Vfutt"'
The Commoner.
APRIL 19, 1912
That Harmon ''Majority9 '---What the Official
r '"? Statistics Say
Editorial in tlie Cincinnati Enquirer, April 5: weeks and votes were received from all parts of
The friends of a candidate who is named for Ba? county.
,. , .. . .. P .,, t,ir Wilson was second to Bryan among tho
the democratic nomination for the presidency democratS whilo Harmon is sixth, having re-
frequently refer to 100,000 plurality which ceived less votes than Marshall of Indiana,
their favorite received at the election in the This is the sentiment as it exists in tho demo
state of Ohio in 1910, and in telling part of tho cratlc party over tho state, tho result of Har-
m e i : i, onn;ini nnnr.A k,, fou mon's failure to appeal to the great majority
truth, falsify the essential record by failing to in party who nrogrcMlvo.
state that he received 75,492 votes less that
year than he did running for the same offlco TQM J0HNS0N,S OPINION OP HARMON
T ..' iii , , ioo r The Harmon bureau is sending out literature
la other words, his vote fell off 75,492 from that Tom John8on wag hIs wttrm 8Upporter and
his first record, and 100,000 plurality was that tney worked together in Ohio. No man in
shown, not by an increased vote for him, but this country was closer to Tom L. Johnson than
by a decreased vote of 75,492, and a falling off the editor of "Tho Public," Mr. Louis P. Post,
on the republican vote for Governor of about of Chicago. Mr. Post, in answer to an Inquiry
156 0.00 votes from a friend of his, absolutely denies that Mr.
Was this a test of his popularity that he Johnson was satisfied with Governor Harmon,
should receive 75,492 votes less than he did In fact Tom L. Johnson expressed his inmost
two years before7 conviction and judgment of Harmon when no
If he should drop off another 75,000 at the opposed his nomination for governor and stated
election, if he was nominated for president, certain facts which were then true and still
would he still have 25,000 -left of that famous true, in the following words:
100 000 plurality7 l am opposed to Harmon's nomination be-
Or would he be'able to rely upon another drop cause I do not believe he stands for the princl-
of the republican vote to an extent that would Ps for which progressive democracy stands
still leave him with that 100,000 plurality? The democracy of Ohio cant go before to
There has been much varnishing and polish- People with a candidate who is known as tho
ing up of that 100,000 plurality, it has mislead legal representative and railroad receiver in
so many democrats in the state of Ohio and Ohio of tho Morgan interests in New York. T e
other states, that a plain, direct statement of democracy of Ohio can t go before the people
the whole truth, as shown by the official stalls- under the leadership of a man who is baekod
tics of the state, is exceedingly appropriate at and supported by the interests that defeated
thiq ilmp o ii i Bryan in 1896 and 1900 and sacrificed the party
una time. Mammon in 1904. The nomlna-
The vote for governor in 1908 was as follows: tQn of Harmon would bo llalied with delight by
Harmon (dem.) 552,569 an the big interests in Wall atreet." Prom the
Harris (rep.) ....... 533,197 circular issued by the Progressive Democratic
Randlow (soc.) ;.......;..... 28;573 League of Ohio.
Martin (pro.) . . .v. ......... 7,665 ' .
Scattering ............. ... 1,194 THE 0NE pfiR 0BNT PREDICAMENT
Democratic plurality 19,472 .
In the election of 1910 the vote for governor la Judson Harmon, governor of Ohio, rail-
ws. road corporation lawyer, Wall street railroad
. ' ,, . .- n- receiver and candidate for the democratic nomi-
Harmon (dem.) 477,077 natIon for the offlce of presIdent of the United
SST S (JSP'? ll ' States, a friend of the farmer and of the work
Other candidates 70,686 j man9
Democratic plurality 101,377 Doeg judBOn Harmon place the interests and
But the democratic candidate, as seen above, tne welfare of the people of tho state of which
received 75,492 votes. less than was polled for he is the chief executive, above those of him-
liim in 1908. It was the disorganization of the Beif and 0f the corporations of one or more of
republican party, the factional struggles within -which he is legal adviser?
its ranks, the extreme 'dissatisfaction with thQ Does the Smith 1 per cent tax law, for the
policies and management of the party- that enactment of which Governor Harmon claims
caused their voters to stay at home and take the credit, although he failed to sign the bill
no part in the election that permitted that after it was passed by the legislature, so that
100,000 plurality upon a greatly reduced demo- 0 measure became a law without his signa
cratic vote as compared with the prior election. ture, relieve the people of a large part of the
The election record exhibits that clearly, and taxes they have been burdened with for years,
it discloses conditions that demand that the and -which should be paid by the railroads and
democratic party shall nominate the most otlier public utilities, as Governor Harmon and
popular candidate within its ranks if it would its sponsors claimed it would?
win against the republican party, backed and To each and all of these questions only a
supported by a republican national adminis- negative answer can be given. To -answer any
tration. of them In the affirmative would be to tell a
A reactionary democratic candidate for the falsehood, as the following facts and figures
presidency can not poll one half of 477,000 wiii prove, for facts and figures do not lie:
votes in the state of Ohio under the political Before he was elected governor Judson Har
conditions now prevailing. mon was, and he still is, attorney for and re
Such a nomination could split the party upon celver of 'the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton
principles, and that is tho most deadly of all Kailroad company, the main line of which
political differences. operates in eleven counties of Ohio, including
The great majority of the democratic party in Allen county. In 1910, before tho Smith tax
this state and in the union is opposed to reac- law went into effect the total amount of taxes
tionary policies; do not believe in them; will " paid by all of the railroads owning property in
vote against them and against any candidate Allen county, with the exception of the C, H.
