The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1877-05-17
IA YES rs 4 PARTLSAM.

n"hu IoPIosehls MI layes as u pOllllclan
of singular shrewdness, Says the man
interviewed;
at has been practice in Ohio for the
party in power in the State to have all
boards of trustees, such as the State Pris-
on Board, composed Of their own faith
entirey. When Hayes was Governor he
broke through this rule. The Governor
OF Ohio has no veto power but he sent to
the Republican Senate for confirmation a
list of trustees for various institutions in
which was O representative Democrat.
OF course, some of the Senators objected
to confirming him, but Hayes settled the
matter by saying that his idea in putting
Democart on the board was that in case
there were any improprieties committed
he would have his share of blame"
Mr.. Hayes, when he was Governor of
Ohio, proved himself one of the narrow
est and meanest of partisans, as we can
readily show. The Ohio Constitutional
Convention, which assembled lust after
Hr. Hayes had served out his two terms
as Governor, had under discussion the
appointment of trustees ofthe benevolent
institutions, These officers receive no
emoument but their actual expenses,
hence there was not the slightest neces-
sity for ostracising Democratic trustees,
yet it came out that of the fifty.four trus-
tees of the Ohio Penitentiary, the Athens
Lunatic Asylum (ncluding the Building
Board), the Central, Southern and North
ern Ohio lunatiC asylums, the Idiotic
Asylum, the Boys Reform School, the
Girls Reform and Industrial School, the
deaf and dumb and blind asylums and
the Soldiers and Sailors Orphan Home,
appointed by Hayes and Noyes just one
was Democrat The Democrats paid
their full quota of taxes for the support
of those institutions and numbered but
little less than halfthe population of the
State, yet they were ignored.
In 1873 Governor Allen came into pow
er backed by a Democratic Legislature.
Instead of, as they might naturally have
been expected after a long exile from
place and the example Of such a merCi-
less prescription to do, seizing the COM
missions the Democrats magnanimously
restored the original custom of giving the
minority a full representation on all
boards. Governor Allen nominated one
Republican on each board of three MEM
bers and two on each of five, so that at
the close Of his term the thirty-nine
trustees of the same eleven institutions
stood-Democrats, "a Republicans, Is.
In other words, under Hayes and Noyes
the Democratic minority had represen-
tation of less than two per cent. un-
der Allen the Republican minority had
a representation Of more than 50 per
cent.
When Hayes defeated Allen in 1875 he
did not, therefore, originate the practice
of putting a representative of the minori-
ty on boards the Herald8 interview to
the contrary Notwithstanding. He cop
led the Democratic example but with his
characteristic narrOwness, for on board
of FIVE members he appointed but one
Democrat, and in the case of the Soldiers
Home the only Democrat was General
Ewing, the other six trustees being Re-
publicans. OF the forty-nine trustees of
the same institutions during Mr.. Hayes's
last term, thirty-ive were Republicans,
and but seven Of the fourteen Democrats
were named by him. In other words,
the representation of the minority was
Per cent.
Under Hayes and Noyes s,,....... 1.35
Under Allen. ............,.... ..3746
Under Hayes, ,shamed into deCency 1857
Governor Allen had appointed a Re-
publican to the Commissionership of
Mines and another to the Railroad Com
mission, and after Judge Day was beaten
for the Supreme Court made him mem
Der of the Code Commission. He allow
ed the Republican Railroad, Insurance
and Gas Commissioners to finish their
terms, as also the Librarian and Superin-
tendent of Public Printing.
Mr.. Hayess friends may, therefore,
take their choice of the horns of the di-
lemma. Ifthey consider him heaven
born politician for appointing a repre-
sentative of the minority to the boards,
there is the evidence that he only
copied Governor Aliens example. If
they affect to regard him as patri-
otiC Civil Service reformer, there is the
evidence that during two terms he
never conceded that the minority had
any rights he was bound to respect, and
only grudgingly initiated in part the fair
example set him by Governor Allen. 1t
is not long since we took occasion to show
that the great school system of Ohio in
its entirety was the work of Democratic
builders. 1t has been the favorite en-
ployment of the Republicans to picture
Governor Allen as boorsh and narrow
minded partisan, and Democrats gener-
ally. and especially those of Ohio, as in
furiated office-seekers. Yet upon the
the showing we have just made, the man
who felt himself to be the. Governor of
the whole State and not the representa-
tive of party, the party which retained
efficient officials not of its own political
faith at its unexpected coming into pow.
er, was "Old Bill" Allen-not Rutherford
B. Hayes; was the Democratic party-not
the Republican.-N, Y. World.