscal year 1911, includ-
ing the balance in the treasury Nov
is, 1910, Of s3.63S.S42. will be $l5,.
099,042. The disbursements, for all
purposes, will be s17,740263, If the
amounts asked by the various depart
ments and institutions be allowed
This, of course, is never done, but
especial care should now be taken to
reduce all appropriations to the low.
est amounts that can be made TO suf-
fee, in view of the great excess of
expense over income. as estimated
While a material increase in rev.
enue may reasonably be expected un.
der the changes in the state tax laws
mission is fully equipped and in ac-
ton, 1t is bad policy for the state,
as well as the citizen, to spend
money before II is at least in plain
sight. 5uf
Seeing the inordinate increases in
which gave in detail in my last gen
eral message, | am confident there
can and should be a reduction all
along the line, with an exception or
two like the Girls Industrial school,
to which attention will be called at
another time when the report comes
In of the committee appointed at the
last session to investigate and rec
ommend.
Perry's Victory Centennial.
Another exception is the Perry's
victory centennial. Ohio very prop
erly took the lead in proposing and
preparing to celebrate this great
event whose consequences were so
momentous. Other states bordering
on the great lakes were invited to
take part and have done or promised
to do so by appropriations and the
appointment OF commissioners. Rhode
Island and Kentucky, also, have al.
ready acted and congress will scon
do the same. the committee having
Just unanimously recommended an
appropriation of $250,000. So Ohio
can not afford even to lag in this pa
triotic movement.
Corrupt Practices Act.
No satisfactory or even creditable
reason has ever been suggested why
the Garfield law was repealed in 1902
after being in force only six years,
leaving the state without any law on
the subject. The revelations of traf-
fic in votes In Adams county which
have startled the entire country call
for prompt action. 1t is not the ex-
istence or discovery of wrong doing
that brings shame to a state, but fail.
ure to put a stop to it, 1t is not
enough to punish vote selling and
vote buying, which is the worse OF
the two, because both are merely out
breaks of lew civic morality which
only public sentiment can cure. II
officials can, without swift and last
ing discredit, use their authority 10
further personal advantage or ambi-
ton, or permit their action to be in
fiuenced by considerations received
or promised in which the general
public does not share. II Is only nat
ural that the voters should regard
the suffrage as personal perquisite
on which they are free to realize
whatever they can for themselves.
And the wrong Is just the same in
both cases, whatever the inducement
promised or received.
But 1t will help greatly in guard
ing the purity of the ballot to pro-
hlbit, under adequate penalties, all
practices which are likely to corrupt
1t. 1t is we'll to require the publica-
ton OF all campaign contributions
and their sources, both before and
after elections, but 1t would be bet
ter for the state TO pay whatever ex-
pense Is necessary TO the holding of
elections and forbid all private ex.
pendture whatsoever in getting out
the vote" on election day. Votes cast
by men who take an intelligent and
patriotic interest in elections ought
not to be offset or overcome by votes
of men who have to be coaxed or
hauled to the polls. Otherwise. except
when public interest is deeply
aroused, success will always follow
the side which has the more money
and the greater skill, and politics
will be a game, with the election as
its final stage. and not the imposing
appearance in action of the majesty
of great people.
Former Recommendations Repeated.
Unwilling as | am further to pro-
long this message, refer to and re-
new, without repeating, the various
recommendations made TO the last
general assembly on which appropri-
ate action has not been taken.
JUDSON HARMON,