13
'APRIL 19, 1912
The Commoner.
1b not a progressive and that he is
favored by Morgan and Hill, he has
a right to use his influence to pre
vent Harmon's nomination. Mr.
Bryan does not refuse to go if Wood
row Wilson or Champ Clark is the
preference of the democratic voters.
He thinks they represent progressive
democracy. He Is not dictating who
shall bo nominated, but reserves to
himself the right to go with his
hands untied, provided that Harmon
get's more votes in Nebraska than
either Wilson or Clark.
FOR TWENTY YEARS
Fairbury (Neb.) Journal: Mr.
Bryan says he has been trying for
twenty years to make a democrat out
of Hitchcock, and considering Hitch
cock's natural aristocratic tendencies
and social environment, he has until
recently, been very hopeful of suc
cess. This is a hard thrust at Ne
braska's junior senator but a true
one. Senator Hitchcock will be look
ing for a place to land very shortly,
in our humblejudgment.
dential aspirations of Governor Har
mon. Men holding positions under
his administrations are told to get
out and "get busy" or look for an
other job. It is a disgraceful condi
tion that has had no counter-part in
Ohio except in the days of Mark
Hanna.
How long will the democrats of
Ohio stand for the subversion of a
public trust? The presidential
preference primary to be held May
21, will give them the opportunity
to express themselves. This primary
will show to the democrats of other
states whether or not the democrats
of Ohio are true to the principles of
the democratic party or devotees at
the shrine of Harmon and corpora
tion interests.
To Nominate Harmon Would Mean Defeat
MR. MOORE OF OHIO
Editorial in Waverly (Ohio)
Democrat: The open letter ad
dressed last week to W. J. Bryan by
Ed. Moore, Harmon's Ohio manager
and job-holder, is not only an insult
to Mr. Bryan but also an insult to
the intelligence and honesty of pur
pose of the millions of loyal demo
crats who have been sincere sup
porters and admirers of the great
Nebraskan. This year as in 1896
and 1900, when Harmon was bolt
ing Bryan as the democratic candi
date for president, the meanest
things, both in words and acts,
against Bryan and other real demo
cratic leaders do not come from re
publicans, as one would expect, but
from alleged democrats who have
been, seduced from allegiance to true
democratic principles by the corrupt
influences of public patronage or
Wall street corporations.
Who is this man Moore that dares
to impugn the motives of the loyal
democracy of the state and nation?
In 1908 when Harmon was first
nominated for governor, he refused
his support because of Harmon's re
actionary tendencies and corporation
connections. He was chairman of
the convention In Columbus and did
his very best on that occasion to de
feat Harmon's nomination, loudly
declaring his selection would be a
mistake.
Again in 1910, after Harmon's
second nomination, his attitude was
the same up to ten, days prior to the
election and until emissaries of the
governor had paid him secret visits.
What mysterious influence brought
about hi3 sudden conversion? Was
it the promise of appointment to the
office of insurance commissioner, the
office he now holds? Anyhow, the
appointment followed, and what is
more reprehensible the salary was
increased from four thousand to six
thousand dollars, tho Increase com
ing through the efforts of Governor
Harmon. There was nothing to war
rant this fifty per cent Increase. No
one claims that Moore was better
qualified for the duties of the office
than either Judge Lemert or Vorys,
his two immediate, predecessors.
Furthermore, his predecessors gave
their full time and attention, to the
office, while Moore is giving his full
time and attention, to the manage
ment of Harmon's presidential Doom
and to villifying true-blue democrats.
When Vorys became a Taft manager
four years ago he had the decency to
resign, and had he attempted to re
main no one doubtq that the then
republican governor would have sum
marily removed him. But not Moore,
and not Harmon. Every official
alary and every official's energies
aire diverted from, public duties and
fcent to the advancement of the presi-
FORMAL PROTEST
Special dispatch to the Cincinnati
Enquirer: Columbus, Ohio, April 8.
