The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1914-04-24

Akron, 1896. There was but one
steam railroad which ran from San
dusky on the lake to Cincinnati on
road in the commonwealth; mud
roads everywhere. Not more than
one out of every 100 acres Of forest
had been cleared and was under cul.
tivation. Many Indians remained,
particularly in the the northwest, in
the Miami and Scioto valleys and in
the hill counties. There were five
small colleges. There was not pub
lie school system worth while, the
means of education being community
institutions conducted for the most
part in log cabins. Outside of the
cities 95 per cent of the people lived
In log houses, The only means OF
transportation east and west was the
stage coach. The telegraph had just
been invented. There were no
stoves, no furnaces, no electric rail-
ways, no telephones, no monographs,
no electric nor gas lights, no auto
mobiles, no reapers nor corn plant
ers, no steam plows. The beasts OF
burden for the most part were the
oxen. There was no manufacturing
worth the name. There was not an
industrial plant working a hundred
people. These were the conditions
that existed when the last effective
constitutional convention was held in
Ohio prior to the year Of my election
to the governorship. The laws made
permissive by the constitution were
those suggested by the social and the
industrial conditions Of that day. 1t
is not necessary to make any appeal
to the public imagination to bring
forth an appreciation Of the wonders
of men, of invention. Few words are
required to picture the advance made
in the arts, in commerce, in educa-
ton, which turned this state from
commonwealth Of swamps and log
cabins in 1852 to the most progress
sive commonwealth in all the world
in 1928.
"No man will contend that consti.
tuition framed in 1851 could be sue
cessfully adjusted to the conditions
existing G. years later. In 1872 a
convention was held, but its recon-
mendations were not adopted by the
people, so that the constitutional
convention, when 1t assembled in
1912, found itself confronted with the
refinement of an instrument 62 years
old During this long period of time
laws had been passed to provide for
the social and industrial evolutions
of the times, but many of them, in
fact most of them, were declared un-
constitutional, because the old con-
stitution did not give to the legisla-
ture the right to pass such laws. The
constitutional convention held in 1912
made such recommendations to the
people as we're suggested by our eX'
periences for over 60 years, and prac-
tically all of these recommendations
were adopted at a popular election.
The constitution as changed not only
gave the legislature the right to pass
laws providing for new conditions,
but in many instances it directed the
legislature to take this action When
l assumed the oath of office Jan. 13,
1918, the definite and specific instruc-
tions had been given to me to pro
mote the passage of laws indicated
by constitutional changes. That has
been done. No one up to this hour
has charged remissness in duty in
this respect. The accumulation OF
governmental necessity covering a
period of almost three-quarters of
century was thrown upon my shoul- |
ders, and what has been done is the
result, not of any caprice nor indi-
vidual ideas on my part, but because
l was seated in the governors chair
with definite instructions. The game
of life is pretty fast in this day. So
cial and industrial developments are
rapid, and almost three-quarters of |
century brings to us so many expert
ences that we can only profit from
them by living under a constitution |
which enables us to pass laws for to-
day and not for the day of the mud
roads and the log houses The man,
therefore, who continues to complain
of the extent of our new legislation
is criticising his fellows and decry-
ing the old scheme of republican
form of government. Let it be un
derstood that ! am not locating the
responsibility for the purpose of visit
ing any criticism on the public desire
as expressed at the special election
in 1912 for the purpose of passing on
the new constitution. On the con-
trary, speak in pride of the work Of
that convention and the judgment Of
the people as manifested at the cleo
ton. That the new constitution Is
satisfactory to the great mass of our
people is indicated by the circum.