APRIL 5, 1912
The Commoner.
13
Ohio's Opinion of Governor Harmon
Columbus, Ohio, March 18. To
the Editor of tho Lincoln (Neb.)
Journal: I have just read a state
ment in your paper over the signa
ture of C. M. Gruenther, manager
and spokesman of Harmon's cam
paign in Nebraska, which appears
to be a defense of Governor Har
mon's record and criticism on a cir
cular issued by the progressive
democratic league of Ohio. Mr.
Gruenther takes it upon himself to
inform the democrats of Nebraska
that this pamphlet is an anonymous
circular and its parentage is un
known. If he had wanted to state
the facts and had looked on the out
side cover he would see that this
pamphlet was issued by the progres
sive democratic league of Ohio,
rooms 510-511 Harrison building,
Columbus, Ohio.
Tho progressive democratic league
in Ohio was organized on January
2, 1912, when some 200 representa
tive democrats from all parts of Ohio
gathered in Columbus and perfected
an organization. Tho president of
this league, John J. Lentz, was a
member of congress from this state
for two terms, elected in the memor
able campaign of 1896 and re-elected
in 1898. His voice has been heard
in almost every state of the union
in behalf of progressive democratic
principles and he is one of the lead
ing democrats of Ohio. The secre
tary, William W. Durbin, Kenton,
0., was the chairman of the demo
cratic state committee in 1896 and
1897, was delegate to the national
convention in 1900, was democratic
candidate for auditor of state in
1908, running almost 50,006 ahead
of his ticket and coming within a
few thousand votes of election. The
treasurer, John H. Blacker of Chilli
cothe, O., is one of the leading bank
ers of that place and he was chair
man of the democratic state com
mittee in 1898 and a delegate to the
national convention in 1896. Among
other officers of the league are J.
W. Johnson of Waverly, O., editor of
the Waverly Watchman; H. H. Mc
Fadden of Steubenville, O., editor of
the Steubenville Gazette; Henry
Kampf of Piqua, O., editor of the
Piqua Leader-Dispatch; Earl D.
Bloom of Bowling Green, O., editor
of the democratic paper at that
place; Charles Shively, editor of the
Norwalk, O., democratic paper;
Adam Bridge, editor of the Frank
lin News. I have given these news
paper men to show that the demo
cratic press of Ohio is not unanimous
for Mr. Harmon by any means. Be
sides those mentioned above there
are at least twenty-five or thirty
more democratic papers in Ohio
openly opposing Mr. Harmon's can
didacy. Other members of the league
include Charles E. Mason of Hamil
ton', O., John T. Flynn of Bellaire,
Congressman John P. Whitacre of
Canton, O., Hon. L. C. Koplin of
Akron, O., It. L. Gehman of Medina,
O., and many other prominent, ac
tive democrats who have represented
their party in state and national con
ventions and in various capacities,
all of whom are opposed to the nomi
nation of Mr. Harmon because Mr.
Harmon is not a progressive demo
crat. One of the planks upon which Mr.
Harmon was elected in 1908 and
1910 declared in favor of the initia
tive and referendum. Mr. Harmon
openly repudiated this plank of tho
platform on February 8 In an address
to onr constituional convention and
thousands of democrats in Ohio have
Repudiated him w"ho before that time
Jtoere wavering In their support
From a reading of the article of
Mr. Gruenther it would appear that
the biggest part of this article was
prepared in Ohio and sent to Ne
braska to be put out over the name
of Mr. Gruenther. I want to take
up a few things spoken of in the
letter to show how tricky this answer
is. Mr. Gruenther claims that the
circular said that Harmon failed to
sign the Ohio tax reform law. On
page 11 of the circular said "He has
tried to take the credit for every
thing and shoulders the responsi
bility for nothing in his adminis
tration. Great credit is claimed for
what the tax commission in Ohio has
done and yet it will be remembered
that he did not sign the tax commis
sion law." This is absolutely true
and when he speaks of Governor
Harmon signing a law on June 2,
1911, that is not the law creating
tho tax commission because this law
was passed long before June 2, 1911.
