The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1914-05-07
NEWS CULLED~
IN THE CAPITAL
WHAT LEGISLATORS ARE Do
ING AND OTHER HAPPENINGS
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.. A. DONOVAN,
Special Columbus Correspondent.
Columbus. Ohio

NYlTHIN, a few years bank failures
NV in Ohio may only attract pass
wv ing attention because they will
be less likely to cause loss to
depositors. So close is the watch
kept on banks by the state bank
department that IL any of them
show signs of going ito the bad"
they are closed up before the
money of the depositors is sunk. The
case Of the Security Savings bank
of Columbus, which was closed by
State Bank Superintendent Emery
Lattanner, is an example of the eff
cacy of the bank inspection law. Close
surveillance of the bank by the de-
partment for the past six months re-
vealed that 1t had much bad or objec-
tionable paper. Lattanner ordered
the bank to replace this paper with
cash. The bank could not comply
and so 1t was ordered closed. The de-
positors will not lose penny. Lattan-
ner raised $250,000 from Columbus
banks with which to pay off the de-
positors at once. He will pay the
banks back when he realizes on the
assets of the defunct bank.
Saloons Increase.
During the last eight years nearly
eight thousand saloons have been
put out of business in Ohio, or
on an average 1000 saloons for every
year. Contrary to the general belief
that the license law has been a more
effective agency than any other in the
elimination of the saloon unit, the
figures in the office of the state au-
ditor show that the passage of the
Akin tax law in 1906 had a far more
disastrous result to saloon numbers
There were approximately $4,000 sa-
looms in Ohio when the Akin law, i'm
posing $1,000 annual tax on every
saloon, went into operation. In six
months more than 5000 saloons had
gone out Of business. From then on
for three years the saloons dropped
out at the rate Of 1000 a year, until
in 1909 there were 6,875 left. This be-
came the low water mark for the sa-
loon business, and during the next
four years that business "perked up"
When the saloon license law became
effective last fall the saloons through
out the state had increased in number
to S,485. The automatic elimination
provided in the constitution, which linn
its saloons to l for each 500 people,
reduced the number to 5,523. That is
the number existing In Ohio now.
May Discuss Eugenics.
Eugenics probably will be one of the
interesting subjects to be discussed
by the Ohio State Medical association
during its convention in Columbus in a
few days. Cleveland physicians are
going to ask the convention to espouse
the science of eugenics, at least inso-
far as is concerned the marriage of
the physically unfit. The physicians
of the state, in other words, will be in
vited to lend their aid to the move
ment urging ministers and others hav-
ing the right to perform marriage cere-
monies to refuse to unite persons who
are unable to present certificates of
physical and mental health. In Cleve-
land and some other Ohio cities many
ministers of the gospel refuse to marry
anybody who is unable to submit
proof of his or her good health. Such
ministers now are seeking the con-
certed aid Of physicians and figure that
the moral help of the state association
of doctors would he vast asset. The
ministers are not urging state law on
the subject for they reason that public
sentiment has not yet reached the
stage where law would be generally
supported. But they do believe that
all persons having the authority to
marry people should insist upon good
health as prerequisite.
One Auto for Each SO ohioans.
Last year some $4,000 automobile IL
censes were issued in Ohio. Already
more than $4,000 such licenses have
been issued this year. In less than a
week the number will exceed that for
the whole of last year, .as licenses are
being issued at the rate of from, 900
to 1000 day. Registrar ]. A. Shearer
some time ago said that 100000 IL
censes would be issued in 1914, and
from present indications the number
will be considerably larger than this.
Within short time the rush for
licenses will be over. The record for
Ohio will be one machine for each so
persons in the state. 1t is doubtful il
any other state will be able to equal
this showing.
Won't Tolerate Favoritism.
More drastic regulation of Ohio sa-
looms may follow the conference the
state liquor license commission and
members of various county licensing
boards. Complaint has reached the
state commission from some parts of
the state that the saloons are being too
loosely regulated and much advice
upon the question of more rigid gu
pervision will be given the county
licensers.
Sues Parents for Alleged SIander.
Is it SANDER to call ones own daugh-
ter lazy and good for nothing?" The
Franklin county courts have been
asked to answer the. question, and
probably the supreme court will
wrestle with 1t ultimately, for Gladys
Lesenby, young sihool teacher of
Worthington, o., has sued her father
and her step-nother for $4,000 as
damages for alleged sl'nder. She says
in her complaint that the defendants
by saying of her that she was lazy
and good for nothing" SO injured her
that she was unable to get a position
nc faachar