Rensselaer Republican, Volume 23, Number 47, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 July 1891 — CAMPBELL AGAIN. [ARTICLE]

CAMPBELL AGAIN.

. The Ohio Democrats Renominate the Governor. A Little Inharmonious but They Get There Just the Seme—Campbell’s Acceptance—The Platform. The Ohio Democratic convention at Cleveland, on the 15th, opened at 10:30 a. m. Allen W, Thnrman, temporary chairman, spoke at length, reviewing and criticising the policy of the Republican party in raising the average rate of duty from 47 to 57 per cent.; in clothing the President of the United States with unconstitutional powers; in its pernicious class legislation, driving the American marine off the high seas; in assisting England in her attempt to establish monometalism; in adding, In a short time, two thousand names to the iistof office holders; in blocking all legislation for months in an endeavor to enact an infamous, villainous, partisan force bill.

Ex-Congressman Frank Leßland, of Mercer county, was chosen permanent chairman. Gen. Armstrong, of Cleveland, moved that the convention adopt the picture of a victorious rooster as the device to designate the Democratic ticket. “I think,” said the General, “that this convention Bhould adopt, as the emblem of the Democratic party of Ohio, the old game-cock rooster. [Cheers andiapplause.] The Republicans will recognize that as our symbol and every man who ever voted the Democratic ticket can put his mark under the rooster.” [Laughter and applause.] The suggestion struck the convention favorably and the motion was adopted by acclamation. . _ Tho first contest in the convention arose over the report of the committee on credentials. The dispute in the Twenty-fifth ward of Cincinnati and Hamilton county delegation was the subjectof the wrangle, the Hamilton county delegation generally protesting against the report of the committee and supporting a minority report. After some wrangling a vote was taken and the minority report overwheiminlgly defeated. Following this came the reports on the platform. A SPLIT IX THE PLATFORM. The «ommittee on resolutions made two reports. Tho majority report was as follows:

The Democracy of Ohio, In convention assembled, hereby Resolve, That we most heartily endorse the honesty and economy of the admistratlon of Gov. James K. Campbell, and commend the Sixty-ninth General Assembly for Its business qualifications, economy and reform, and especially for having provided for a secret ballot, by which every voter in Ohio can cast his ballot In secret, as he desires, and have his vote counted as past: and we invite attention to the fact that the Republican party, though hypocritically professing to favor “a free ballot and a fair count,” yet opposed and voted against the bill providing for a free and lecret ballot, thus demonstrating its professions to be insincere and for political effect only; and wo cordially indorse and approve the act of the Legislature regulating the compensation of county officers by providing for a fixed salary. We are opposed to all class legislation, and we believe in a tariff levied for the sole purpose of producing a revenue sufficient to defray the legitimate expenses of the Government, economically administered. We accept the issue tendered us by the Republican party on the subject of the tariff, as represented by the so-called McKinley tariff act, confident the verdict of thp people of Ohio will be recorded against the iniquitous policy of so-callei protection, championed by the Republican party in the interest of favored classes against the masses. We favor a graded income tax. We denounce the demonetization of silver in 1873 by the party then in power as an iniquitous alteration of the money standard in favor of creditors and against debtors, tax payers and producers, and which, by shutting off one of the sources of supply of primary money, operates continually to increase the value of gold, depresses prices, hampers industry and disparages enterprise; and we demand the reinstatement of the constitutional standard of both gold and silver, with equal right to each of free and unlimited coinage. We denounce the Republican billlondollar Congress, which by extravagant expenditures exhausted a surplus in the national treasury, left thereby a Drmocratlc administration, and created a deficit; which substituted despotic rule for free discussion in the House of Representatives, and we congratulate the people on the defeat of the odious force bill, demanded by a Republican President and championed by the Republican party for the purpose of perpetuating its rule by perverting the constitutional powers of the Government, destroying free elections and placing the ballot-box in the hands of unscrupulous partisans, in order, as declared by SpeakReed. "to register the voters, supervise the elections, count the ballots and declare the result.”

We are opposed to the enactment of all laws which unnecessarily Interfere with the habits and customs of our people, which are not offensive to the moral sentiments of the civilized world, and we believe that the personal rights of the Individual should be curtailed only when it Is essential to the maintenance of the peace, good order and welfare of the community. We favor the paanige of such laws by the General Assembly as will give us a system for the government of municipalities uniform throughout the State, as the constitution requires, in which the executive and legislative power shall be separated, the former to be lodged in a mayor and the latter in acounell, noth to be elected by the people.thereby realizing the principle of home rule, safe from the dangers and evils of special legislation. We favor closer commercial relations with our Canadian neighbors and the removal of the embarrassing and annoying restrictions which only vex our people without yielding any substantial revenue to the Government. We favor liberal and Inst pensions to deserving and disabled soldiers and sailors who fought for the maintenance of the Government, and like pensions totheir widows and orphan children. The persecution of the Jewish people by tho Russian government justly deserves and receives unqualified censure. We extend to them our sincere sympathies and believe that this Government, in connection with the enlightened governments of Europe disposed to unite with us, should take proper steps to alleviate the wrongs thus Inflicted on this long-suffering and oppressed people. The majority report was received with much appl&use, and the reading was followed by that of the minority report, as follows: We, the undersigned members of the committee on resolutions, recommend the adoption of the following resolution as a substitute for the plank In the platform on thafree and unlimited coinage of silver: We balieve In honest money, the coinage

