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The Commoner.
The Situation in Ohio
Editorial in tho Bucynia (Ohio )Nowb Forum:
What every good dornocrat wantB for noxt year
to, flrBt, to stand loyal to democratic principles
and froo from nil entangling alliances, and soc
ond, to nominate a ticket that can win. With
theso two objects in viow it behooves ovory
loyal and unselfish domocrat to look ovor tho
record and attitudo of tho mon whoso names
nro prosontod for consideration, and make his
choico free from all personal prejudices and all
Bolfiflh motives.
Other things hoing equal, tho Daily Forum
always proforo an Ohio man to a resident of any
other ntato. For that reason wo have given
a loyal support to tho candidacy of Governor
Harmon, whilo at tho samo time conceding tho
excellence of tho othor gontlomen prominontly
mentioned for tho nomination.
Dovolopmonts have been such that wo havo
boon compollod to roviso our opinion, and wo
boliovo tho timo has como when this should bo
admittod, in nil kindnoss of personal feeling
toward tho distinguished gentleman whose for
tunes wo can no longor follow in tho lino of
presidential ambition, but frankly and with an
oyo single to tho interests of tho nation and
tho party.
Wo havo been reluctantly forced to tho con
viction that tho governor is not an availablo
candidate and that his nomination is out of
tho quostion, and also that ho would bo defeated
If nominated. Tho reports of his backing by
tho Wall street intorosts is ono of tho reasons
for this chango of views. Wo do not assert
that thoso roports are true, but they havo tho
appoaranco of betae1., well founded, and democ
racy can not go Into tho campaign with any
posslblo hopo of success, with such a suspicion
hanging about tho candidate. A secret alliance
with tho forces openly antagonized would bo
fatal. Tho campaign upon a state record is
another objection which wo think would cost
tho party all chanco of success. It is not neces
sary to go into details. Our readers well know
tho things which wo havo In mind, of which wo
will mention only ono, that being tho claim of
having liftod tho burdons of tho small homo
owner in tho paymont of taxes. Wo havo
pointed out tho futility of this claim, so far as
our own county is concerned. Tho rate of tax
ation ns compared with that of last year Is no
crltorion. It is the amount that must bo laid
down in dollars and cents at tho county treas
urer's offlco that tells tho story, and tho claim
of saving to tho small homo owner will not wash
when judgod upon this basis. Without dis
cussing tho matter exhaustively, we will men
tion but ono moro factor in tho chain of events
which has led us to our presont conviction. That
la tho attitudo of Mr. Bryan toward Governor
Harmon, Wo do not permit Mr. Bryan to control
our opinions nor rocognizo htm as a master,
political or otherwise. Nevertheless, his pre
dominant influenco in the party must be
acknowledged by all. Tho democratic party has
had one Parker campaign. It has no use or
need for another. Such a situation would spell
dofeat, no matter whom we nominate. Mr
Bryan is tho greatest leader in tho party today
and his influence is potent without tho fictitious
advantage of place or official power.
OHIO PROGRESSIVES ARE ACTIVE
Special dispatch to tho Cincinnati Enquirer:
St. Clairsvllle, Ohio, January 2. Harmonious,
but without tho Harmon spirit which the pro
motors oxpoctod when they called it, a con
ference of the loading democrats was held at
Steubonvlllo this afternoon. It had beon ox
poctod by former candidate for congress, A. N
USSSSb5 insPector of high explosives, and
appointed by Harmon, that the delegates would
bo unanimous in tho matter of selecting Harmon
instructed delegates in tho Sixteenth dtatrtct
for tho national convention. awtnet
In fact, it was claimed that this meeting was
jot up by thoso who had been under the tTee
when Harmon shook down tho plums in orde?
to offset the progressive meeting of democrats
he Id n Columbus Friday afternoon. Not only
did this fail, but it turned out that the meet
ing was largely in sympathy with the on in
Columbus. To such an extent was this true
52 rffffiilT thameelfZ
The meeting was called to order by Mr. Mc
Corabs, who stated that tho purposo of tho
meeting was to got the consensus as to thoso
who would mako tho most satisfactory delegates
to tho national convention.
