The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-08-06
IS Still
WRESTLING
With Problems Left By Willis
Legislature
Attorney Generals Office
Force Kept Busy
DiffiCult Problem With Civil
Service Ripper
To Make II Simon Pure Law
Of State
But Of More Moment Is
CaSS Road Law
To Make II Simon Pure Law
Of State
But Of More Moment Is
CaSS Road Law

force of the states attorney general
is still wrestling with problems left
by the Willis legislature and with the
promise Of most unsatisfactory out
come to those who have most interest.
Attorney General Turner, himself,
aside from the time he took to pre-.
pare a statement showing how econ.
omical he was conducting his Office
(but without pointing out a single
thing accomplished) has been devot-
ing himself assiduously to construc-
ton of the civil service ripper which
would make that miserably handled
piece of legislation the simon pure
law of the state. The attorney gener-
al has been searching and delving in
to the records trying his best to make
two and two total five, but without
success. The latest information from
his office is that he will construe the
civil service act as good law properly
passed, though he knows it is not, and
put the matter up to the courts through
whose rights are injured.
OF more real Importance to the
state is the construction which will
be placed on the uncertain features of
the Cass highway bill. Aside from
the phase which would permit the ma
turity of road bonds "ten years before
the date of ISSUE" and the destruction
of state supervision which will invalid
ate the raising of taxes in one county
to be expended in another, there are
forty other questions which have been
propounded to the attorney general for
answer before the law goes into ef-
feet, now in three. weeks. In this mat
ter, too, the legal department is try
ing to bolster up the mistakes of the
legislative branch. But whatever the
decision on the mooted questions the
injury to state road building Is bound
to prove fatal.
While the destruction of workmen's
compensation in the state is thus far
by far the worst result of the Willis
administration there is still the possi-
bility of securing its safety in the
courts. Not so however in the little
less serious trouble of the Ohio min
ers, but in their case as we'll there does
not seem much trouble in fixing the
blame. Here is what Sam Danziger
says in recent issue of the Public
under the heading "The Wrong Man
for an Emergency:
"The shutting down of coal mines in
Ohio has put the miners on the verge
of starvation, so that Governor Willis
has issued proclamation urging
charitably disposed citizens to give oi
their surplus to the suffering ones. II
is pity that the governor does not see
that his duty requires more of him
than that Nature has placed in Ohio
great deposits of coal, which many
people would like to use. The miners
are willing to dig it out. Nevertheless.
a deplorable situation exists which
makes objects of charity out OF Willing
workers and the governor does not SET
that, as head of the commonwealth, HI
might and should call attention to thu
fundamental wrong which permits
great natural resources to be withheld
from use There Is no work he nigh
be doing more urgent than application
of effort to the legislature and tn
voters to remove the legalized obstrut
tions which keep labor from obtainin
access to natural opportunities. Tha
is what the right kind of governo
would be doing. But unfortunatel
Ohio does not seem to have that kin
of a governor"
And here is what the Wooster New
says:
1T didn't take long for o. c. Barbel