of gold and silver, and a circulating medium convertible into snch money without loss: and we oppose all legislation which tends to drive either gold or silver out of circulation; and we believe in maintaining the coinage of both metals on a parity. We also recommend that the resolution declaring for a graduated tax on income be stricken from the platform, The yeas and nays were demanded, and on roll-call of counties being called, the minority report was rejected by the very close vote of 300 X yeas to 399J< nays. Tho platform as reported by the majority of the committee was then adopted by acclamation. " ‘ CAMPBELL’S RE-SOMIATION In the balloting, when Hamilton comity was called she cast four votes for Campbell and fifty-five for Neal amid great excitement. The official vote was announced as follows: Campbell, 508 7-16; Neal, 133 9-16; Kline, 56; Johnson, 1. —The Governor was sent for and greeted with cordial enthusiasm. GOVERNOR CAMPBELL’S ACCEPTANCE. In accepting the nominatian Governor Campbell said:

While gratefully accepting the nomination from the Democratic party of Ohio, my thoughts naturally .revert to the record and achievements of that party since the memorable Dayton convention. Victorious In the ensuing election, the Ohio Democracy has legislated for the State and administered its affairs for eighteen months. In that short period it has destroyed every vestige of” the'dangerous centralization which has made the office of Governor a menance to the liberties of the people. It has restored to seventeen cities the control of their elections. It has provided new and better forms of government, in conformity with popular desire, for several of the larger cities. It has devoted time and care to the perfection of a law, securing secrecy of the ballot, thereby assuring an unbiased and unbought verdict of the people at the polls. This essential reform was frustrated at the first session of the Genera} Assembly by the unanimous vote of the Senators, belonging to a political party which recently gathered In convention at Columbus, ana prated, with hollow mockery of a “free ballot, and a fair count.” The Democratic party has done more to advance the cause of higher education by its legislation for the Ohio State University, and appropriations for the universities, than has been accomplished in all the long history of the State; and It has also been mindfnl of general education by enacting a salutary law for the cheapening of school books to the children of the poor. It had the courage to attack the odious fee system, whereby public officials were excessively compensated, and institute a system 01 just and reasonable salaries. It has especially looked after the welfare of agriculture, which has been continuously imposed upon by Republican congresses. Sixty thousand dollars were appropriated in one item to provide farmers with the results of agricultural experiments, and in their interest laws were passed with respect to oleomargarine and other products. The great laboring class, which hopelessly appealed to the Republican party, has not been forgotten either, as the Institution of “Labor Day,” important laws for the protection of railroad employes anjl the establishment of free employment agencies will show. The Democratic party has done what lay in its power to rectify our iniquitable tax laws and to provide for their improvement through an amendment to the constitution. It has decreased taxation more than SSOO per year by the repeal of the sinking fund levy. It found a deficiency in the treasury of more than $900,030, which was subsequently slightly decreased by it. The timely receipt from the Federal Government, from the direct tax refunded, was all that prevented the startling spectacle of an empty treasury--a direct legacy from former administrations. It has been charged that our, appropriations have exceeded those of our predecessors. Without stopping for detailed explanation, merely stating that we have not exceeded our income, let us inquire which of the new appropriations our enemies would curtail. I have already named the expenditures In, behalf of agriculture and education: do they attack these? The largest new Item of our appropriations was the sum of $200,000 for the Soldiers’ and Sailors’ Orphans’ Home; do they deny the propriety of this? When we came Into power the helpless orphans of men who had given all to their ’ country were dying at a rate which shocked and alarmed the public. The administration of that institution had been one of the most personal and partisan in the State. High-minded trustees had been stricken by the chief executive because they did not prefer his interests to those of their dead comrades’ children. To restore the health and Save the lives of these orphans, we were glad to make unprecedented appro - priations; and if there be one spot in Ohio where a citizen of the State will feel a mingled Joy and pride It is there, in the midst of the nine hundred happy and healthy children, for whom a Democratic administration has freely expended its money. We have built some new and