who represents them. & o., was $64,686.48, whilo In 1911 the same
The candidate should be one who will unit roads, not including the C, H. & D., paid a total
the democrats and not .scatter them, neyer to tax in Allen county of $76,512.20,' or an in
finite again as this candidate of tho interests crease in taxes of $11,825.72.
certainly would do. In 1910 the C, H. & D. under Governor Har-
: ' mon's receivership, paid into the Allen county
HARMON WAS SIXTH . treasury a, total of $9,863.96, but in 1911 the
From the Piqua (Ohio) Leader-Dispatch: same road with Governor Harmon at its helm,
' The "straw vote" which has been conducted by paid into the same treasury only $6,863.34, or
jthe Greenville Advocate for tho past three $3,000.62 less than it paid the year before.
iweeks, has ended. Why was it that, all of the roads hut the one
W. J. Bryan, tho great Commoner, was the of which Governor Harmon is receiver and legal
choice of the voters who participated in the counsel had to pay more taxes in 1911 than they
. vote, receiving 617 votes out of tho 1,033 that did in 1910, while Harmon's road was permitted
.were cast for the democratic candidates. to pay $3,000.62 less taxes in 1911 than in
Theodore Roosevelt received 419 votes and 1910? Did Harmon's road help to relieve the
was the leader among the republican candidates. people of Allen county of any part of their tax
There were 1,799 votes cast in the three burden? It certainly did not. Did the Smith
1 per cent tax law force Harmon's road to re
turn all of its proporty In Allon cotinty for
taxation at Its full value? It certainly docs not
look as if it did, nor does it look as if Governor
Harmon, as receiver for the C, II. & D insisted
that tho road's proporty bo returned at its truo
value.
In tho meanwhile, tho Wall stroot mon who
own and control tho railroads aro chuckling in
their sleeves ovor tho reduction of tholr taxoB
in Ohio as a result of tho Smith law; Governor
Harmon Is smiling his famous bland smllo bo
causo Wall street Is pleased with him, but tho
people who have had, or will have to mako up
tho shortago in tho railroads' taxes, vill "smllo
on tho other sldo of their mouths" whon they
have to dig up tho cash. Norwalk (Ohio) Experimenter.
POSSIBLE ANI) IMPOSSIBLE CANDIDATES
When tho delogatcs to tho democratic national
convention meet next year to nominate candi
dates for president and vlco president the names
of many distinguished gentlemen will bo pre
sented that they may solcct tho most available.
Thoso offering will represent all sections and
whilo undoubtedly every one will bo classed as
progressive they will differ in thoir interpreta
tion of a progressive policy.
Tho democratic party has from Its very foun
dation been progressive in tho sense of that
progression which advances tho Interests of tho
majority of tho people without depriving tho
minority of its rights undor tho constitution.
Jefferson waB such a progressive; Monroo,
Jackson and Polk wero such progressives, and
undor each of them the people prospered and
the nation developed.
Always progression with the democratic party,
but that progression which abides within tho
lines of tho constitution, and that ever respects
and preserves the rights of tho states and thoso
of tho individual citizen.
The democratic party, in its national conven
tion assembled, will select tho leader who will
pursue this time-honored practice of tho party
to regard tho constitution as tho guide, tho safe,
secure, infallible guide, and who will reject all
innovations that do not accord with tho letter
and spirit of that incomparable document.
Fortunately for tho party it possesses a num
ber of such leaders, men who have been loyal
to tho party In every campaign It has fought,
men who are abreast of tho very front lino of
thought of the present day, men who will carry
out pledges faithfully, platforms correctly, and
that neither cloak designs with silence, evade
action when decisions should bo practiced, nor
carry water upon both shoulders to ultimately
deceive both friends and foes.
Tho coming campaign calls for sincerity,
frankness and direct speech In tho candidates.
It Is only with such characteristics that a can
didate can secure success at the polls.
To nominate any one not In this class is to
Insure defeat to the party and disaster to tho
organization.
There wore campaigns in the past when can
didates could bo all things to all men and win
the elections, but that is true no longer in the
United States.
Tho revolt of the rank and file of tho demo
cratic party in 1896 was their protest against
what they esteemed a betrayal of the platform
of 1892.
The three years of dissension In the republi
can party has been based upon what is regarded
by tho insurgents as nonfulfillment of the party
pledges of 1908.
An intringer, a double-dealer, a shifty, eva
sive, non-committal candidate can not be suc
cessful before the people in 1912, nor can such
a one secure the nomination from either of the
two great partieB. r
Machiavellian qualities are out of order in
this coming campaign and thoso who exhibit
them have no standing before tho voters.
Editorial in Cincinnati Enquirer.
00
.
All persoas who may have tho impres-
sion that Governor Harmon lias any
claim to the democratic nomination on
account of being a progressive demo-
. crat, should read the April Issue of Mo
Clure's Magazine and also study the
cartoon. "
00
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