The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-07-30
The "DeCentralizing' Meas.
ufe Of Gov. Willis
Under Which The Highway
System Is Greatly Damaged


the state of Ohio getting more good
roads? Echo answers, "why!" The
state highway commission under Will
lis started with a we'll organized sys.
, tenn left by Jim Marker-and he built
roads. The Willis legislature was in
session and had the ten million dollar
surplus left by Cox to work on, and to
appropriate from for good roads, if sim
cere in an effort to have good roads
instead of graft. The arrangement was
made for expenditure of automobile Ii
cense receipts in road work, and the
increase from this source for the pres
ent administration is more than quar-
ter million dollars. With Cox governor
and Marker highway commissioner it
was planned to build permanent roads
in every county of the state. But it's
different now and apparently the Will
lis administration is making good on
it's highway destruction plank. The
people are getting excuses instead of
roads, and some of these days they
went. And under the loophole in the
miserably constructed Cass law, pro.
gressive counties with large dupli-
cate will insist on holding on to their
own road tax and spending it in their
own confines, and under the law the
courts it seems will be bound to up
hold them. The Cass law cannot stand
such an attack as was made against
the Hite law by Hamilton county-and
that may explain why Durr of the deal,
had his man Cowan named commits
sioner-it may make plain why road
contracts have dropped off, and it may
even explain why the Cass law opens
the way for all sorts of disputes,
makes bond sales questionable, makes
bidders leery, and makes possible the
upheld refusal of any county to pay it's
quota of road taxes to the state. It's
a deplorable situation but it exists and
just as the people elected 1t last fall
when they fell for lot of bunk.
The new state board of agriculture
has been in continuous session since
it's inception as the successor of the
Ohio agricultural commission. Ten
members have been threshing out po-
litical chaff and finally after five days
of effort, at the demand of the govern
or, the plum fell into the lap of Renick
w. Dunlap, Republican, who was form.
erly head of the dairy and food de-
partment Gin the good old days"-and
the state pail the bill for the time
used Others of the old regime are
camping on the grounds and the work
of turning over the agricultural work
of the state to the politicians for their
own benefit is well under way.
From present indications it appears
that the chief work of the secretary
who gets $4,000 year, is the conduct
of the annual state fair which certain
interests of Columbus are even now
working to have made into a local
trade exposition. Were it not so pa
thetic it would be amusing to see ten
men on one of the chief boards of the
commonwealth parceling out the work
of the state fair just as though that
was the chiefest activity of the state
At the very outset of the new ripper
regime it is evident that they are mod
cling their plans and work after the
conduct of the county agricultural so
ciety whose sole duty is the operation
of an annual exhibition, and of course
the first duty under this system is
placing the job holders.
THE little red book that was circu
lated in the last campaign opened the
eyes of the public to the growth of of
ficialdom and had lot to do with the
defeat of Governor Cox. OF course