The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-02-12
SADDEST
COMMENTARY
On The State Administration
TO Date
Is Appointment Of Cheap
Men To Cheap Offices
While Putting Up A Bluff Of
Securing Economy
Demonstrating This Is A
Meal. Ticket Administration
From Willis Down, with
Meal Tickets Not Earned
From Willis Down, with
Meal Tickets Not Earned

Columbus, O., Feb. Off any further
evidence were necessary that the gov
ernment of the stae was being used
simply to furnish places for Job hun
CRY Republicans it is given in the en-
thusiasm with which appointees are
rushing to the offices in which salary
cuts are proposed. And II there were
need for further proof Of the deplora-
BILE ignorance of the present admins
tration leaders in the matter Of gov
ernmental demands it is given In the
notoriety seeking intent to make cuts
in the salaries of officers regardless
of the work that is required in the de-
partments or the ability men must
have to do the work properly. Start
ing with the office of budget commits
sioner and ending with the tax COM
missioner are cuts of one thousand
dollars, the patriots seeking positions
have not been held back by the reduc-
tions, nor would they have been had
the reductions been twice as great
Governor Willis first selected the men
and then told them the salaries would
be cut to fit them. The point is not
in the amount Of money saved to the
state. That will be less than thirty
thousand dollars IL all recommends
dons are accepted and compared to
the total cost of government 1t is like
the interception Of single drop of
rain to prevent deluge. But the
damage in states service by the plea
yunish action will be irreparable for
the reason that 1t is to be expected as
1t is being demonstrated that only
cheap men can be secured to fill cheap
Offices. In this feature Is the saddest
commentary on the administration to
date. That the previously paid salar-
les were not excessive for the service
rendered is shown by the fact that
during the Cox administration men Of
ability were secured. A marked ex-
ample was that of w. G. Archer, who
left the secretaryship of the Industrial
Commission at $4,000 to take similar
position in New York State at $4,000
and there are numerous other in
stances. The present gallery play
simply emphasizes the fact that from
Governor Willis down this is meal
ticket administration and that the
meal-tickets themselves are not even
being earned.
How Governor Willis can dodge the
responsibility of the tax operation for
1915 will be hard to figure. He has
taken possession of the machinery by
appointment of James H. Boyle and
J. H. McGiffert, more about whom will
be told later-and whether he keeps
his promise to destroy the Warnes
law and let the tax dodgers escape, or
SO administer the law that they will
escape anyway, is u matter of little
difference. The explanation for the
increase in tax rates will be due in
course of time, and 1t will avail not
that the governor points with pride
In true old g. o. p. fashion to the fact
that he has placed two more members
Of the Republican executive commit
tee family at the state dinner table.
But II the law Is to be changed to
substitute county auditors, for dis
trict assessors 1t will have to be
done quickly and as an emergency
measure or after September 1, the
proposed date of change, the county
auditors will find all kinds Of trouble,
trying to answer complaints and in
quiries about which they know moth
ing.
Action of some kind is expected In
the Legislature this week., The majori.
ty members threaten to take matters
into their own hands to shake off the
odium that is growing about the ex-
travagance of spending from three to
four thousand dollars day doing