The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1883-01-17

LOFTY ennenee far the scraggy steep they take ma
iestic stand the fearless guardians OF common
Yatehman from your ihieh ascendant Iswhat of ths
lands ~ tatI --.4a
RESPONSE BY Hon. ALLEN o. MYERS.
The orator no longer sway the world.
Those silent and ceaseless tOiiers, the
many-tOngued types, are the agitatOrs
and the educators in this golden age of
development and miraculous meehani-
cal invention.
stump, from the lecture platform, and
in our Legislative halls the orator lifts
his voice to limited numbers.
To-day, tomorrow, this year, the next,
and forever, the press talks to countless
mnltitudes. 0ratiOns are no longer
written for speech; they are made for
print, and the orator finds his largest
audience in the press.
A vast theme has been given me In
the democratic Press of Ohio" To at
tempt its history would be to recite the
annals of our glorious State, The gem
ius of man has apprenticed to the art of
printing those two demlgOds OF power,
steam and electricity, the Hercules and
Mercury of modern times. Our minds
can hardly realize that in lifetime
such stupendOus strides have been made
by man as are evidenced alone by the
printing. When Andrew jackson, our
patron saint, carried Ohio in 1928, the
Democratic press of Ohio consisted of a
dozen papers. They were printed on
hand presses, carried over the noun
tains from the East in wagons. The
combined circulation of all the Demo-
cratic papers in Ohio in that year would
not exceed 10000. To-day there are a
hundred Democratic papers in this State
Aafl nd lNy-- w IN al laf mil
lions of copies annually. From the
hand-press, with its slow and labOriOus
capacity of a thousand copies a day, to
the perfecting-press, with a capacity of
printing 1900 copies in an hour; from
the editor who wrote and put his own
COPY in type, and performed all the
labOrs incident to publication in one
room and received his pay in cOrd-wOOd
and pumpkins, to the paper to-day, with
its departments all classified and or
ganized upon the most thorough busi-
ness principles, with power presses, gas.
engines, fine buildings and complete
appointments, it seems as though ages
ages had passed instead of half CEN
tury The heroic period Of the existence
OF the Democratic press of Ohio was dur
ing the late civil war. Thet has pOr-
trayed in song and the historian has
told in glowing prose the story of the
war and its heroes; but the historian
has not yet been born who will do JUS
tice to the courageous attitude of the
Democratic press of Ohio during the re-
belliOn. That wonderful mar, of iron
and fierce energy, Edwin M. Stanton,
who was the Nemesis of the war, was
ever animated by single object, and
thatlw was to crush the rebellion. To do
this he trampled under loot Constltu-
items and laws. With him there was no
right but the right of the military. He
saw treason in every adverse criticism
and eOnspiratOr in every Democratic
editor The Democrats and the Demo-
cratic editors of Ohio were in favor Of
the preservation Of the Union, but they
but they were also in favor Of the pre-
serVatiOn of the Constitution. Both the
State and National Constitutions con-
tain the priceless guarantee that every
and any citizen shall be privileged t0
write and speak freely, in piece and
war. But the necessities Of war are no
respectOrs Of 5he guarantees on C0nsti-
tutiOns.
At the peril Of life and liberty the
Democratic editors of Ohio continued
their publications. Poor Keyes, of the
CircleVille Watchman, was one OF the
martyrs to his convictions. Arrested
rudely at night without warrant, and
imprisoned, he died in an insane asy-
lum, q victim to IA stern and mistaken
policy. The attitude of the authOfiti es
encouraged the masses and the mob un-
til any man who deemed himself ag-
grieYed felt privileged to assail the edi-
tor and sack the office. fimeandlagain
during the war did Democrats gather
together to protect the editors and their
presses. The courage, the conscience
and the undergraduates of the DEMOCRATIC
press during the campaign Of 1868
taught the administration a wholesome
lesson. Although Vallandingham was
beaten 100000 votes, the Democracy
achieved a victory more precious than
the offices. They taught the military
that the Constitution still hyedp and a
free press ank free speech were Jewels
that Americans would not tamely part
with. Through all the dark years OF the
war and since tthe Democratic press Oc
Ohio has ever stood foremost in its adj
Vocacy of those Just and correct princi-
pies upon which our free institutions
are founded. OF all those who worship
in the temple of Democracy none have
served more faithfully or been more
self-sacrifcing than the Democratic
In the victory Just achieved no class
contributed more to the happy result
than the Democratic editors and the
party showed its appreciation Of their
labOrs by placing one of their number
at. the head of the ticketl The Demo-
cratic press of Ohio is not. excelled in
influence of character by that of any
State in the Unionl We are told by our
political opponents that Democratic
success is only temporary, but If the
cOunsels shall prevail of such men as
McGregOr, Irvine, Newton, Fisher, Arm
strong, Steednlan, Bryan, Van Cleaf,
Newman aud many others, success will
ever crown the efforts of the Ohio
Democracy 1t has been saidr that the
Democratic party has Outlived its use
fullness,s but the constitution of man
and the experience Of nations teaches,
as JeffersOnNso fofcihly3 puts it, that
there are only two elements fligOvern-
ments: thOselwhO fear and diStfust the
people, and who wishsto absorb all the
powers in the hands of a few, and those
who believe fArtIe people and deem them
the safest depository of power. The
course Of the Republican party and it's
legislation since the war. the centraIi-
zati0n Of power, the insolence of cor
pOratiOn, and It's vast accumulations OF
corporate and individual wealth, are
tendencies that teach that the rights of
the masses are menaced The Damo