Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1915-06-24
ASSESSORS ARE
TO Be ELECTED
The Parrett-Whittemore Act
Repeats Warnes Law ~
A CONSPIRACY TO DISCREDIT.
Attacks the Willis Administration by a
Combination of Newspapers, LegIs-
lators, Grafters and Cox Machine
Hands-Cost 100 Official Heads.

(SpeciaD-The impera-
tive duties of the general assembly,
which finished its work on May 27,
were to return to the people powers Of
which they had been recently robbed
and to reduce the number and size of
state salaries.
The record shows that they fulfilled
this obligation although q powerful
minority in each house was taught
tricks of obstruction by Manager Fin
ley, who was asked by telephone for
instructions in detail whenever fight
was on and an expensive campaign of
abusive Misrepresentation was car
ried on from Cox headquarters, across
the street.
The conspiracy to discredit the
Willis administration was enthusiast
ically abetted by the thousands put in
Office to perpetuate the power of the
autocrat and by the grafters who
feared investigation of their depart
ments.
Return the Power to Tax.
The clearest command, perhaps, of
all those given by the voters at the
polls last November, related to the
centralized tax law, enacted as the So
called Warnes law, which took from
the people the right to select tax as
SCISSORS and placed 2,06S jobs at the
disposal of the governor. The Parrett-
Whittemore bill to carry out the will
of the people in this regard is now
upon the statute books and assessors
will again be elected in November.
This bill restores to the people the
very essential principle of local con-
troll and still preserves all the desir-
able qualities for the state control of
uniformity and honesty in the assess
ment of property for purposes of tax
alton.
The eeitler Bill Defeated.
But for the obstructive tactics of
the Democratic minority in the House,
the Warnes law would not have been
upon the statute books during the as
sessment this spring. The Better bill
to give at once the taxation machinery
in the various counties into the hands
of the county auditors required two
thirds vote to prevent delay by the
!. & R. and would have saved half a
million dollars of useless expense, but
the Republicans had not the necessary
two-thirds vote. State Chairman Fin
ley refused to permit the Democratic
members to vote for it, although a
number of them wished to.
A Few Dogs Barked.
1t is significant that there has been
very little criticism of the act which
this defeat made necessary-a change
in the personnel Of the 102 district
assessors throughout the state-save
in the papers controlled by the former
administration. The facts will show,
however, when tine present assessment
has been completed that this removal
was more than justified. No man can
operate private business successfully
II all the employees are antagonistic to
him. The governor applied good busi-
ness sense to the tax situation.
The Democratic, civil service, de-
putty assessors were not removed but
new district assessors, in sympathy
with the administration were put over
them, who will hold them responsible
| for good returns. The power to select
| license commissioners was returned
L "a ElAa Eaf