The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-03-09
Cooperation Lobby Is Fasten.
ing Its leRtacles
a The Administration And
The General Assembly

COlumDuS, w., MaTCn o--DeIOTe tue
Nghty-first general assembly of Ohio
had come into being as an organized
body the program announced for the
present administration was for decen-
tralization. Now at the end of the
ninth week of costly session which
has set back the treasury Of the state
at the rate of from three to four thous-
and dollars each day, not to speak Of
the extras for carnations and pocket
knives and presents to political work.
ers, the program announced is still
the same, and the overture has not yet
been sounded. Each week the assem-.
bly, has met under the domination Of
the majority leaders, announced the
same program, and has come no near
er accomplishment than when it start
ed. Yet the Cleveland Plain Dealer
sees consistency in it's actions and un-
der the head of "Rudderless" has the
following;
"The Ohio legislature deserves cred
1t for consistency in one direction at
least 1t clings to the idea of decen-
tralization like drowning man to a
plank. The trouble, from it's stand
point, is that no two leaders agree on
what plan of decentralization should
be followed.
"One big license decentralizer is al
ready in the hopper. Another is ready
for Introduction, and a third is prom
ised within few days. No one knows
which the governor favors. It is i'm
possible to determine what backing
any one of the three has.
Nothing but confusion has SO far re-
suited from tinkering with the tax ma.
chinery. The agricultural decentraliz-
er as yet has brought no better results.
Every one of these proposals is purely
destructive and has nothing behind 1t
but desire to pull down.
"The assembly is in its ninth week,
and is drifting rudderless. 1t lacks ef-
ficiency even as destroyer"
response to query about where he
stood on the matter of decentraliza-
tion of the liquor traffic, Governor Will
lis said Il stand now where ! have
stood all along" II any one knows
where that is he knows more than
does even Willis himself.
o.
The Beitler bill, providing that the
1915 assessment be done under direc'
tion of county auditors and legislating
out of office the district assessors is
half law as result of house action.
The bill passed by party vote, the
Democrats practically asa mutt going or
record in favor of continuance of the
Warnes law, but the emergency clause
was attached by non-partisan vote
Democratic Floor Leader Kramer
made laughing stock of opponents who
attempted to have shown wherein the
Warnes law had been efficient but
said 81 shed no tears over the Warnes
law. 1t added $350,OO0 in my ward
where we had been electing assessors
to miss property, and know my con
stituents will not object to electing the
same kind of an assessor again, though
cannot speak for many of the farm
ers who enjoyed reductions thereby.
The "big" tax measure of the admin
istration with the approval of thu
governor" is the Whittemore-Parrot
bill to go into effect after passage OF
January 1, 1916. This Is sop to tn
voters who objected to the Warnes Law
on the ground Of its appointive primo
pies, in that the new law will permi
the election of assessors. but provide
that the county auditor. the state ta
commission, the governor. may rt
move the assessors for dereliction @
duty, for incompetency, for actions il