Formal protest has been made by
Henry Kampf, of Piqua, former sec
retary of the democratic state cen
tral committee, against tho abuse of
the functions of the democratic state
press bureau. This organization is
kept up by contributions by demo
crats in both private and public life,
and its mission is to advise demo
cratic editors of political conditions
for the general benefit of the party.
On Saturday an article was sent
to it accusing Harvey C. Garber,
John J. Leritz and William W.
Durbin, members of the progressive
element, and John R. McLean of
sending out a two-column plate
article in which Governor Harmon's
record as a reactionary was exposed.
Mr. Kempf asserts that this is false
and that none of them contributed a
Ohio Stato Register, Joseph II.
Harper, Editor: Tho Progressive
Democratic League of Ohio at a
meeting held In Columbus recently,
enthusiastically adopted resolutions
indorslug tho candidacy of Woodrow
Wilson for tho democratic presiden
tial nomination.
It Is not likely, In view of this
action that any other candidate now
In the field for the nomination will
enter tho fight in Ohio to contest with
Governor Harmon for tho delegation
from this state.
Mr. Bryan has announced - that
some time In April he will campaign
this state against the candidacy of
Governor Harmon. He has declared
that he Is not a candidate for tho
democratic nomination and that he
is urging the nomination of no par
ticular individual, but that ho iff un
alterably opposed to the candidacy
of Governor Harmon because of his
political record and his business
affiliations.
There Is no denying the fact that
the candidacy of Judson Harmon for
the presidency and tho action of the
governor and his adherents in their
efforts to obtain Ohio's delegation,
threatens to split the party in Ohio
wide open and make success of the
state ticket at the polls this fall
impossible.
The attitude of Governor Harmon
and his friends in attempting to force
his nomination on the party, threat
ens, also, a much more grave disas
ter the dividing of the party In the
nation and bringing abou1, a repeti
tion of the disaster of 1904.
cent toward tho expense.
It was his idea alone and was sug- It does seem that with tho largo
gested by the article of William J. number of good men in tho field,
Bryan along similar lines, it oc
curred to Mr. Kampf that the demo
crats of the rural districts should
know just how Mr. Bryan felt toward
the Harmon candidacy. Being, a
candidate for national delegate from
the Seventh district, and wishing to
inform the democratic voters of his
position, he himself made tho ar
rangement with a news agency in
this city for furnishing the plates.
None of the persons named in the
democratic press bureau circular had
the slightest knowledge of his inten
tions, and the publication came to
them as a surprise.
Mr. Kampf is one of those who
raised funds for the state press
bureau in Miami county, and he
feels that it is an imposition upon
democrats who advanced funds to
have the organization used in this
fashion. He charges the persons re
sponsible for issuing tho misstate
ment of last Saturday with putting
out a deliberate untruth.
SIXTEEN SONS
Special dispatch, to the Cincinnati
Enquirer: Washington, April 5.
Representative W. B. Francis, of
Martia's Ferry, has asked the com
mittee on invalid pensions, of which
General Sherwood is chairman, to
give immediate consideration to the
bill which he has introduced grant
ing a pension of ?100 a month to
Mrs. Sarah Brandon, of Jacobsburg,
Belmont county, Ohio.
Mrs. Brandon's case is one of the
most remarkable which has come to
the attention of the pension com
mittee. Her first husband was
Charles Brandon, a soldier of the
Mexican war, by whom she had 22
children. Upon his death she mar
ried William Sweeney, who had 11
children, thus making their com
bined family consist of 33 children.
Sixteen of Mrs. Brandon's sons en
listed In various regiments, chiefly
from Ohio, and one son, John Bran
don, Company F. Fifteenth Ohio
Volunteers, died In Andersonville
prison. Ho was her chief support,
either active or receptive candidates
for the democratic presidential nomi
nation, that the party Is simply in
viting disaster In the nomination of
Governor Harmon.
Governor Harmon, in tho memor
able campaign of 189 G, opposed the
democratic party, and In the cam
paign of 1900, ho was, if not openly
opposed to it, doing nothing for the
party.
