The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1913-01-17

Of labor for women and children
where the present nine.hour law
seems insufficient This IL not only
regarded as the essiest method NJ
reaching solution Of this question
but It would fuickly result In th' bet.
terirent ~ shop conditions. improve
mc1t IN sar'tat'on and surroun Il r,!s
beng factor in determining the
hours OF labor. In this connection II
should be stated that the government
aI experts I'm Wisconsin regard ths
success In that state 10 be due in con.
siderable part to the discretionary
powers lodged with the administra-
tlon officers.
Eghth--"The reafirmation OF the
proposed amendment to the federal
constitution providing for the popular
election Of United States senators"
This has already been done by the
legislature, but legal question has
arisen out Of the issue created by the
rendered opinion Of the governor of
Georgia 10 Is suggested that your
body take such action as the success.
fu' outcome of this Just and popular
movement demands. No harm can
come from the adoption Of another
joint resolution on the subject.
Standardization looking to the
Improvement of the roads and high.
ways of the state"
Good Roads and Civilization.
Nothing makes for civilization more
than good roads. An emphasized com.
munity life. improved facilities for
school attendance, and better means
OF trafiic in food stuffs, are considera.
tons which join to the general wei.
fare OF the state. know Of no inter-
nal Improvement which SO widely dis.
! tributes its benefits. II touches vi.
tally producers and consumers Of the
farm and the city as well. The road
| laws of the state are archaic, and
conflicting, and the movement to-.
ward better highways Is seriously
haiEpered In consequence. These laws
should be recodihed. My informa.
! tion Is that the preliminary labors OF
this task, not an inconsidera0le one
by any means. have been performed
without public cost by the good roads
| organizations. Iowa has profited by
the law compelling the use OF the split
log drag. and 1t is strongly recon-.
mended to you for adoption. Under
existing law, we are taxing automo.
biles by machine unit. AS this Is
purely a police regulation, the ex.
pense should be imposed in a more
equitable way. Admittedly the best
automobile law is the New York
measure. The tax Is levied on the unit
OF horse power. II is not fair to mako
the owner of a machine of small horse
power and low speed pay to the state
for the purpose OF maintaining the
cost OF police control, as much as Is
assessed against the proprietor Of a
big machine Of high speed and large
horse power. The revenues to the
state from this source are showing
heavy increases SO that the highway
commission. In consequence, may be
enabled. without state levy, to work
out an extensive improvement plan In
the state. 1t is highly important that
there be given the greatest possible
cooperation by legislative enactments
to the Improvement associations, 80
called. that have been organized In
some OF the counties. Portage coun.
ty, Ohio, IL probably the most notable
instance In this country. Nothing iD
encouragement should be done by
the state. On the other hand good
roads students are agreed In the
opinion that they are entitled to such
cooperation as will facilitate this i'm.
portant county function. | unhesitat-
ingiy subscribe to this view. The old
national road. running almost mid
way through the state. east and west,
should be improved from our eastern
border to our western line. as the
first statewide highway. But the
condition precedent should be such
cooperation on the part of the coun.
ties through which 1t passes, as will
effect an adequate appreciation of the
local benefits to accrue.
Tenth-"Continuati of the re-
form in the conduct Of the state's
penal institutions which has been in.
augurated and the abandonment of
the present prison system, etc"
The commendation Of the board OF
administration plan is fully justified
by results obtained, but there is much
yet to be done. In fact, every COM
mission created during the last few
years finds its function of wider ben-
eft to the public interest than the an
thors OF the legislation doubtless con-
templated. and yet the administrative
heads find many changes. needed in
the laws. This is not surprising
since our laws can only properly be
refined by experience. The public
must not gain from the recurrent
dtficulties in the state institutions an
impression that the board Of admin.
istration plan Is wrong in theory. The
troubles encountered In the institu-
tions of correction are more fun.
damental. The wisest management
the mind can devise, and the most hu-
man policy the heart can inspire can
| not correct the basic defect OF i'm.