The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1915-03-04
RY n.A. DONOVAN
IE . ~ IWINWV Nv
Special Columbus Correspondent.

HALARY slashes are causing mild
CONSERVATION among the depart.
ments here. The slashes are those
provided for in the short period
appropriation bill, which carries a
total of six and half million dollars
and is designed to tide the state over
until the 30th of June. The measure
has gone through the house, but now
reposes in the senate finance commit
tee and to that committee the victims
of the salary cutting have carried
their complaints So general are the
plants that the lamentations of Jere-
miah would seem mild indeed to the
chorus of dismay which has descended
upon the senate committee members.
Hundreds of employees are affected
and in order to give them hearing the
senate committee may hold the bill
until some time next week, and in this
event the bi-monthly pay day for state
officials and employees will have to be
passed this week. Herein will lie an
other basis for loud and long lamenta-
tiOus. The demand of the state en-
ployes is that the senate restore the
salaries as they we're before the
house finance committee began its re-
duction crusade. The protests are
most bitter from the state clerks and
stenogra piers, who have been cut in
many instances to the extent Of 20 and
% per cent. Some of the victims aver
that their residue of salary will not
permit them to exist, considering the
high cost of living in Columbus. And
this will be a problem which the SEN
ate will have to solve somehow in
few days.
UphoIds Ohio Mine Act.
The anti-screen law of Ohio, requir-
ing miners to be paid for all
coal mined and giving the indus
trial commission indirect authority
to regulate miners wages by pre-
scribing maximum impurities allowed
in weighing coal was held valid by the
United States supreme court The
Rail E. River Coal Co. applied to the
United States district court for the
northern district of Ohio for an in
junction to prevent the Ohio industrial
commission from enforcing the law.
Justice Day gave the decision. He
pointed out that the Ohio commits
sion's orders are all subject to review
by the Ohio supreme court. The de-
csion was unanimous, the court hold
ing that the plan for review of the
commissions orders saved the law
from being unconstitutional.
The Ohio moving picture censorship
laws, attacked as interference with in
terstate commerce and infringement of
free publication, also were held con-
stitutional by the supreme court.
Honest Elections Measure.
The Kramer honest elections" bill
will have its Inning in the senate very
soon. This is the bill which grew d.
rectly out of the ruling of the supreme
court that there was no law to war
rant the recount Of the ballots cast
last November on the home rule"
amendment, even though charges of
fraud in certain parts of the state
had been filed. The Kramer measure,
which has passed the house, provides
not only for the machinery of recount
ing ballots voted on initiative and ref
erendum proposals, but permits va
rious precautions to be taken against
fraud in advance of an initiative and
referendum election.
Minority Leaders Contention.
Ohio legislators draw a salary of
$4,000 a year. At least, that is what
John Kramer, the minority floor leader
in the house, says. He made his col
leagues sit up and take notice when
he twitted them upon their economy"
in attempting to cut the salaries of
clerks in various departments and
then drawing $4,000 annually them
selves. Kramer figures it this way
that the legislators draw $4,000 for
two years work and work only three
months of that period.
Won't Probe Price of Bread.
Attorney General Turner will not in
Westigate the raise in the price of
bread in Cleveland from to cents a
loaf until proof is furnished that those
who are charging cents entered into
an agreement to do so. Thomas S.
Farrell, secretary Of the Cleveland
Federation of Labor, and John A. Voll
of GAINESVILLE, president of the Ohio
Federation Of Labor called on the at
torney general and asked him to make
an investigation.
Would Change Tax Rules.
Changes in taxation machinery all
over the state have been decided on
by the tacticians of the administra-
ton District assessors are to be
ousted with their employees, taxation
matters placed in the hands of county
auditors and tax assessors appointed
by the county auditor to serve this
year. Provision for all these changes Is
found in the taxation bill introduced
by Representative Beitler of Han
cock.
Complete Appointments Soon.
1t is expected that the state liquor
license commission will complete most
of it's appointments soon. There are
several counties in which there are
only a few saloons, Carroll being
among these, and the appointments
for these counties will not be made
for some time yet. There is big
contest on over the appointment of
the two license commissioners for
Belmont county. 1t seems that the
part Of the population that is not
seeking these jobs is after the licenses
that they will grant