The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1914-06-25
NEWS CULLED
IN THE CAPITAL,
WHAT LEGISLATORS ARE DO
ING AND OTHER HAPPENINGS
Two Face Death Chair.

There VIII be two condemned men
in the death chamber at the peniten-
tiary annex when Harley Beard, the
triple murderer from Ironton, is re-
ceived this week. Beard, who is only
Is, killed Nancy, Mary and Robert
Massey at Greasey Ridge, Lawrence
county, last May, and has been SEN
fenced to die in the electric chair the
night of Oct. 2, 1914, in expiation of
his crimes. The other occupant of the
death chamber is Wesley Jenkins, 80.
colored, of Dayton, who killed his
sweetheart with a baseball bat last
January. He is scheduled to be electro
cuted on the date set for Beard.
Busy Summer for Ohio.
This will be the busiest sum-
mer for Ohio In many, many
years. First will come the spe-
cial session of the general assembly,
about the middle of July and right in
the dead of summer when ordinarily
Ohio's capital is yawning with ennui
and wishing 1t had something exciting
to think about. Hardly will the special
session be over, and it is not expected
to last more than a week at the most,
when the climax will be seLu of the
primary campaign, and then the pri-
mary election itself in the dog days
season will make the whole state sit
up and take notice that there is some
fhipn LOFT IN nhfn Tho lot
of the primaries will be Aug II. Mean
time petitions will have been circulat-
ing for two constitutional amendments,
woman suffrage and taxation, and
these petitions will have been filed
even before the primary. And the
summer heat will still prevail while
the various candidates for the fall
election are beginning their oratorical
and literature campaign. So there
will be not the slightest bit of COM
plant for those who like excitement
and busy times and turmoil and con-
fusion. The special session of the
general assembly, incidentally, will
not consider anything beyond taxation,
viii Deal With Tax Question Only.
Much confusion seems to exist re-
garding what is proposed by the state
administration to be done during the
special session of the general assem-
bly,. According to the administration S
own announcement the second special
session program will deal with the tax
nrnCfin nnlNy md I1rill hn nnnfnnH 70
three proposals in this field. In the
first place it will be attempted to cut
down the state tax levy as fixed dur
ing the recent special session of the
general assembly, and the ground for
this is that the general duplicate will
be larger than was anticipated earlier
in the year when the legislature acted
and that, therefore, the amount Of
money needed will be produced by a
| less tax rate. In the second place, it
patrick law. This is the law which re-
peals that feature of the Smith l per
cent tax limit law that limits the eX.
penditures of a community in any
given year to the amount of money
raised in the year 1910 plus and allow
ance of per cent for each interven-
ing year. With the Fitzpatrick law on
the books, communities are not linn
tied by their 1910 tax collections. Now
it is proposed by the administration to
supplant the Fitzpatrick measure by a
law that would restrict taxing COM
munities to the money actually spent
by them in 1870 plus the per cent
leeway. The new restriction is pro-
posed for the simple reason that some
communities had surpluses on hand in
1910 and raised no money by taxation.
The old Smith law provision made
things highly embarrassing for such
communities. The third declared pur.
pose of the special session is to sub
NIT to the voters of the state an
amendment writing the Smith law into
the constitution.
viii Make Requisition on Banks.
Within a few days State Treasurer
John p. Brennan will make requisition
upon banks which have deposits OF
state funds for approximately $780,.
600, which will be needed to meet cur
rent expenses July /. This will be the
first withdrawal of funds since last
fall for such purpose. At this time
of the year the states revenues are
low, and this is why it is necessary to
call upon the banks for such a large
sum. The money will be taken from
the banks paying the lowest rate of
interest, which is 1865 per cent. Some
80 banks have money at this rate The
total amount on deposit at this rate is
81, 100000
Mad Dogs Bite State Officials.
Two state officials have had the ex-
perience Of being bitten by mad dogs
They are DR.. E. F. McCampbell, secre.
tary of the state board of health, and
W. o. Heffernan, state budget commits
sioner. Heffernan has started to take
the Pasteur cure for the prevention OF
hydrophobia.
May Limit Tax Rate.
1t is expected that at the proposed
special session of the legislature, to be
called to make a Cut in the state levy
measure will also be put through
limiting the tax rate in each county
to Is mills, which will be restoring the
limitation originally provided by the
Smith law, passed by the legislature in
1910. II the administration program
is carried out, the proposed reduction
in the state levy will effect saving OF
100000 to the taxpayers of the
state. Governor Cox said that he
thought it would not be long un'
til the state tax levy is abolished
Motormen Can't Be Bouncers.
Motormen must not essay the role oi