Governor Cox insisted that the state adopt a budget system. With politicians, budgets are very unpopular. Altho all large business enterprises are operated on the budget system, yet few states and municipalities have them. One of the first things that Mr. Cox did when governor was to get Ohio to adopt a budget system. He also introduced more equitable methods of taxation with the purpose of encouraging improvements and discouraging hoarding of property or opportunities. With this budget system and readjusted taxes, the state of Ohio was able to get thru the strain of the war and the reconstruction period following without the additional taxation of legitimate business. Probably no state in the union was able to meet the strains of the war with so little difficulty as Ohio, and this was due--so far as I can learn--to the state being operated on a business basis and in a business-like way.
Another simple illustration: Like other states Ohio has a state farm, upon which it has certain cattle. When Mr. Cox came into office, this state farm was being operated at a distinct loss and the cattle were more or less of a nondescript nature. The Governor immediately called for blooded stock and finally he was given a small appropriation. He got one good bull and a few good heifers, altho the people of the state criticised him severely for such "gross extravagance." Within a few years, this herd became one of the best and most profitable in the state, and for the first time the state of Ohio's farm adventure was on a paying basis. Today I understand that Ohio has the best state herd in America, and, if Mr. Cox's plans are carried out, it will result in so improving all the live stock in the state that Ohio will have the best cattle of any state in the union.
In another part of this book, I refer more in detail to his success in selecting and leading men, with special reference to his handling labor troubles during the coal and steel strikes which so threatened industry in Ohio. In this chapter, however, I must refer to the work which he did in connection with rising costs of living. Mr. Cox, unlike most liberal leaders, believes in the law of supply and demand. He does not believe in interference with the law of supply and demand by the representatives of either labor or capital. On the other hand, he believes that many of our economic difficulties are due to interference with this law, especially by the big distributors. He believes in the use of cold storage plants, but he believes in their use for the benefit of the people rather than for the benefit of speculators. Those who are interested in a study of cold storage plants, in connection with the cost of living, should become acquainted with what Mr. Cox accomplished while Governor of Ohio.