Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-04-10

: The Governor Iells US in justifica-'
ton Of the Warnps Law: that We are
clinging to the methods abandoned by
the monarchs of Europe four hum
dred years age. Has he not in COM
pel1ing the Legislature to submit to
complete Executive domination given
the crowned heads of Europe an ex-,
ample of autocratic subversion that
outstrips their advance in the re-
forms of taxation?
I do not mean to condemn the en-
tire thousand pages contained. IN the
laws of the> first session of the pre-
sent Assembly. There were many
laws that passed that l. would offer
no. apology for having supported. l
may have been mistaken, because of
lack of time for full consideration,
in voting for some laws, which should
not have been passed. With a machine
fed legislative hopper like this, it
would take more skill than the con-
sentrate power of the international
Harvester Company could command,
to supply device that could ac-
curately separate the chaff from the
wheat.
The Liquor License Law and the
Warnes Tax Law are similar ex-
amples of the usurpation by the Ex-
ecutive of the state of domination
and control in the selection of officers,
that do not come within the prov
ince of the governor. They are coun-
ty officers, performing county ser
vices, and their salaries are paid out
of the county treasury. The consti-
tuition of the state provides that the
voters. of the. respective counties
shall elect their officers.
Under this new idea of .centraliza-
ton of power, the letter Of the con-
stitution is avoided by referring to
the counties as, districts; and the
spirit of our basic law is fagrantly
violated by the Executives usurpa-
ton of the sovereign rights of the peo-
pie.
The Governors apology for this
drastic diversion is-that the re.
suits obtained will justify the means
In every exercise of despotic power
the autocrat will point to efficiency
in justification of his iron rule.
The Inequality of our old taxation
avs were being rapidly remedied by
legimitate means in harmony with thu
7pirit of American, institutions
Republican legis' ature in 1910 haC
enacted law creating the State Ta1
Commission. looking to a just valua
ton of public utilities for taxation
purposes, and had enacted the on,
Der cent. tax limit law. which wa
followed later by the Smith One Pc
Cent. Law; and this measure initial
ed by the Republican party .ha,
brought from hiding millions of dol
lars each successive year before tn
Warnes Law went into operation il
1914. Yet.. notwithstanding thes
facts, the Governor of the state il
justification of his Un-Americal
methods pointed to the figures O
1909 in order to- show that propert,
was being omitted from, the duplicat
for taxation purposes. n. i. r..
If he would use the figures of 1905
TO-, IL and IL, he would convince tn
people that the question was. bein,
rapidly solved without interference
With the basic law of our state. Will
the showing in the tax return in 1911
will be an improvement over las
year, it will be done, we think, in
laree measure at the expense of tn
moderate tax payer -
Instructions have gone forth tina
1.-THE duplicate must be increased, an,
the inauest in manv instances reache
from the cellar to the garret in orde
that no article of personal propert,
may escane. Money must be foun
and brought forth in order to tax
care Of this new kind of extravagan
governmental machinery. u
+ sHtseems to4me that he would hav
touched a more RESPONSIVE chord i
the hearts of the moderate house hold
ers of Ohio. had he advocated Law
that would increase the exemption
IF 500 90. now allowed moon nous
hold goods. instead of sending his ia,
terrets into everv corner of the home
of Ohio to see that nothing escaped
not even the silver Spoons that az
"sed for teething and feeding tn
babies.
Politics in our country is the bis
tory of progress and civilization. TIL
history is produced by nanv factors
and influences, which through variet
agencies in the years of. it's n1akin'
nodded and shaped it's course through
a long line of historic events. Govern