Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1879-09-25
Results Of Democratic Rule
In Ohio.


overshadOwing Importance, questions OF
State policy and management under
Democratic administration receive less
attention, perhaps, than they should
have from the press and the platform
They were, however, recently most thor
Oughly discussed in a speech delivered
by the Hon. James Scott, to the Young
Mems Republican Club, of SpringbOro,
Ohio. Without attempting to give even
an outline of this speech. we propose to
avail ourselves Of the well digested and
ordered array of facts, so far as they
can be crowded within the limits of a
single article.
Mr.. Scott goes back into the history of
the Democratic party in Ohio to the be-
ginning of the war and the years follow
ing, to show by quotations from its plat
form, and the utterances of its press and
leaders, that, as a party, it was neither
the supporter of the Government during
the most trying period in the history of
the Nation, nor the friend of the soldier
for whom it. now makes such pretense
of esteem and affection, while it omitted
no opportunity to express its want of its
confidence in the currency issued to car
ry on the war and in the ultimate sue
cess of the war Itself in crushing the re-
bellion.
But there are matters o. history with
which the veterans of the 1lr are so ia
miliar that they are not likely to be de-
ceived or induced to support Ewing and
Rice unless that support is given on 9TH
er grounds than the sympathy and sup
port of the Democratic party, while they
were in the field fighting the enemies of
the Union. The fact that Democratic
Legislature voted against every amend
ment to the Constitution, and in 1868 re-
scinded the vote Of the previous Repub-
lican Legislature ratifying the Four
teenth Amendment, and repealed the
law authorizing the disabled veterans in
the Soldiers Home at Dayton to vote at
the precinct where the Home is located,
thus virtually disfranchising them, were
logical and consistent results of the neg
ative attitude which the party had
maintained from 1861 onward, to every
measure of Republican administration.
The beauties and blessings Of Demo-
cratic rule in Ohio began with the as
sembling of what is best known as the
O'COnnOr Legislature. Having first sur
rendered its independence to the DEGREES
of caucus, as last winter Democratic
Congress put itself under the control of
a Confederate Caucus, it began the revo-
luton Of State institutiOns-a work that
consumed much of its time and that Of
the Executive, and which was conduct
ed on the meanest and lowest partisan
spirit. Beginning with the Penitentiary,
it decapitated Captain Burr, an efficient
and experienced Warden; Ousted DR..
Gundy from the superintendency of the
Central Hospital for the Insane; turned
out DIR. Griswold, who superintended
the Soldiers and Sailors Orphans Home !;
gave DR.. Howe of the Lancaster Reform
School his walking papers; nor ceased
its muddling and meddling till every
State institution had been prOStituted to
its political purposes. Not a single re-
moval was made for cause, the single
purpose being to revOlutiOnize these
public institutions in the interest of the
party.
What has been the result of these
changes made? Not to increase the eff
ficiency of the State institutions, but of
the Democratic machine. Passing the
gross scandals to which they have given
rise, and with which the newspapers
have from time to time been filled, an
answer is given by Mr.. Scott
in the case of the Penitentiary and the
Dayton Asylum. He said:
in 1873, the year before this raid was
commenced, the Penitentiary paid into
the State Treasury from convict labor
S22,2S6 "a over itsl drafts for expendi-
lures, making it a source of revenue to
the State. Last year its expenditures
were S17,559 10 over its receipts, making
it burden to the taxpayers. In the
year 1878, the year before this raid on
our State institutions, there were in the
Dayton Asylum $50 patients. l take
this asylum as an illustration of its class
because it is in our own district, and the
one in which we are most interested.
The current expenses in that year was
SS7 900 or 81 94 per capita per week,
and the percentage of cures $3.50. Last
year the number of patients in the in
was 1872: the current expenses
SS7, ,255 OF or $3 II per capita per week,
and the percentage of cures only %.
This falling off in the percentage of
cures.may depend, to some extent, on
the character of the patients admitted,
but certainly the difference between
$3.50 and % can't be accounted for in
this way. AS the supplies were 20 per
cent. cheaper last year than they were i'll
1878 the current expenses of this insti-
tuition ought to have been reduced in
stead of being increased over that year.
While expressing profound respect for
the will of the people, no sooner had the
political complexion of the Board of
Public Works been changed by their
votes than tho Democratic Legislature
passed a law giving to the Clerk of the
Board, an appointee of Governor Bishop,
the powers of member of the Board, |