roomy cottages at the soldiers and sailors* home. Do our Republican brethren begrudge the old veterans this additional comfort? We have made large appropriations for completing the new reformatory, in the hope of reclaiming young convicts before age and bad associates have hardened them beyond redemption. Does the Republican party criticise the expenditure of money for the prevention of crime? We have provided for an epileptic asylum, and have added to the capacity of tne insane asylums and to other benevolent and penal Institutions. We are proud of them all. Their management is economical, kind, firm and efficient We invite from the tax-payer and the humanitarian searching Investigation and thoughtful comparison. The electors of Ohio have other reasons for voting with us this year besides such as solely affect this State. The battle before us Is essentially a national one. Not only Is this ture because the result must seriously affect next year’s Federal elections, but also because the Republicans of Ohio have unreservedly identified themselves with every phase of the iniquitous legislation accomplished or attempted by the Fifty-first Congress. In the platform they have reaffimed their adherence to the infamous force bill—the Republican lost cause—a measure so obviously designed to destroy free elections that Republican Senators, unwilling to violate their consciences and their oaths, refused to inflict it upon the country. The Republican party of Ohio appears as the defender of that arbitrary disregard of minority rights, which disgraced the last House of Representatives. It u pholds the fraudulent unseating of lawfully elected members; the steal Montana by the Senate and all other high-handed outrages by which that party hassought to perpetuate its power against the wishes of the people. It represents the reckless extrav agancc and astounding profligacy which nave dissipated the splendid Democratic surplus, forced the extension of. • national bonds and com polled an Ohio Secretary of the Treasury to resort to tricks of bookkeeping and subterfuges unworthy of his office. In order to conceal a deficit, and deceive the people. Pre-emlently also does the Republican leader in Ohio, whose high character and conspicuous career but emphasize his advocacy of bad legislation, stand for that pemlcions tariff measure, which was rejected at the polls last year by the people of the entire country—a measure indent!fied with his name, saturated with his Ideas and wrought by his hands; a measure designed, as has been well said, tb the interest "of monopoly; a measure which TS bringing shout the worst of all central!-

rations—the centralization of wealth with its debasing and destractive results; • measure which has already in many cases made less work and lower wages for productive labor; a measure which has foreeA the farmer of Ohio to sell his wool in some instances as low as 20 cents a pound, and that, too, in a market where he pays more dearly for hundreds of necessary articles, which are but insufficiently sweetened with the humbug of bounty-produced sugar; a measure which forces from the labor of th« country $14,000,000 each year for the benefit of prospective tin mines, owned by capitalists who live in England and prospective tin-plate workSjto be operated by labor imported from Wales; a measure which, as it came from the hands of its author, did not, in the Opinion of an eminent Republican, “open the market for another pound of pork or another bsntt of flour:” a measure which could not be forced down the throat of a reluctant Senate until sugar-coated with the old Democratic doctrine of reciprocity—a dochrino finally, though feebly, embodied In the Mil in spite of opposition from the great Ohio ' protectionist. In his recent speech of acceptance this same champion of higher protection said: “We follow the tariff teachings of Washington and Hamilton, of Clay and Webster, of Lincoln and Garfield,” Let ns seehow wide of the mark this statement is. The tariff of to-day is at the rate of 57J£ per cent. • the tariff of Washington was 7% percent.: the protection sought by Glajr was for the benefit of “infant” industries; the tariff to-day increases protection upon Industries which have been coddled for more than ninety years; the protection of Garfield was, to quote his- own words, “that kind of protection which leads to ultimate free trade.” —— Let the Republicans of Ohio who have not gone mad on protection come over this year and start with us upon the backward march toward the tariff of Washington; or, better yet, enroll themselves under n banner inscribed with those burning’•'ords of Garfield. Let the well-meaning men. who train under the names of the “Farmers’ Alliance,” or of the “People’s Party," and who seek to remedy real grievances brought about by Republican legislation, remember that no third party can succeed, but that with us, and as a part of us, they can help swell the joyous hosanna that will peal to haven from the tax-burdened people of the country, when the glad tidings go forth next November that wo am yet in possession of the old Republican citadel now the Democratic Buckeye State. [Great applause.] Nominations for Lieutenant Governor were delared in order. For this offic’ there was but one candidate, Hon. W. N. Marquis, the present incumbent, who was renominated by acclamation, The rest of the ticket was completed as follows: For Auditor of State, Hon. T. E. Pecklnbaugh, of Wayne county; for Attorney General, John P. Bailey, of Potnam county; for State Treasurer, C. El Ackerman, of Mansfield; for Judge of tlwr Supreme Court, Gustavus H. Wald, of Hamilton county; for Commissioner of Common Schools, Charles C. Miller, of Erie county; for member Board of PublicWorks, John McNamara, of Summit bounty; for member of Food and Dairy Commission, H. S. Trumb, of Lawrence coanty. The managers of the Briceville, Tenn., mines have putin convict labor, and they now ask the Governor to send them troops to protect them from the assaults of in* labor. The Russians will compete in furnishing; pork to the European countries.