OHIO. 



607 



Devons, 8; Poled Angus, 1 ; Jerseys, 19; Ayr- 

 shires, 2; Holsteins, 3. Horses Thorough- 

 breds, 6; roadsters, 19; general purpose, 52; 

 draught, 23. Sheep Merinos, 58 ; Downs, 16 ; 

 Long woods, 26. Swine Pol and- Chinas, 46; 

 Berkshires, 27; Chester Whites, 21; Jersey 

 Reds, 6. Poultry Egg-producers, 51 ; meat- 

 producers, 49. Condition of farm animals, 

 compared with last autumn, 93. 



Temperance Legislation. The Legislature be- 

 gan its adjourned session January 2d, and 

 closed April 19th. Aside from the time oc- 

 cupied in the perfection of the appropriation 

 bills, the greater part ot the session was taken 

 up with the liquor question. In his address 

 to the General Assembly at the beginning of 

 the session, Gov. Foster said : 



The liquor -traffic will bring to your attention a 

 lestion that engages the thoughts of the people more 

 seply and seriously than any other subject that will 

 come before you. Tho enormity of the evil is ad- 

 mitted by all, as well as its disastrous effects upon 

 society, and the magnitude of the burdens of taxation 

 imposed by it upon the people, through private and 

 public charities, was never as great as at present. 

 When the present Constitution was adopted, a clause 

 was voted into it by the people, under the belief that 

 through it would be secured a greater restraint to the 

 traffic than had previously existed. Experience has 

 shown that, instead of greater restraint, we have prac- 

 tically free trade in liquor, not only six days hi the 

 week" but on Sunday also. In fact, in many locali- 

 ties, Sunday, instead of being, as the law and well- 

 being of society demand, a day of rest and recrea- 

 tion,"has become a day of rowdyism and carnivals ; 

 instead of being the most orderly, it has become the 

 most disorderly dav of the week. It is a humiliating 

 fact that we have in Ohio, to-day, more than_ 16,000 

 places where this unrestrained traffic is carried on, 

 taking the hard-earned wages from many thousands 

 of our citizens, whose families need the 'money thus 

 worse than thrown away. This entire traffic, the 

 amount of which in round numbers will probably 

 exceed $70,000,000 annually, much the larger portion 

 of which is profit, contributes but a tithe of the burden 

 it imposes upon the public through the crime and 

 pauperism created by it. 



The laws upon our statute-books, enacted by both 

 of the great political parties, for the avowed purpose 

 of limiting and restraining the evil effects of this 

 traffic, are. to all intents and purposes, except in a few 

 localities, inoperative. I am fully of the opinion that 

 the principle of taxation, judiciously applied to this 

 traffic, will furnish the most satisfactory solution of 

 the problem "How to deal with the liquor-traffic" 

 that is attainable. There seems to be a popular de- 

 mand for the submission of a constitutional amend- 

 ment, such as was proposed by the Cleveland Con- 

 vention, to be voted upon in October, 1883. The 

 following is a copy of the resolution referred to : 



" Resolved, That the public interests require that 

 the General Assembly should submit to a vote of the 

 people such amendments to the Constitution of the 

 State relative to the manufacture, sale, and use of in- 

 toxicating liquors as shall leave the whole matter to 

 legislation." 



Such an amendment ought to be submitted to a 

 vote of the people. 



The attempts of the majority to carry these 

 suggestions into effect were rendered fruit- 

 less, until near the end of the session, mainly 

 through inability to agree upon the exact form 

 rather than from disagreement on the prin- 

 ciples involved. Finally, two propositions for 



constitutional amendments were agreed upon 

 for submission to the people at the October 

 election. They read as follows : 



FIRST PROPOSITION. 



Tho additional section in and with section 18 of 

 the schedule shall be repealed, and there shall be 

 substituted for it the following : 



The General Assembly shall regulate the traffic 

 in intoxicating liquors so as to provide against evils 

 resulting therefrom ; and its power to levy taxes or 

 assessments thereon is not limited by any provision 

 of this Constitution. 



SECOND PROPOSITION. 



The additional section in and with section 18 of 

 the schedule shall be repealed, and there shall be 

 substituted for it the following : 



The manufacture of and the traffic ha intoxicating 

 liquors to be used as a beverage are forever prohib- 

 ited : and the General Assembly shall provide by law 

 for the enforcement of this provision. 



This was speedily followed by the passage 

 of a law for the taxation of the liquor-traffic, 

 and the change of existing laws relating to that 

 traffic. From the name of the member intro- 

 ducing it in its original form, it became known 

 as the " Scott law." The title was " An act 

 further providing against the evils resulting 

 from the traffic in intoxicating liquors." The 

 law imposes a tax of $200 yearly on every 

 place where liquors are sold at retail; pro- 

 hibits, under penalty of $100 fine and impris- 

 onment, the opening of such places on Sunday ; 

 and forbids the sale of liquor to a minor, ex- 

 cept on the written order of his parent, guard- 

 ian, or physician. 



The Liquor Law constitutional. The liquor-tax 

 bill had no sooner passed, than an organized 

 effort to oppose it was begun. To facilitate a 

 decision, a case was made in Athens county : 

 the Auditor refusing to publish the notice re- 

 quired by the law, and application being there- 

 upon made by the Attorney-General, in behalf 

 of the State, for a writ of mandamus to com- 

 pel him to comply with the law. Arguments 

 were heard June Vth and 8th, and the case 

 was reserved for consideration, together with 

 a case coming at the same time from Cuyahoga 

 county, in which the constitutionality of the 

 provision affecting existing leases was brought 

 into question. The decision of the Supreme 

 Court was given June 26th, and sustained the 

 constitutionality of the law. 



Other Legislation. Among the other measures 

 of the session were a law providing for the 

 security of wages of men engaged in the con- 

 struction of railroads ; a law providing for the 

 appointment of a commission with a Tiew to 

 establishing a mode by which differences be- 

 tween miners and employers may be settled; 

 an amendment to the lien law in the interests 

 of laborers; laws facilitating the dispatch of- 

 legal business ; and the submission to popular 

 vote of a proposed amendment to the Judicial 

 article of the Constitution. 



Political Conventions. The Republican State 

 Convention was held at Columbus, June 5th 

 and 6th. The ticket nominated was as follows : 