This evidently did not meet with tho approval
of tho would-be Harmon boosters. A motion
was then made by a state employe, also a Har
mon appointee, that tho meeting express itself
as to the men who should represent the dis
trict at the national convention. This was to
be in tho nature of a straw vote, and was not
to bo binding on either tho conferees or on tho
district. After some little debate the question
was put and promptly voted down.
An effort was then made to sound tho dele
gates as to their favorite for tho presidential
nomination, and it developed that there wore but
two men present who were for Harmon first,
last and all the time. Following this, a motion
was made that the meeting take no action at
this time and this was carried. The Harmon
supporters saw in this method tho only way of
getting out of the meeting without precipitating
an attack upon the candidacy of the governor.
A conferee, professedly anti-Harmon, then
made the motion that the meeting adjourn until
February 29. It developed at tho meeting that
it was tho purpose of many of those present to
have delegates selected who would be for Har
mon on tho first or possibly the first few ballots
only.
That they do not believe he can secure the
nomination was seen when a partv to the con
ference stated that, while it might be well to
lot Harmon go into the convention with a solid
delegation, yet the delegates to have been
selected today were to be instructed to throw
thoir votes to William J. Bryan after the party
ballots.
Here appeared the hand of Editor H. H. Mc
Fadden, of tho Steubenvillo Gazette, who somo
time ago came out for the peerless one for tho
nomination. Of the twenty delegates all but
two are said to have been in favor of this action
in Instructing the delegates. Editor McFadden,
who was counted upon as giving aid to the pro
gressive meeting in Columbus, remained at home
and was prominent in the meeting.
Another prominent anti-Harmon man who
was present was John T. Flvnn, of Bellaire.
Flvnn led the Tom L. Johnson movement in the
1908 national convention at Denver to prevent
the selection of Harvey C. Garber as national
committeeman. His presence at today's meet
ing was of itself sufficient to indicate a chango
of complexion in the personnel of a supposed
Harmon meeting.
The meeting was harmonious throughout, and
when Mr. McCombs saw that the meeting had
failed of its purpose ho Is said to have expressed
no displeasure. . It is evident that he hopes to
overcomo the adverse sentiment toward Harmon
before the meeting in February.
In speaking of the meeting this evening a
conferee characterized It as a meeting of "pro
gressive democrats along the lines laid down
by William J Bryan." The Bryan spirit seemed
to be the only thing that kept the meeting from
getting into a tangle. With this as a sort of
objective point of many of the delegates, they
were kept out of any dissensions that might
have arisen had the conferees gone into the
matter of expressing their favorites for dele
gat.es, .
Owing to the secrecy with which the invita
tions were sent by Mr. McCombs, it was to have
been expected that only those 'persons would
have been invited who would be expected to be
favorable to the governor. If the invitatmnl
were sent with this in view it is evident that
surrisTd6 Wa badl7 m,8taben r elseatfy
Jhe,Blmont county delegation took advan
tage of the meeting to get in some very good
work for State Treasurer Creamer for the nomi
nal on for governor, and one of them stated
tonight that the Sixteenth district would send
OrSmer 8aUn fte Bt&te conon To?
OHIO PROGRESSIVES
Tho permanent offlcero of the Ohio democratic
progressive league are as follows: Csident
John J. Lentz, Columbus; secretary, W WDur'
ba Kenton; treasurer, J. H. Blacker Chim"
cothe; first vice president, Bert Bartlow Ham 1
ton; second vice president, J. W JoS"
VOLUME! 12, NUMBER 3
Waverly; third vice president, Benton Chllders,
Worthington. .
