Governor January 13, 1913-January 11, 1915. January 8, 1917-January 10, 1921. Born March 31, 1870; home, Dayton. Congressman; democratic candidate for president.

Charles T. Bromley, progressive.

.431,640

300,365

..192,307

As this was the first election in which judges of the Supreme Court were chosen on a ballot without party designation the vote is here given for each candidate. There were two judges to elect for a long term and one for a short term. The names of candidates for the long term were arranged in separate groups-seven candidates were voted for in group one, and six in group two. The vote was as follows: Judge of Supreme Court (Long Term, Group 1):

James L. Alread..

Emmett E. Erskine.
Reynolds R. Kinkade.
John C. Madden..

.134,852

52,866

.160,628

99,512

Judge of Supreme Court (Long Term, Group 2):

Harry W. Schroeder..

96,310

Of the three judges elected, Newman and Wilkin were democrats; Wannamaker was a progressive.

At this election a congressman-at-large was elected. The result was

The General Assembly had the responsibility of formulating a large amount of legislation necessary to give effect to the provisions of the new constitution. A local paper1 spoke approvingly of the work of the regular session because it had redeemed eleven platform pledges, and mentioned among important measures the provisions for "the short ballot," separation of state and national ballots (a law repealed by the next General Assembly), local home rule (the Smith model charter bill), physical valuation of public utilities, ratification of amendment providing direct election of United States senators, good roads legislation, prison reform, and licensing of the liquor traffic.

A civil service system, with numerous exceptions to its provisions, was established for the state, counties, cities and city schools, with three state commissioners of civil service. A law was passed permitting, in civil cases, a verdict by not less than three-fourths of the members of the jury. In connection a bill increasing the number of members of the state board of charities from seven to nine, and giving it closer working operation with the Juvenile Court, provisions were made for a "mothers' pension law."

The compulsory employes' compensation law went into effect June 15, 1913. It was claimed that the manufacturers had been paying enough to the liability insurance companies to compensate injured workmen and dependents if the money went directly to the sufferers. The law made the State Liability Board a trustee in the administration of the fund paid in by the manufacturers and eliminated many of the delays and much of the expense of litigation in settling claims based on industrial accidents.

As an emergency act the governor was authorized to appoint a commission to make a survey of common schools, normal schools and the state agricultural school as to their efficiency. An indeterminate sentence law was passed. Laws were also enacted providing for a modified form of the Torrens system of land tenure; a state industrial commission of three members on September 1, 1913, to succeed to the duties of several departments and in addition to have power to regulate hours and working conditions in industries; a state agricultural commission of four members to succeed to the duties of the state board of agriculture, the dairy and food commissioners and several similar bodies; a state commission of three to administer the licensing of traffic in intoxicating liquors, the state commission to appoint two county commissioners in each wet county, with a general provision that not more than one license could be issued to each unit of 500 population; a law establishing a budget system, the budget for the state departments and institutions to be submitted by the governor to the Legislature; a bill for regulation and inspection of private banks; a bill requiring all lobbyists to register and pay a license fee; establishment of a day school for prisoners in Ohio penitentiary; establishment of board of censors for motion pictures; regulation of sale of bonds, stocks and other securities, and real estate not located in Ohio (Blue Sky Law); municipal government and authorizing cities to adopt any one of three plans of local government, the commission plan, city manager plan, or federal plan, in each case the initiative, referendum and recall to be incorporated in the plan; the licensing of motor vehicles, a measure which reflected the necessity of control and regulation growing out of the rapid development of the automobile industry.

August 8, 1913, became effective the law establishing the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio, which succeeded to all the powers of the Public Service Commission. The direct primary law, which went into effect January 1, 1914, required political parties to nominate candidates at primary elections; judicial offices were excepted, but the pro

'Ohio State Journal, April 27, 1913.

visions extended to delegates and alternates to national conventions and also the use of "presidential preference" tickets.

What was known as the Warnes Tax Law, effective August 8, 1913, provided that the Tax Commission of Ohio should direct and supervise the assessment for taxation of all real and personal property. Each county was made an assessment district, under a district assessor or assessors. There was also a district board of complaints in each county, with power of review and adjustment of assessment valuations.

Under authority granted by the new constitution and the new law noted elsewhere, Dayton chose a city manager plan of municipal government and in November, 1913, elected its first commission. Springfield adopted a commission form of government. In Cincinnati, Henry T. Hunt, a reform democratic mayor, was defeated by Frederick S. Spiegel, republican. Karl Keller, republican, was elected mayor of Toledo, succeeding Brand Whitlock, who afterwards became ambassador to Belgium. In Cleveland, under the new charter, candidates were chosen on non-partisan tickets. Mayor Baker was reelected.

