The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1915-10-07
NEWS CULLED
IN THE CAPITAL
ACTIVITIES OF STATE DEPART
MENTS-OTHER HAPPENINGS
Special Columbus Correspondent.
Columbus

pear on the official November
ballot in connection with the con-
stitutional amendment for limitation
of the initiative and referendum as
proposed by the Ohio Constitutional
Stability League. The proposed
amendment is the one which would
take away from the voters the right
to initiate certain constitutional
amendments for six years whenever
any such amendment might have been
rejected twice. For example, If prohi-
bitiOn, having been once defeated,
were to meet defeat again this fall,
it could not be submitted to the voters
again for six years. Now as to the
dispute over the wording on the bal
lot The secretary of state has ac-
cepted the caption as suggested to
him by the advocates of the proposal,
and that caption declares that the
amendment is for the purpose of
preventing the abuse Of the initia-
tive and referendum" This statement
has aroused the original eXpOnents of
the /. and R., who hold that the pro-
posal has been agitated by enemies
of the /. and R. and that the declara-
tion that the amendment is friendly
to the principles of direct government
is ridiculous. The opponents of the
amendment, therefore, want the sec
retary of state to change the wording
and substitute the words already de-
cided upon by him to the statement
that the proposal is for the purpose of
limiting the use of the initiative and
referendum" Thus the controversy
RACES, and it has involved the secre-
tary of state in whirlpool of attack
and defense. The friends of the PRO-
posal in question declare that he has
only the truth in the ballot caption.
The other contenders declare that he
is playing into the hands of the ene-
mics of the l. and R. and that his ac-
tiOn may do much to push through
an amendment that is unfriendly to
the principles on which that form of
government is based.
Big Telephone Party With Willis.
Ohio is going to be in touch with
the San Francisco exposition next
Monday night and there will be more
long distance telephone talking on
that evening than ever has taken
place before, in Ohio, in point of sheer
distance, at least. Fact is, there is
going to be big telephone party with
Gov. Willis in San Francisco at one
end of the wires and $50 state officials
and their friends at the other end of
the wires in Columbus. The officials
will sit in the hall of the house of
representatives in the state house and
listen in" The governor will tell
the people at the Ohio end how his
trip is going and all that, and the
listeners will tell him how things are
going on in Ohio. And all the while
the voices will be carried over more
than 1000 miles. The American Tel
ephone & Telegraph Co. and the Cen
trail Union Telephone Co. will join
hands to make the feat possible.
Business Men Warned.
The public, especially business men,
Is warned by the adjutant generals
office not to give any money to per
sons who are going over the state So
Letting funds which they represent is
to be used in organizing colored reg
iment for the Ohio National Guard
Complaints have been received that a
number of business men have been
Victimized by a set of unscrupulous
sharpers who have adopted this ruse
as an easy way to get money The de-
partment has started an investigation
with a view to apprehending the per-
sons who have been separating their
victims from coin by this method.
Columbus Rejolces.
Columbus is rejoicing because its
tax rate for next year will only be a
trifie higher than it is this year. BY
pairing down the estimates, the budget
commission has kept the tax rate
down to $136 on each 500 OF valua-
tion. During the past year the rate
has been $1.35. Had the requests of
the county officials been allowed Co.
lumbus would have had one Of the
most burdensome tax rates in many
years. Within a short time the people
in each county in the state will know
whether or not the taxes they will
be called upon to pay next year will
be higher than for the year now end
ing.
Turner Announces Discovery.
Like fash from a clear sky in its
unexpectedness was the discovery an
nounced by Attorney General Edward
c. Turner that there is no authority
either in the constitution or the law
for Secretary of State Hildebrant to
have printed and distributed to the
voters the official argument against
the proposed constitutional amendment
for statewide prohibition.
Many Women Seek Position.
There are 81 Ohio women who want
to be matron of the new reformatory
for women at Marysville. These wom-
en- took the state civil service COM
mission examination for the place at
the senate aAamber in the state house
w ednesday The salary is $4,000 and
found" The state board of admins
tration will pick the matron from the
three applicants who stand highest in
the test The applicants were re-
stricted to residents of the Buckeye
state.
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British Museum Treasures Guarded.