The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1915-07-23


While the partisan supporters Of
the administration of Governor VIII
lis are seeking to explain why no
new road work is being undertaken
and issuing reams and pages of state
ments, the old mud roads continue
to hold their own. Assault is made
on the previous conduct Of the state
highway department for having eX-
ceeded authority in the making of
contracts. but for this the people
have little concern. The fact which
pleases them is that when Cox was
governor and when Marker was high
way commissioner, steps were taken
by which the federal aid was secured
and roads were built
The people cannot forget the at
tack that was made on the state
highway department in the Republic
can state platform, hence they look
upon the present muddle with grav-
est suspicion. The fact that Peter
Durr. of Cincinnati, secured control
of the commission under Willis, and
the further fact that the present
commissioner violates the law relat-
ing to the makeup of the commits
sion and boasts of it, does not help
any. New roads are not be-
ing undertaken in any great degree
and the people want to know the
reason.
There is no charge by the partis-
ans that Marker did not build roads
for the state, nor is it charged that
the states money was unwisely ex-
pended. They simply say he ex-
ceeded authority in making con-
tracts-in other words that he was
dong more work than he ought to
10. 1t so happens that Marker is a
successful o. S. U. college man, who
was a football player of note and
inew how to buck the line. He car
led his training into practice in bus
ness and the conduct of his office,
With the result that last year he had
more than seven million dollars
worth of road contracts started. His
uccessor this year will start a little
ess than a million and a half, and
With the deficiencies in the new Cass
aw, there is not great assurance
hat even that much will be done
Reconstruction and careless phras- I
ng endangers bond sales under the
aw, and it is full of minor errors.
There now appears greater and t
urther defect which endangers the I
ntire road tax levy by the state I
Tnder the test of the Hite law in the
upreme Court, when mandamus c
'as brought against the auditor of |
hamilton County is was held "the l
light of the general assembly to levy b
his tax for state purposes depends t
pom whether the purposes of the {
IVY are state purposes" and on the C
thin premise that the case S
as met because the fund was all in e
le hands of the state officials for ex- is
it was proper to raise the il
oney in one county and expend it Il
another. o
But the Cass law makes new con- 81
tion by breaking up into SO units
ith 88 standards, portion of the G.
ork, and providing for the transfer el
state road funds to county com Z
issioners on their proper certifica- D.
on under named conditions After IL
Ich transfer there is not even as II
france that the money will go into el
ads-it may be transferred to the el
larry fund or the sheep fund or m
me other fund which may be def In
ent. W
Under this state of affairs it is not OF
likely that Cuyahoga, Hamilton Bt
ID other large counties paying the te
eater portion of the tax will refuse OF
contribute without a test of the OF
W which allows such conditions,
lere before they acquiesced because er
the fact that they knew the money fe
mt to proper end. Gt
1t is unfortunate that partisanship, nc
lich has damned the entire Willis is
has emperiled the