In his campaign for governor he
stood squarely upon a platform which
declared in no unmistakable terms
for tho initiative and referendum.
After he was elected to office by tho
people, in his speech before the con
stitutional convention he repudiates
that plank. In his public utterances
he has shown himself to be entirely
out of harmony with the cardinal
principles of democracy as expressed
in national and state platforms of
the party.
The democratic voters of the state
should not fail to recognize that if
Harmon Is the nominee of the na
tional convention either a new plat
form must be framed for him to
stand upon or ho will not can not
be in harmony with his party.
In either event it means the aliena
tion of a very large number of demo
cratic voters, who will support pro
gressive principles and progressive
candidates. The people have long
since learned in the severe school of
experience that platforms mean noth
ing with candidates who oppose
them, and that laws are worthless
with an executive who refuses to
enforce them.
Tho voters of Ohio should recog
nize In tho presidential preference
primary, if ono Is held on May 31st,
that, gratifying as it would bo to our
pride, there is a far more Important
victory for Ohio democrats than the
mere nomination of an Ohio man.
For sixteen long yoars; barren of
success, tho democratic party has
been battling for principles which
tho nation in Just now ready and
anxious to adopt. Principles which
the republican party Is anxious to
appropriate and which It will appro
priate if the democrats turn back and
nominate a man who has always op
posed those principles, oven to tho
extent or deserting his party In its
hour, of need.
Judson Harmon is ono of tho big
men of this nation, but he Is not in
sympathy with tho people and not In
harmony with present democratic
doctrines.
Democrats, anxious to win should
not bo blind to tho fact that no party
can succeed by surrendering principle
and going before tho people on a
platform for. office only.
Judson Harmon for governor of
Ohio Is entirely different from Jud
son Harmon as the candidate for
president.
His nomination would mean tho
antagonism of every reform force In
the nation and would postpone
democratic success Indefinitely.
Conceding Judson Harmon's abili
ty, democracy could never reconcile
his candidacy for president with tho
principles fought for during the last
sixteen years.
To nominate Harmon would mean
that the democratic party would bo
In an attitude of defending itself
from the attacks of tho opposition
and from attacks of the party voters.
There are too many good men In
the -field from whom a candidate can
bo selected to justify the taking of
such a step and the party voters in
Ohio should be big enough to lay
aside homo prldo and vote for tho
man who best represents democratic
principles because thoso principles
will win the battle of 1912. If the
democratic party makes the fatal
blunder of discarding those princi
ples either in tho platform adopted,
or in the candidate named, the re
publican party will again steal our
clothing and leave us naked before
the nation.
Every democrat who votes for
Harmon, absolutely by that act, re
pudiates everything he has voted for
during the last sixteen years.
No democratic voter, who has sup
ported the party in its grand struggle
forward during tho last sixteen
years can support Judson Harmon for
tho presidential nomination and bo
consistent.
Judson Harmon Is not inconsis
tent. He has been either actively
or quietly opposed to the party at
every step of its long struggle for
the people, and Is opposed to its
latest declaration of principles and
says so. He has refused and still
refuses to come with the democratic
party.
Can the party go to him, maintain
the respect of tho voters and win a
glorious victory?
Does it deserve to win under such
conditions?
and it is on account of his death that
she now draws $12 a month pension.
Mrs. Brandon is now 114 years of
age, according to the- authenticated
records, is in feeble health and poor
circumstances. She is almost help
less and requires the assistance of
an attendant. Under ordinary cir
cumstances the rule of the committee
would not allow the amount asked
for in the Francis bill, but as the
case is remarkable appeals have been
made for a liberal allowance in this
instance. General Sherwood's com
mittee has the matter under con
sideration, and while the amount of
gratuity has not been fixed the bill
will soon be reported and passed.
A group picture of Mrs. Brandon's
16 sons who entered the union army
now hangs In the statehouse at
Columbus as an exhibit representing
tho greatest number of soldiers from
one family to enlist from any state.
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