At the November election in 1913 amendments to the constitution were submitted providing for-the short ballot for state officers; short ballot for county and township officers; exemption from taxation of bonds issued by the state and its smaller political subdivisions; the reduction of the number of members in the Legislature. All of these amendments were overwhelmingly defeated. An amendment was also submitted providing for the eligibility of women to appointment to positions in the service of the state affecting the caring of women and children. This carried by a substantial majority. A referendum on a bill prohibiting the shipment of intoxicating liquors into territory where the sale of such liquors was prohibited was defeated by a large majority.

EIGHTIETH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

Extraordinary Session, January 19 to February 16, 1914

On January 6, 1914, Governor Cox called the Legislature into session chiefly to supplement the work of the regular session. His recommendations were arranged under nine heads. The first called for the adjustment of the school system to the progress of the day, and in accordance with the data supplied by the school survey commission, authorized by the regular session. The commission stressed "the subjects of consolidation, supervision and the training of teachers," and the governor urged particularly the extension of such beneficial features to the rural districts.

Toward the end of the regular session the seventeenth amendment to the federal constitution had been ratified, requiring the election of United States senators by direct vote of the people. It therefore became necessary for the General Assembly to make certain changes in the primary and election laws to conform to the amendment.

The governor called attention to the economies possible under the budget law. He recommended the repeal of the Appropriation Act of 1913 and the passage of a new bill, prepared in accordance with the provisions of the budget act.

Referring to the Warnes Automobile Law, he added: "The development of the automobile industry and the increased utility of this form of mechanism makes it certain that the police power of the state must be exercised in added measure for the control and regulation of this traffic."

He recommended safeguarding the initiative and referendum laws, declaring, "The effort to defeat progressive and humanitarian laws which was made during the last summer-particularly the workmen's compensation and the taxation measures-is so well known as the result of decisions by the highest judicial tribunal in this state and the secretary of state that they need not be recounted."

"The currency law recently passed by Congress," said he, "will place the state banks at some disadvantage unless they are, by state authority, permitted to become members of the federal reserve banks." He suggested that certain other privileges accorded to national banks should be granted to state banks.

The governor called attention to extraordinary expenses, totaling over $1,000,000, due to the floods of the previous year. Since the inauguration by Governor Harmon of a new method of handling state funds, it was claimed the state had received as interest on public moneys over $850,000. Referring to the character of the legislation of the regular session, he said, "The laws reflect not only a broader humanity, but the advantages along practical and economic lines are very striking. * *No program of legislation has ever been so viciously attacked and so misrepresented as the laws which were passed at the regular session; and yet every succeeding day they rise higher in public estimate. * * * One million men and women in the shops and institutions of this state go to their labors now protected by the workmen's compensation law.'

*

One of the problems discussed by the governor had to do with relations between the miners and operators. A bill, that went into effect May 18, 1914, provided that miners should be paid according to the total weight, based on "the run of the mine" system instead of the screen payment plan. In anticipation of this law, the miners and operators had held a number of parleys without being able to come to an agreement, and from the 1st of April the coal mines generally throughout Ohio were inactive for the remainder of the year. During July some violence occurred and troops were called out. The trouble was not finally compromised until the next year. When the strike of the 16,000 men conducted by the United Mine Workers in Eastern Ohio was settled in May, 1915, much was said in the public press about the claim that not an act of violence had marred the entire duration of the strike.

The special session responded to practically all of the governor's recommendations, amending the law for the choice of senators, giving additional powers to banking corporations, passing several laws to improve school standards and teachers' qualifications.

The Legislature was again convened July 20, 1914, but adjourned the same day. It was called for the purpose of reducing the state tax levy.

THE GREAT FLOOD OF MARCH, 1913

On March 23 to March 27, 1913, occurred one of the greatest storms recorded in the State of Ohio. The area of greatest destruction was in the Miami River Valley, but it was only less intense in the Scioto Valley, and other sections of Ohio and Indiana. In Ohio alone statistical estimates reported 94 towns affected by flood conditions, the loss of 367 lives, destruction of 220 bridges, and a property loss of nearly $150,000,000. Streams overflowed and wrought damage in all parts of Central and Southern Ohio, but due largely to topographic conditions the damage was accentuated in the drainage basin of the Great Miami, where the more important towns and cities affected were Hamilton, Middletown, Miamisburg, Dayton, Troy, Piqua and Sidney.

The storm began on March 23d, with an average precipitation of one inch in the Central Miami watershed, increasing to two inches on the northern border. This was followed on the 24th by a fall ranging from two inches in the northern and southern portions of the watershed to as high as five inches in the west central portion. On the 25th came an almost uniform downpour of about four inches over practically all the watershed. On the 26th the average precipitation was two inches. The total rainfall for the storm varied from about eight inches