I only mention this to show how he
has tried to mix up matters to de
ceive the voters of Nebraska. We in
Ohio know that in 1910 both the
parties indorsed the one per cent tax
proposition and it was in both the
democratic and republican platforms
and the legislature enacted it with
out partisan division and the credit
belongs to no one man nor to either
party. Let il not be forgotten that
Tim T. Inlincnn hoir-in fn flfllf fnr
tax reform in Ohio and was the
pioneer for the two cent fare on
steam railways and an honest valua
tion for the taxation of railways and
made his campaign for the governor
ship in 1903 on this platform and it
is openly charged by Mr. William
Gordon of Cleveland, democratic
candidate for congress in the Twen
tieth district in 1910, that Judson
Harmon did not support Mr. John
son in that campaign.
One thing he fails to tell about
and that is, why did Governor Har
mon fail to sign the public utilities
bill. His literary bureau is giving
him credit for this bill and saying
that it is a better utility bill than
those of Wisconsin, New York and
New Jersey. If it is such a good bill
why didn't ho sign it? People all
over the country are asking this.
So far as Tom Johnson is concerned
we only need quote what he said
about Mr. Harmon in 1908 when he
stated certain facts which were then
true and are still true, in the fol
lowing words.
"I am opposed to Harmon's nomi
nation because I do not believe he
stands for the principles for which
progressive democracy stands. The
democracy of Ohio can't go before
the people with a candidate who is
known as the legal representative
and railroad receiver in Ohio of the
Morgan interests in New York. The
democracy in Ohio can't go before
the people under the leadership of a
man who is backed and supported by
the interests that defeated Bryan
in 1896 and 1900 and sacrificed the
Darty on the alter of Mammon in
1904. The nomination of Harmon
would bo hailed with i de ight by all
the big interests in Wall street.
The progressive democratic league
of Ohio knows that Tom L. John
son spoke the truth then and Jt Ms
true today. In the safee statement
Tom Johnson charged Harmon with
being opposed to the Initiative and
referendum. Harmon kept still until
ha thought tho time had come to
show Ms Wall street friends that he
was all right upon this question and
S he declared himself before the
Ohio constitutional convention. If
you want to know what democrats
and progressives In general think of
Governor Harmon you only need to
fead the expressions of the members
of that convention after he delivered
his Speech. They teU you better than
wo can that Harmon is a reactionary
of the worst kind. How does it
come that every bolter of 9G and
every gold democrat who has been
against the democratic party since
'96 is now for Harmon. Pleaso ex
plain why a poll of Wall street taken
by tho New York Globe showed Har
mon to bo tho favorite of Wall street
after Taft. In the polls taken by the
newspapers over the country where
tho people have voted Harmon has
not been able to secure more than
5 per cent of the democratic votes
outside of Ohio and in Ohio he has
received less than 40 per cent and
that before ho declared himself
against the initiative and referen
dum. Now ho would not receive 25
per cent. Mr. Gruenther does not
deny that Harmon bolted Bryan in
1S96 but claims that he supported
him in 1900 and 1908. In 3 905 in
tho democratic city convention in
Cincinnati when Judge Dompsey was
nominated for mayor, Judson Har
mon made a speech to the conven
tion saying among other things that
what they wanted to Ret was tho
support of the republicans and then t
he added: "In 189G there were '
many of us democrats who knew
where the republican headquarters
were and we let no grass grow upon
that path." He said that as a mem
ber of Cleveland's cabinet Gover
nor Harmon took no part in the
campaign of '96 in speeches or other
wise and refused to participate in
the Palmer and Buckner movement
and yet it is known to democrats
in Cincinnati that he inarched in the
McKinley parade in 189 G. Let it not
bo forgotten that in 1908 Hamilton
county, which is Harmon's own
county, gave in the neighborhood of
eighteen thousand majority for him
and turned around and gave an equal
majority for the republican candi
date, William H. Taft. There are
hundreds of democrats over Ohio
who believe that Mr. Harmon and
Taft had a working agreement in
that campaign. One of his appoin
tees, John C. Sullivan, state railway
commissioner, and who traveled with
Mr. Harmon all over the state, was
active in organizing Taft and Har
mon clubs in 1908. This is how he
gave his loyal support to Mr. Bryan.
