Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-10-02

power. They remember Jeflerson's
warning when he said: what has de-
stroyed the liberty and the rights OF
nlan il every government which has
ever existed unieI he sun? The gen
eraliaing and concentrating all cares
n powers into one body, I'D matter
whether of the %autocrats of Russia or
france or OF tie a~ristocrats OF a
Vereti-n senate"
The dt1psai..Jn to enlarge eXecu-
tive authority so apparent in the taxa
ton legislation is equally apparent in
the liquor li1e-.se law. The liquor
license amend Gelt adopted by the
co~Lstitdt--&-a convention and ratified
by the people provides that license
to traffic in intJx'c4ting liquors shall
rot be granted dhi6s5 the Place or
traffic Shall be located in the county in
which the e"s3n or persons reside,
whose duty it is to Slant such llcenSe,
or in a county a1jOlning thereto. Inc
language OF this amendment, together
with the l~lluhina1ilG 0ebale IN the
constitutional convention, la! tlclpat,
ed in b, MIR Anderson, Mr.. King and
other lee ding men beTs, who took part
in the dl~Eu5sI1n Of this question,
shows that the undouhted intention OF
this provision OF the constitution was
that the Hccr. iLg CT saloons should
be nn9er lCcal control. 1t certainly IS
evident that tie constitutional con-
vention did not contemplate the posi-
Dility OF the construction of a state
wide political machine such as tie
present state administration has built
I'D out OF the LIQUOR licensing powers.
The neOpie CT Ohio demand and will
have e%nforceu ent Of the law in every
part of the state. but this al be Sc
cured without veSting in the governor
a power which permits him to use the
liquor interests FOR political purposes.
Licensing authority should be decen.
tralized and the governor deprived OF
his present power to bring pressure
these subject to the license law.
The Republican party has always
oeen the party of progress. It faces
toward the future; it will not turn
back, and if intrusted with power 1t
will execute the peoples will by en-
forcing vigorously any law nov on the
statute books pertaining to moral re-
form and any other law that may be
placed there by the proper constitu-
tional authority. 1t will enforce the
law honestly in every part of the
| state, and will use such executive au-
thority as is given in the new consti-
tuition to hold all officers in the state
responsible for the proper enforce
ment of the law. 1t will take no back
ward step in temperance legislation,
and will exert itself to the uttermost
to check the retrogTadC movement in
itiated by the present chief executive
and his army of appointees in their
efforts to make the saloons in the
state a o in a gigantic political ma
chine.
The constant tendency to concen-
trate authority in the hands Of the
chief executive is still further exem-
plifed in many of the other laws en-
acted by the present state adminisrla
of the governor or with the consent
of the governor" run, as it has been
expressed, like a solemn chant
through all the monotonous pages OF
Vol. 103 of the Laws of Ohio. For eX'
ample: In the act to provide for the
appointment of an inspector of build
ing and loan associations, it is pro
vided in Section 4 that. with the ap
prevail of the governor" the inspector
of building and loan associations may
employ from time tO time the neces
sary deputies, clerks and examiners
to assist him in the discharge of the
duties imposed upon him by law
With such approval he may remove
any such clerk or examiners at any
time. 1t is further provided in Sec
ton 6 that the inspector of building
and loan associations shall fix The
salaries of deputies, assistants. clerk;
and examiners at such rate per annun
as the governor shall approve. 1t il
a vicious practice in appropriating the
public funds to give to any executive
authority such power as is provided
in these sections.
In the act creating the agriculture
commission it is provided in Section
9 that this commission shall be author
lied to employ a secretary, heads O
bureaus, experts, clerks, stenog
raphe1s and other assistants and EN-
ployees and to fix their compensation
and these and all similar acts involv
ing the expenditure of money shall b.
subject to the approval of the gov
ernor."
All this should be definitely fixed b,
law, and thereby all these employee
and appointees in the state, of which
there is a large number, would b.
freed of political responsibility to tn
governor. The Republican party i
strongly in favor of the appointment
of farmers to all Offices whose func
tions relate to the farm
In the law creating the public utili
ties commission the purpose was ev.
IDENTIFY strong to give the governO
full political control of the activitie
Of the appointees and employees Q
this important commission. This ide
of executive control with direct re
sponslbility to the governor and wit
power vested in him to control tn
movements of appointees in the var
GUS state departments seem to be tn
dominant note of most of the legislf
ton relating to the creation Of neN
offices and commissions.
The people of Ohio having defeate
by more than 100000 majority tn
governors cherished hobby Of tn
short .ballOt-whereby he would haV
and thus dominate the state govern
ment completely-the chief execl
tive proceeded. through devious met
DDS, to accomplish Indirectly what
had been found impossible to accon
!, plish directly.
Auditor Of State Donahey, in his r
: port for the year 1913 clearly state
some of the evil effects of lu1np-sul
!, appropriations which have been a.
!, vocated by the present state admin
7 tration. The auditor of state say
!, 1.-THE appropriation records of this d
J partment disclose the fact that whel
7 specific appropriations are made fl
> departments, balances remain at tt
: end Of the appropriation period, al
) go back to the general revenue fun
= But where lump sum appropriation
: are made, almost invariably evel
| cent is spent, and occasionally de
/ ~ciencies are created. Over $3.50, 900
small balances was saved for the sta
( in the last biennial period, becau!
q the money was specifically appropria
a ed and could not be used for any 9th
t purpose"
J., On the same page this public ofici
= further states: 'Whole appropriation
o are becoming popular because the
s are no restrictions or strings to thel
n Ohio must insist that appropriation
n be specific, Or the services of a budg
l. commissioner will be of little valu
g and the balances in the state treasu
8 will fade away"
" These details of financial legisl
j. ton are cited because they serve
3 illustrate the one thing which it W
q s"ueht to rake r'a;n f"o~ ~ ha@i
q ming, namely, that the big issue
q Ohio this fall is whether we shi
D. have constitutional government
whether we shall have government
law or government by one man.
e teresting and important as other m;
n ters are, this one issue is the do
inant question about which all othe
j. center, and which must be settl