The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1875-10-28
Prom an Occasional Correspondent of the CinCin.
natl Enquirer.


you of Southern Ohio would like to know
what it was that wrought the grea
change in the vote of Cuyahogd county
The result is an astonisher, not only tc
the Democrats but to the Republicans
themselves. The total vote is larger
than ever polled before, and larger even
than the growth of the city warrants
see it heralded by the Democrats East
that it was caused by the "Rag Baby, > by
"infation Doctrines" by "the departure
of the Democracy from the doctrine ol
olden times" To that | have to say
they know not what they talk of. The
greenback issue gave the Democracy
thousands Of votes, and it lost to them
not many. There was a ticket headed
independent" which had the names Of
Hayes and Young substituted for Allen
and Cary, which was issued expressly
for the "hard money" Germans, and did
not get two hundred votes in the city and
county. The real cause of our defeat
was "the Pope's toe" an issue based on
bigotry and religious hate, the lavish ex-
penditure of money, and the extraordi-
nary increase of the vote.
suppose you are aware that year
ago last spring Bishop Gilmore issued
what has since become famous, his Len
ten pastoral letter, in relation to the duty
of Catholics in sending their children t
their church schools, which brought
about great deal of discussion in the
newspapers. Instructions were also is
sued to not grant absolution to any COM
municants who sent their children to the
public schools, This question has been
brewing ever since that time. The twin
organs of Cleveland-Ledder and Her.
Gld-have been continually harping up
on that matter until they had drilled in
to the minds of our foreign born popula-
ton and the descendants of the Puritans,
of which there is large number in the
city, that there was a design on our pub
lie schools. Early in the campaign
lodges of a secret organization were start
ed in most of the wards to work, as it
was said, against the encroachments of
the Catholic power, but really in the in
terests Of the Republican party They
were very particular to invite young
Democrats to attend, especially the
young Germans of the different wards
and unfortunately they chimed in with
the ratings of the two organs, and did
draw in hundreds of Democrats. These
facts were known to the leaders of the
Democracy, and steps were taken to
remedy the matter. The money ques-
ton was made the issue, and many were
drawn from these secret societies on that
issue, while great many American Re-
pnblicans declared that they should vote
for Allen and "more currency" The
working organizations were almost a unit
for Allen.
Thus matters stood two weeks before
the election. Everything bid fair for
reasonable vote for Allen. Just at this
time money began to be plenty among a
certain class of Republican politicians.
Hangers on to the party began to flour,
ish $40 bills; men that never had a $40
bill to spare before were on the streets
offering to bet $50 or SIoo that Hayes
would be elected, and would actually
produce the money. You could not go
into billiard room or a saloon, but you
would find some one offering to bet on
Hayes. Men out of work were hired to
electioneer, especially if they had hith-
erto been Democratic and at every ward
meeting of the party unlimited amounts
of beer was bought for the boys and a
general cry was raised that money was
getting easier. This was carried on up
to election day. One young Democrat
at the polls of one of the wards, on be-
ing asked why he was working for the
Republican party, said. "Why, | get
$40 for less than two weeks time and
spending money"
Even this could have been got over
with, but to add the cap-sheaf to all the
German Lutheran newspaper came out
with bitter article against the Catholics,
and urged all their readers to vote the
Republican ticket. This, added to the
continual harping on the school question,
fixed the Lutheran vote so that it went
almost solid against the Democracy
which hitherto had been almost unanI-
mously Democratic. Men who said that
they believed in the Democratic princi-
ples-beleved that the position of the
party on the currency question was right
-arched and voted the straight Repub-
lican ticket, saying, 1--WE will settle this
question, and then we will vote with the
Democrats again" 1t was useless to
argue with them. These appeals to their
religious passions swayed them to such
an extent that they could see no other
issue. The rights of religious liberty, the |
Crusade or any other issue, was nothing
to them. The school question must be
settled above all else. One reason, per-
haps why the Lutheran Germans were
excited on the school question here was,
that since German has becom one of the
branches taught in our public schools
many Of their churches have suspended
their church schools and send their
children to the public schools, and they
feared that something might be done
that should compel them to re-establish
their church schools. 1t was church big
otry and religious hate and lavish ex-
penditure OF money that gave that Re-
publican majority in Cuyahoga county