Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1875-09-17
Money and HarlOts Used by Bowling
Green Lobbyists.

burg resorted TO very extraordinary means
to secure the passage Of the Enabling Act
They have two objects in this. The first
so direct attention away from Themselves
and the next is to prejudice the minds ol
tho people against Perrysburg. A few
facts upon this point may throw new light
upon the subject and enable the people to
form more correct conclusions 1t is far
from being pleasure for us to EXPOSE the
conduct of the representatives at Bowling
Green, who evidently felt licensed to lay
aside selt-retpect andsuch restraints as usu.
ally operate as check upon their con luc.
believing that they were concealed from the
scrutiny Of their home friends, and that
in no other way could they prevent the
people Of the county from saying where
they would have thciI county seat.
1t must be remembered that every effort
put forth by Bowling Green was for the
purpose of preventing the people of Wood
county from enjoying the privilege of Sc
Letting their own place for the transaction
OF their own business. Having obtained
the county seat by one of those peculiar
freaks Of fortune which only occur once
in century or more, and feeling confident
that the people would correct the mistake
at the first opportunity, their only hope for
compelling an unwilling contribution
from the tax payers to keep alive the vital
energies of their village, was to defeat
all efforts to submit the question of remov-
al to the decision of those personally inter
e.ted. The means resortcd to for the pur-
pose OF influencing the Legislature to pre-
vent the people Of the county from giving
an expression Of opinion, were of the most
extraordinary and disgraceful character
Open and direct bribery wus the most cred.
table methods used by them to induce
members of the Legislature, from remote
sections of the State to say, by voting
against the Enabling Act, that the people
OF Wood county should keep their county
seat at Bowling Green, whether they want
el it there or not.
Very naturally, men engaged in this bus
mess formed n close alliance with the
worst elements to be found in the Legisla-
ture. A man of some talent and no prinei-
plea man Who WAS willing to become the
agent OF Bowling Green lobbyists for the
purchase of votcs-who would get drunk
with them and play the part of stool
pigeon to decoy members into snares which
would place them in his power -wns select
ed, Mt his own figures, to do the work indi-
Gated. Being on the inside, he could ap-
proach members better and more success
fully than the outsider. Through him,
most OF their work was accomplished, but
not all. He handled bribe-money with a
free hand and when the people of Bowling
Green could no longer be induced to sub
scribe money, the Treasury of Plain and
C.nter townships were reported burglarized
and the village treasury was robbed without
explanation or apology. Thus the corrup-
tion money was supplied. Comparatively
few members of the Legislature could be
approached with an offer of money for their
votes, so other means were resortcd to for the
purpose OF influencing their action One
means resorted to was the employment of
handsome and accomplished harlot-a
woman Of respectable appearance and am
pie experience in the arts Of attracting and
slbjuZating victims-and through her man
ipulation several of the members of the
Legislature were induced to vote to deprive
the people of Wood county of the privilege
of regulating their local affairs to suit their
own convenience and interest. We could
name some of her victims, but il ia not
necessary.
Another means resortcd TO by the Bowl
Ing Green lobbyists, was; In the passage
OF bills, the calender indicates when vote
will be taken. When a member could not
be bribed with money, wine, or women to
vote against the Enabling Act, but were
addicted to their cups, the lobbyists had
men engaged to get such members drunk
on the evening preceding the day on
which the vote was to be taken and keep
them drunk until after action on the bill,
knowing that absence counted the same as
n vote against the bill, since no bill can
pass without a majority Of all the members.
In some instances, men were taken To CO.
lumbus from Bowling Green expressly to
take charge of particular members on such
occasions and keep them too drunk to adj
nit OF their presence in their seats when
action was had on the Enabling Act. Its
fact which the people of Wood county
should know, that the Enabling Act auld
have been defeated on the final vote, had
not the friends OF Perrysburg succeeded in
g 'tting two members of the Legislature
from the hands OF the Bowling Green lob
by six hours prior to the vote and sober
them off sufficiently to enable them TO be
taken to tho House to vote.
These are but samples of the means re.
sorted TO by the Bowling Green lobby TO
defeat the enabling act--an act to author
ize the people Of Wood county to say where
they preferred to transact county business
Now, the very men who resorted to this
corruption and crime to deprive the peo-
pie of the county of the privilege Of vot.
ing upon the question Of removal, and who
are importing voters to defeat the will of
The people "t the ballot-boK, are asking the
people thus outraged to sacrifice interest
md convenience for the purpose Of bestow.
ns favors upon those who have sought,
md are now seeking, to deprive voters of
heir most sacred rights We should have |
poor opinion Of the citizens of Wood
county, did we not believe that on the sec
md Tuesday of October verdict will be
'endered which cannot fail to do justice to
he men who have persistently and cor
'npily fought against permitting the neo-