The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1915-01-14

Dr. general elections. II is therefore
that the license year be
made to begin on April / or some
other convenient date approximately
between the November elec-
ton and the August primaries. Il is
further urged that, subject of course to
licenses be granted for two
years instead Of one, beginning with
the year 1915, in order that the issue
Of licenses may not come in any year
in which will occur a national, state |
or county election. This arrangement |
would remove the issue of liquor |
licenses to the date most remote from |
political activity and thus reduce to a |
minimum the opportunity for partisan
Commissions.
One of the methods whereby much |
power has been placed in the hands
of the executive in recent years has
been through the gradual increase in
the number of commissions appointed
by the governor. No doubt much good
has been accomplished by some of
those commissions; others have &C.
complished little or nothing and should
be abolished in response to an unmis-
taxable public demand for their elm
ination and for positive check on the
further extension of executive author
ity by the creation of additional ex-
pensive commissions of doubtful val
ue; some of these dealing with subject
matter of great Importance and pos
sessing potentialities OF great good to
our people should be reorganized so
as to promote economy, secure a high
er degree of efficiency and bring their
control and management closer to the
people. Reorganization of bureaus,
commissions and departments of gov
ernment should not be undertaken for
light and transient causes.
Department of Agriculture.
The SOth general assembly provided
for the establishment of an agricul-
tural commission consisting of four
members with annual salaries of $5,-
900 each. 1t is believed that much
money can be saved without any I'M
pairment of efficiency in this depart
ment by a legislative reorganization.
! suggest that there be created a BIZ
partisan state board of agriculture, to
consist of nine members, who are to
serve without compensation and to be
elected by the agricultural interests Of
the state. if a practical and legal meth
cd of doing this can be found, or if not
to be appointed for appropriate terms
by the executive or other proper au-
thority. This board should have gen.
eral charge of the administrative af-
fairs coming within the scope Of this
department and should have authority
! to select a secretary of agriculture,
who should be the active head of the
| department and should have power
to appoint chiefs of bureaus therein.
In this, as in all other cases, salaries
should be definitely fixed by law. The
farmers institutes could properly be
carried on in connection with the ag
ricultural extension work of the Ohio
State university The management OF
the Ohio experiment station at Woos
ter should be in the hands of board
Of control to be appointed by the exec
utive and to serve without pay. II
providing for these various appoint
ments the principle should be constant
ly borne in mind that actual practica
farmers should be appointed to all pc
sitions having to deal especially will
the agricultural interests of the state
Elections.
No doubt the secretary of state will
have important recommendations t
make touching amendment of the elec
tion laws. At this time | desire only
to suggest for your consideration tht
advisability of providing by legisla
tion for a system of registering anC
voting by mail. Such a law must bt
most carefully drawn in order to pre-
vent fraud and preserve the purity o
the ballot It's enactment would pre-
serve the right of franchise to thou
sands of our voters who now, by thu
eXigencies of their vocations, are pre-
vented from registering and voting
In this connection / also recommend
that the so-called students voting law
providing for the disfranchisement 0
students, once vetoed by Gov Harmon
but subsequently placed on the statut
books, be repealed Ohio cannot affor,
to penalize the desire for knowledge
Workmen's Compensation.
The humane principle of workmen'
compensation is here to stay. TIL
present law was placed on the statut
book by unselfish, non-partisan effort
: it is hoped that no amendment Wi
be made to the law which will in an
way decrease the benefits now enjoye
: by working men under it's provisions
and that so soon as the state of tn
: amount to be paid to injured workin
men or their families in case of deaf
: or total disability shall be increase,
: Because of the unfortunate industrii
: condition in the whole country, man
. thousands of working men are out {
: employment in Ohio. To alleviate tn
5 distressing condition l recommen
f generous appropriation for the esta
+ lishment of three additional free pu
e lie employment offices and furtht
f legislation for the proper regulatio
f of private employment agencies.
g Public Health.
r The governor recommends adequat
: appropriations to carry forward tt
e work of the state department
r health in sanitary engineering, indu
= trial hygiene and the prevention
e communicable diseases and urges pr
f vision for free diphtheria anti-toxi
e In a future message the governt
g proposes to offer recommendation
g concerning the civil service, the hig
e way laws and other important ma
y ters, and in the closing paragrap