The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1914-11-05
NEWS CULLED
in THE CAPITAL
WHAT LEGISLATORS ARE DO
ING AND OTHER HAPPENINGS
Holds Dangerous Precedent. ,

-O$
from punishment according to the
latest ruling laid down by the state
board of pardons. The ruling is that
given in the case of 1S-year-old Harley
Beard, lronton murderer, who is under
sentence to die in the electric chair on
Dec. 4. Admitting that young Beard is
not Of high mentality, the state hoard
holds that to free him would be to
make "a dangerous precedent"
Holds Antitrust Law Effective.
The impression that has prevailed
that the Sherman antitrust law is in
effective was dispelled when Judge
Thomas M. Bigger of the Franklin
county common pleas court gave a de-
cision that it is illegal for wholesalers
to fix the price at which goods are to
be sold on the market. In so holding
the judge did not follow any prece-
dent fixed by any Ohio court 1t is
based on a ruling of the United States
supreme court.
Decision Causes Some Uneaslness.
The laying down by the supreme
court in the Cameron case of the prin-
ciple that any public official who has
accepted interest on public funds for
his own use may be held for embezzle-
ment has caused no little uneasiness
among former treasurers of such
funds who prof1ted by this practice,
which was carried on generally by
such officials up until few years ago.
The statute of limitation does not af-
feet the right of the state to begin
criminal proceedings against those
officials, according to the ruling, the
only thing necessary being to present
the evidence showing that such illegal
use was made of the funds.
State to Entertain Girls.
The state of Ohio will be host
to SS girls, one from each coun-
ty. These girls have earned a free
trip to the capital city by their
knowledge of domestic science. They
are the winners of the domestic
science contest conducted by the
state agricultural commission. Dur
ing their stay in Columbus the
girls will be given instruction in do
mestic science at the Ohio State uni
versity. An interesting sightseeing
program has also been arranged for
them. They will be received by Gov.
Cox at the executive chamber on Dec.
6. The girls are under 1S years and
will be under the care of capable
chaperone while in Columbus. This
is the first contest of the kind ever
held In the state. In counties having
domestic science contests for a free
trip to Washington with the corn boys
the first week in January, the girl OBJ
tanning the second highest score will
receive the Columbus trip. In the con-
test the girls were interrogated as to
their knowledge and proficiency in
sewing, bread baking, cake baking and
canning and preserving of fruit.
oId.Fashioned Betting Vanishing.
The day Of the old-fashioned election
bet seemingly is over Some betting,
of course, prevails over the state, but
it is as nothing in extent as compared
with the campaigns of yesterday. Not
so very many years ago the betting be-
fore an election constituted one of the
sports Of the campaign. Hundreds Of
thousands of dollars changed hands on
every election night and the day
after. Hotels and boarding houses and
saloons became the clearing houses for
bet posting. The most modest voter
was perfectly willing to back up his
modest opinion with coin of the realm.
Wagering on the result of the election
was so general that betting brokers
did handsome business and raked in
their per cent of profit with appalling
regularity. And naturally many a
voter mourned in sackcloth and ashes
in the election aftermath. Also there
were numberless freak bets posted,
bets that would. have done credit to
the inhabitants of a lunatic asylum
only. There were men who let their
boards grow into fantastic lengths be-
cause they had foolish faith in their
own guesses. There were wheelbar.
row rides amid jeering crowds. Grave
and dignified fathers of families rolled
peanuts in the streets. This was all in
the day when an election campaign
had something of the weird and the
fantastic and was celebrated with all
the uncanny rites that today charac-
teriaes Halloween. To many people
In hn al
great holiday, to be celebrated accord
ingly. Today an entirely different at
mosphere prevails. Elections are re-
gafded more seriously-by some as a
sort of necessary evil-and the old
fashioned wagering is going out Of
style. OF course there are few bets
being posted mainly in the large cities,
but as before noted they are picayun-
ish in comparison with the enormous
wagers and the grotesque ventures OF
former years.
Another Blow to Loan Sharks.
The court of appeals of the Second
district has dealt another blow to the
loan sharks in upholding the law
which seeks to limit the interest which
lenders may make on chattel and SAL
AIRY security. The latest decision is
the last of successive series, every
one of which turned out disastrously
for the so-called Illicit money lenders.
In the case now decided the money
leader had given a victim $35 as a
loan, but had exacted of him a mort,
gage on every penny he would earn
for three years. The lower courts
held this a violation of the law
High Court Will Recess.
The supreme court will recess from
Friday until Thursday of next week
on account of the election 1t is ex-