Americus times-recorder., 1920-06-24

government during the war and the
loss of several millions of dollars in
revenue previously derived from the
liquor traffic, Governor Cox kept the
fiscal affairs of the state on solid
footing without increasing taxes or
invoking a single new source of in
come. A modern budget system
adopted in 1913 made this accom-
plishment possible, and this system
came to be because Governor Cox,
when serving on the appropriations
committee in Congress, saw the need
of this fiscal plan of government.
Governor Cox met all the tests
of strenuous war period, mani
Testing the highest order of leader
ship in his ability to pick men to
handle efficiently the tasks given
them, and work one with the other to
common end. In the bitter stress
of the war winter when railroads were
stagnated and the failure properly
to distribute coal caused distress and
loss, Governor Cox took charge of the
situation and brought immediate re-
lief in his own state, and pointed the
way for relief elsewhere.
Wndt tbs NGCOTo DlsCkOSeS.
'In his crusade against high
living costs, Governor Cox proceed
ed against and secured conviction of
cold storage operators who were hold
ing food products overtime to keep
up prices.
when in the disordered period of
reconstruction, strikes were preva-
lent throughout the United States, the
situation was met in Ohio in a way
which attracted the attention of the
entire country.
During the steel strike peace and
order were maintained, the right of
free speech was not infringed, prop
erty damage was prevented, and this
without the use of single soldier.
Local public officials were in
structed that peace and order must
be maintained, that rioting must be
prevented, but that there must be no
interference with the right of men to
organize and express their grievances
nor must there be any interference
with the right of any other men to
work. To enforce this policy it was
necessary to remove but one mayor
of a large city. This the governor
ulu llOI uSSIJdGS W uOs dlIIlOuSn Vic
removed official was Democrat, and
the vice mayor, his successor, Re-
publican.
"In the entire six years of the in
cumbency of Governor Cox, the
militia, of which Ohio has a complete
division, has never been called out to
quell strike.
with all the coal mines of the
country tied up under general strike.
Governor Cox called separate con
ferences of all the operators and min
ers in Ohio and secured from them
agreement to leave the matter of set
tlement in his hands, planning the
outcome in such a way as to bring
immediate agreement of the warning
factions with the Federal government
at Washington.
"a severe winter found Ohio with
out seed corn and farmers were re-
quired to pay as high as $50 a
bushel for seed. Governor Cox sent
agents into other territories where eli
mate and soil conditions were similar
to Ohio, and secured a supply of seed
corn at cost of less than So per
bushel.
The toll of the war and the lure
of the city were depicting farm labor.
To meet this need, Governor Cox ar
ranged for the purchase of a large
number of tractors through private
agencies, called a meeting of farmers
at the state capital and conducted
tractor school under the supervision
of experts, so that within two weeks
time more than 5000 tractors were
put into use within the state, and in
stead of shortage of labor decreas-
ing acreage and crop production, the
manner in which the shortage was
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