The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1917-03-15
GENERAL ASSEMBLY
. NOTED AS PECULIAR
Legislature, Taken in the Ag-
gregate, Is Below Average
Ohio Body in Intel
IeCtual Force.
BY Clarence Maris.

In some features It resembles the
Cox legislature of four years ago,
while in others it is quite dissimilar
to that or any previous one. Taken
in the aggregate, it is below the aver.
age assembly in intellectual force,
This may be explained by the fact that
many of the Democrats elected in
normally Republican counties or sena.
torial districts were thought by the
party managers to have no chance for
election and men were put up to be
sacrificed, but the Wilson peace wave
carried them into office.
When Mr.. Cox was elected four
years ago the Democratic organization
expected to carry the legislature be,
cause Judge Harmon had been a popu.
lar governor. Therefore, they had Sc.
lected legislative candidates from the
best material available. Following the
Willis administration, they did not ex-
pect to elect majority of the legisla.
ture-nor Cox, either. But, it should
be said in its favor, speaking of this
body as whole, that it has accepted
from lobbyists less of food and drink
than any recent legislature-the lob.
| byists did not become numerous until
within three weeks of the close. But
that's another story. as Mr. Kipling
might say.
A Tame Minority.
1t is peculiar in that the minority
Is the opposite of militant. The minor
ity has not originated and valiantly
fought for any bills which appeal
powerfully to popular feeling or preju.
dice; it has not forcefully resisted the
increases In salaries, the creation of
new offices, or the bills which will give
the governor power to build political
machines by the use of the peoples
money.
In both houses Republicans have
voted AYE" on bills they knew were
bad This may have two explanations,
possibly three. Maybe they have had
tail go with the hide inclina-
ton; maybe they said to themselves:
"This is Cox legislature by an over
whelming majority. He is debating
its every act The responsibility is his
and he is creating heavy load for
| himself to carry. 1t isn't incumbent
upon us to worry and we'd be steam
rollered if we resisted"
The Cox legislature is like the first.
In it he created by statute two great
personal political machines whose
movements he controlled in every de-
tail-the Warnes assessors law and
the Greenlund liquor license law. For
these two sins the farmers slew him
when next he was a candidate. He
knows, for he has admitted, that these
laws were very unpopular But he
cannot suppress his greed for power,
even when shown by the experience Of
bitter defeat that he needs to learn
selfrepression.
Same Greed for Power.
Now, he has secured one state law
which will enable him to destroy or
and give him personal, direct control
Of the expenditure of $4,000, 900. An
other is the law in which he takes
control of all the agricultural inter-
ests Of the state by putting all the
power in secretary of agriculture
he is to select His calling the leaders
from the session at 10 o'clock in the
night before the date fixed for final
recess and directing that they rescind
the resolution to recess, which had
been passed in compliance with his
direct order, will give time in which
he can force the enactment of laws
giving him added power.
All classes of bills ordinarily intro
duced in legislatures are we'll repre-.
sented in the 500 now in hand. There
are administration bills, bills creating
commissions and raising salaries, local
bills, bills to enable a lawyer member
to win a case in which he could not,
under the existing law, and mixers" I"
Bills Known as Mixers
why is 'milker"? And what?
Definition always is difficult. A milk
er is bill which will work hardship
upon some persons or corporations
which have money, introduced through
the effort of one who anticipates re-
ceiving reward for defeating it's
enactment. After such bill has been
read ard referred to committee, the
greedy crook gets to persons who will
be injured by it statement that he
has the influence necessary to the
death of the bill in committee, or its
defeat on the floor of the assembly
If the interest affected pays him, he
may get the bill held in committee II
money is not given him, he makes an
other appeal, usually through a go
between, when the bill is placed upon
the calendar ready for enactment.
Then, If those interested have shown
the members the iniquity of this bill,
it is defeated in it's house of origin.
No, this scheme and its several vari.
ations are not always originated by
members, nor are they guilty of col
lusion. Often the greedy one is an
outsider who convinces a too credu-
lous member of the righteousness and
necessity of the bill and induces him
to father it and further it.
A Pathetic Incident.
Say bill increasing the clearance
along railway tracks two feet should
be passed. 1t would necessitate the
Against Injunctions In Strikes.
Organized labor entertains hope for
the passage of the Chapman bill, deny
ing manufacturers the right of en-.