One defect is that, regardless of probable
income, the Legislature may increase items in the budget (or
rather the appropriation bill based on the budget), and it may
make other appropriations in separate bills as it sees fit
without regard to prospective revenues.
In his 1919 message to the General Assembly, a Republican body,
the Governor urged submission to the people of an amendment to
the constitution providing that the Legislature shall have the
right to diminish any item in the executive budget by majority
vote or to strike out any item: that, however, it shall not be
privileged to increase any item or to add a new one unless it
makes legislative provision for sufficient revenue to meet the
added cost. Such an amendment was not submitted. Unless it is
done by an early legislature, adherents of Cox in Ohio say it
may be undertaken by initiative petition.
Good Roads
Another notable achievement of Governor Cox is the advance of
the Ohio highway system. Roads were in deplorable shape when he
became Governor. There was no hope for rural counties with small
tax duplicates, the ones in greatest need of good roads never
being able to lift themselves out of the mud except through
liberal state aid.
One of the Governor's first acts was a survey of road
conditions. A complete network of 10,000 miles of inter-county
roads was mapped out. It connected the eighty-eight county
seats. Of the 10,000 miles of inter-county highways, 3000 miles,
connecting the larger cities, were designated as main market
roads.
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