The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1920-02-25
STRENUOUS week AHEAD
FOR STATE LEGISLATURE
Both Parties Join to Enact
School and Road
Legislation


faces a strenuous two weeks. Edu'
cational legislation has been enact.
ed, two of three administration bills
having been passed, the one increas-
ing pay of teachers having been left
until this week in the Senate. The
Senate measures are expected to be
made special orders in the House
and to be passed in few days.
Democrats and Republicans join
ed in enacting the school bills. In
the same manner, they are certain
to collaborate in whatever good
roads measure is the result of the
deliberations now taking place, and
there is discernible no intention on
part of the Democrats to obstruct
the measure to put prisons and ele-
emosynary institutions under the
new Board of Charities and Correc-
lions, which is to be bipartisan.
Republicans Don Economy
However, the De.-Ccr2tJ e.. aot
/ fail to call attention to the discre-
pancy between fact and fancy when
they nailed the Republican claim Of
economy in the alleged abolition of
the Fire Marshals and Fire Insur-
ance Rating Board, advanced by
Governor Morrow in a widely her.
aided statement in the Senate. Hard
ly was the ink dry on the Gov
errors special message, in which
he said that he had abolished 81
useless offices, and would do away
with 254 more, when the substitute
bill, abolishing the Fire Marshals,
and in the same breath re-creating
the department under the control
of the Auditor, was reported in the
House by the Committee on Re
trenchment and Reform. These Of
fees, at a saving aggregating $751;
600, the Governor had said he had
abolished.
This bill passed, 70 to II, last
Wednesday, and is now up to the
Senate for action. By its terms,
the fire insurance companies are
taxed one-half of one per cent for
their gross premiums, the money
to be turned over to the Auditor,
who is authorized to hire as many
deputies to be members of the Fire
Insurance Rating Board and Fire
Marshals as the funds will pay.
Howard Attacks Bill
Representative David j. Howard,
Versailles, made strong attack on
the Lawrence bill, to increase Audi
tor Craig's pay by s1,400 annually
and to permit him to name these
deputies. He said that the admins
tration had not been backward in
claiming that it was doing away
with the offices entirely. The Re-
publicans had criticised the Demo-
Gratis, during the campaign and af-
ter the legislature began, for main
tanning the Fire Marshals, yet at
the very first chance they are put
ting them back in the guise of dep
uty auditors, in order to distri-
butte more pie among the faithful.
Representative Will T. Beckham,
another Democratic champion from
Shelbyville, made the point that I'M
der the constitutional provision, he
believes Auditor Craig will not be
able to draw cent of the 81, 400 an
nual increase of pay during his
present term. He said that no Of
ficer can have his pay increased
during the term for which he has
been elected.
Representative George c. Wag-
goner, Scott County, attacked the
measure, saying that it was a poll
tical bill, designed to fool the pub
lie.
Only one Republican, Representa-
tive Billiter. opposed it, Demo
Gratis who voted for the measure
said that they did so because the
Office of Fire Marshall and member
ship on the Fire Insurance Rating
Board had been demonstrated to be
necessary to the well-being of the
State, and before doing so several,
including Representative A. L. Ham
ilton. Lexington, pointed out the
camoufiage which had been en-
ployed by Republicans to cloak the
real meaning of the measure.
Forestry Bill An Issue
A bill which is up to the Senate
for action, and is certain to bring
on a warm fight is the measure to
abolish the Office of State Forester.
The Democrats are hostile to en-
actment of this piece of legislation,
terming 1t backward step, and
saying that Kentucky would be the
only state in the union to recede
from forestry conservation after