The following executive committee wai
named: Charles E. Mason, Hamilton; Fred
Sites, Tiffin; J. L. Patterson, Defiance; Adam
Bridge, Franklin City; Henry Kampfe, Piqua;
E. B. Bloom, Bowling Green; L. P. Stevenson,
Jackson; John Monahan, Logan; M. L. Boyd,
Columbus; M. G. Thraves, Norwalk; John Flynn,
Bellaire; L. C. Koplin, Akron; F. E. Preiffer,
Cleveland; B. F. McDonald, Newark; J. J. Whit
acre, Canton.
It was decided to effect an organization in
every congressional district, with a view to
selecting delegates to the state and national
conventions who would be in accord with -tho
purposes of tho conference as laid down in tho
resolutions. This work will be under tho direc
tion of Secretary Durbin, whose ability as an
organizer has been repeatedly demonstrated.
EXPERIENCE SHOULD BE HEEDED
f
The following editorial appeared in the
Cincinnati Enquirer December 25th:
Coleridge wrote that "Human experiences,
like the stern lights of a ship at sea, illumines
only tho path which wo have passed over," but
tho dreaming author of "Kubla Kahn" did not
realize that practical men use the light of ex
perience as a searchlight to disclose dangers
to be avoided in the future course.
In that use lies its value, and the experience
the Ohio democrats had in 1904 certainly gave
them enough light upon "the ways that are
dark" of the interests combined against them.
The illuminating influences of that campaign
were so great they should last them as a search
light for the next century, disclosing to them
similar "ways that are dark and tricks that are
vain" prepared and ready for their undoing.
The democratic party bore that year the ter
rible burden of being charged as controlled by
allied corporate influences, and then in the clos
ing weeks of the canvas was swamped by the
campaign funds furnished the republican party
by those same interests.
The party lost the support of hundreds- qf
thousands of sincere voters at the start and by
that, in itself, the contest was determined
against it.
The interests that flushed the sluices with
tho cash in the later days of the campaign but
added to the majorities of the republican party.
Experience discloses the same dangers loom
ing up in Ohio today.
Efforts, systematic efforts, are being made to
nominate a candidate for president who has been
allied with the interests all his life, and whose
tongue, pen, ability and energy have given them
long and devoted service.
The nomination of any man associated as
advocate, protector, ally, agent, counsellor,
attorney or representative of these interests
means certain defeat to the democratic party.
If any democrat wishes to forecast the result
of the nomination of such a candidate, let him
turn the searchlight of experience upon the
election results in the following named coun
ties of Ohio in the year 1896, when the party
fought against tho interests, and the year 1904
-when charged with being bound to them.
Counties 1896 ignl
len Dem. plu. 1,401 Bod. nlu 1 111
uuer Dem. plu. 2,749 Dem dIu 14Q
Brown Dem. plu. 1299 Dem dIu SfiO
Clermont Dom.plu. 384 ffP!' l
Crawford Dem. plu. 2,738 Dem Slu 1 17?
ft";k0 Dem. plu. 1 734 R??' Slu 173
&1S ::v:;::"8H-SMi 8s-5 "'
5gS22ia-::::::::Sg- SUM-SIi' S? ssi$s
Miami .... B'S 'ft gep. plu. 5,968
Ottawa . . . Dem Slu' 1 1 71 Sep' PJU' 3'1 47
Perrv :nm ! ' 1,Hi Dom.plu. 266
Putnam .' .' .' " . . .' ;gj- g ft- 2 J J? Hop. &. 2,037
Tuscarawas ... febm Slu ' Al gem..plu. 1,288
Wa ':::::S;SiS:i.JJi ga gagy
Why prolong this list? Every domocrat
rlTtZ" -crTno
theocSc lZlTX pV ?n
control of allied Interests. 7 WaS In
caSldato?dBforf BmUnCh and true democratic
cancuaates for office were defeated thn
through the malign influences of such belief
craYshLTyea??0t w;thU?dS of l demo
crais next year? Why ordain their defeat hv
laws, or by active service In thTcounn t "i
vanco trust interests. Let th. teSSe par
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