So far as the funds are concerned
for sending out the circular of the
progressive democratic league, we
court an investigation as to their
source. Our contributions have' come
from the rank and file of the democ
racy, who have given from 50 cents
to $25 to help finance our movement.
Every mall brings us contributions
from tho loyal progressive democrats
who do not want to seo our party
delivered over to Wall street again.
Wo In Ohio know what It meant In
1901 when through such men ao
Judson Harmon tho democracy of
Ohio was botrayed Into giving its
support to Alton B. Parker. Wo
remember that In that campaign
Ohio went republican by moro than
250,000; out of twenty-one congress
men wo lost twenty; out of 450
county ofllccrs we lost nearly 400,
and out of eighty-eight counties wo
lost seventy-one. We might content
ourselves to confine our opposition
to the state of Ohio, but we havo
some love for tho progressive democ
racy of other states in the union,
and If the democracy of Nebraska
wants to have a show for the elec
tion of their state ofllccrs, for tholr
congressmen, county and other offl
cers, for tho election of a United
States senator, they will not be
hitched to tho chariot of Wall street
that betrayed the democracy in 1904
by supporting Roosevelt and throw
ing Parker overboard. Our league
appreciates tho fact that in opposing
Mr. Harmon we havo incurred tho
enmity of every real enemy to pro
gressive democracy in this country,
so that we do not wonder that we are
misrepresented and lied about
shamefully. Wo think that being
upon the ground in Ohio and hav
ing a chance fo measure Mr. Har
mon that we know him better than
Mr. Gruenther or any Nebraska
democrat. On May 21 the people of
Ohio will speak through tholr pri
maries as to who they want for presi
dent. In every district In Ohio there
will be an anti-Harmon ticket pre
sented for which progressive demo
crats can vote. Doesn't It look to
an outsider as though thero was
genuine opposition to Mr. Harmon's
candidacy? If he was the kind of
a progressive democrat Mr. Gruen
ther would havo the democrats of
Nebraska believe would not ho com
mend himself to tho progressive
democrats of Ohio? Our league has
over 10,000 voluntary members In
every county of Ohio, all of whom
are actively and systematically op
posing Governor Harmon for tho
good of those principles we have
fought for since 189G, and we shall
continue to fight him until the last
ballot Is cast at Baltimore in the
national convention. Progressive
Democratic League of Ohio, by John
J. Lentz, president, W. W. Durbin,
secretary.
HOW President Taft's judicial mind has worked
in politics is shown by a review of some of his
acts by Amos Pinchot in Pearson's Magazine
for May. If you are for President Taft for re-election
this story of some of his acts will make you do a lot of
thinking. If you are against him it will give you plenty
to talk about that cannot be dodged. Every candidate
should be judged by his public acts when that is pos
sible. His acts are more important than his words.
The right man as President means a great deal to you.
Just fix that in your mind. Then see by this review
of his acts if you think President Taft is the right man.
Another article in the same magazine gives the written opinions of promi
nent Democrats from all over the country as to the availability of W.
R. Hearst and other men for the Democratic Presidential nomination.
Th$ wbtlt itrln tfartltltt $n uTht Viurfii Ptwtr tht Cturtt" tjr Allan L.
Btniin has betn frlntid in famfblit ftrrn and villi It tint U any Amirltan ad
drtss uftn rial ft ifjivt ttntt fir tain tfj, Vrltttftr quantltltt uftn affiliation.
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Pearson's
Magazine
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