The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-03-30
OPENING
UP The WAY.
For The Removal Of District
Assessors
Should The Beitler Bill Fail
Of Passage
And Assessors May Send In
designations
The Warnes Tax Law viii
Not Be Judged
By Destructive Tactics Of
The Willis Administration

Columns, O., March 27-Answers to
a questionable sent out by the state
tax commission to district assessors
are now being tabulated for the pur.
pose of opening the way to removal Of
the assessors should the Beitler bill
fail to pass. The effort is being made
to show that due progress has not been
made by the taxing officials toward
the 1915 assessment because of their
own dilatory actions rather than be-
cause of the decentralization and disor-
ganization of the entire taxing system,
now evident, because of the inebriated
acts Of the Willis administration with
its one-idead decentralization program.
As stated in this correspondence the
other day: $50 muddled is the situa-
tion in regard to taxation that the tax
ing officials of the districts could not
be held blamable If they would all re-
sign and leave Willis to get out of the
mass as best he may. If there is to be
interference all the time until the hard
work is done (as encompassed in the
Better bill which without emergency
clause goes in effect June y and then
an immediate reward of dismissal, ev-
cry assessor would be justified in hand
ing in his resignation this day."
The Warnes law will not be judged
by the present or future conditions due
to the decentralization which has result
ed from the destructive tactics of the
Willis administration. Rather will it
stand as an economic measure by the
results of it's first year of administra.
tion when for the first time in the his
tory of the state there was an equit-
able and fair listing of property for
taxation and thereby reduction of the
tax rate in practically every taxing dis
trict of the state; rather will 1t be
judged well because 1t created a new
morale in tax paying, SO that every
man is willing to bear his just share
of the cost of government, exemplified
in lack of complaint by tax payers
when they found reductions coming to-
them, and further by the reduction in
lists of delinquent lands. The efforts
of an unfriendly administration with
an unfriendly state commission to dis
credit the law and its district admin
istrators, no matter how potent those
efforts, cannot take away the good the
Warnes law brought about.
While time has not been had to
make a careful examination of the
Wickline election bill just introduced
in the senate, cursory reading makes
evident the fact that 1t as an altogeth.
er vicious and dangerous attempt to
restore the old days of the Laylin re-
gime and to permit the dominant party
to grab all the election machinery of
the state. County committees are TO
have no voice in selection of election
board members, and the chief and
clerk must be of the dominant party.
no PSOPAO ohOoAu AioC d6uihot thio
ripper.
The Georgetown Democrat calls
him "Deferentia" Harding. Wonder
If they will ever forget he paid def
erence and devotion to Geo. B. Cox?
Just as though the poor devil had not
been doing his level best Senator Hard
ing admonishes Governor Willis there
must be executive direction of the gen
eral assembly. While everybody In
touch with matters knows that Willis
has belied his promise not to interiors
with legislation they know just as wei
that he has no ability to control.
What is lobbyist and what is brib
cry? Early in the game the pres
squelched an attempt to trade in legis