The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1886-09-30
THE CAMPAIGN OPENED.
Speech Of Hon. John B. Fonet,
at Batavia
The Bad Record Of the Republican Party
Exposed to View.

| DO long nave tneSo WOruS btOOu alongside Ol
the equally trite words in its platform,
"grand old party" that outsiders have been
perplexed to determine whether to designate
It as the g. o. p. or p. W. p. No honest citizen,
no friend of free government, which can be
maintained and perpetuated only by strict
adherence to constitutional obligations and
strict enforcement of constitutional rights
| and guarantees, no man who deprecates
open and shameless violation of law and q
/ reckless disregard Of the Constitution for
/ purely partisan purposes will point with prlde
70 me record made 6y that party N tne iIe StaIe
| OF Ohi1 in these later years, and esp cially
| In the last two years. 1t is far from pleasant
/ for one whose interests are identified with
this State, who is proud Of the State, OF It's
l position and achievements, to scruunlze the
| acts of the leaders of the Republican party of
| Ohio during the past two years and review
the record 1t has made. That record, indeli-
| bly, stamped upon the proceedings of both
branches of the Legislature. characterizing
| every Executive act and interlacing every
Executive order which 1t was supposed could
In ary wise affect or serve to promote the in
tertsts of the Republican party, ratified,
sanctioned and approved by the Republican
| judges of our highest courts who are bound
| by their Office and their Oaths to support,
conserve and defend the constitution, and to
| uphold and maintain the laws made in pur-
| suanoe thereof, is such a record, as every
| true patriot would gladly erase with his
| tears, and, If necessity requires, with his
blood.
] do not propose at this time to review the
record of the Republican party of Ohio as
made in 1884, through the instrumentality of
Lot Wright and his thugs, called Deputy
volvers and oher.like quiet orderly and
peaceful nstrumentalities, for preserving
the purity OF elections. Some, of the men
rage upon the ballot-box, that con-
centrated essence of all political vii
lainies, are now feasting upon the
p under of the people. thus consummated,
but most of them are now fostering and rot
ting in their political graves. The willing
tool, the Jealous instrument employed for the
consummat on of that infamy, Is now folded
in the bosom of the Republican party Of
Warren County, where at each primary cleo
tion of the party his fine Italian hand is seen,
the peculiar methods taught him by the party
leaders are developed, and the only consoa-
ton honest patriots can feel is in the fact
that either he, or the Republican party, in
that county so long and largely in the ascend
ant, must soon die, unless 1t be true that the
party there thrives and fattens on corruption.
The success Of the Democratic party at the
national election in 1884, the wisdom and earn
eat patriotic devotion to the methods and
practices of good government, shown by Pres
ident Cleveland in the very beginning of his
Administra ion, and the cordial approval of
the great mass of the people, of his declared
policy to inaugurate and enforce efficiency,
honesty and economy, as the pervading prin-
ciple by which each of the Executive Depart
ments should be governed, and honesty and
capacity as essential requisites for positions
of trust under his Administration, seems to
have had the effect of so alarming the leaders
of the Republican party, while contem-
plating certain dissolutions, as to entirely
deprive, them of discretion, and what lit
tie wisdom they may have had in times
past and to impel them to such excesses
and to such acts of folly and madness
rs should drive from the support of the party
every intelligent, honest patriotic, fair-mind-
ed Republican And such would be the re-
suit of the disregard of law, the violation of
the constitution and the trampling under foot
of the rights of the people which haye char
acterlZed and infamously immortalized the
acts of the present Republican Legislature,
counseled and ins igated In great measure
by the Republican Chief Executive and lead
ers of the party, and approved and empha-
sized by the Republican judiciary, were it not
that the cardinal principle of the Republican
creed is that "the end justines the MEANS"
and laws constitutions, the rights Of the peo-
pie, the most cherished and sacred safeguards
of liberty, are to be brushed away like cob
webs when partisan ends are to be obtained
1t Is In this view, and this view alone that
we are able to account for and trace to their
origin the opinions Of our Courts to which l
have alluded, and to understand the real
motive that brought them forth. Men honest
in all other things, and at all times, who can
hold and balance the scales Of justice with q
1rm and steady hand and can apply the set
tied and inhexible rules of law, without favor
or partidlty, though to do so may be detri-
mental to the interests of their dearest per-
sonal friends, when the interests of their
party are involved, and they hear the crack
of the party whip and the ominous threat of
the party leaders and press, make haste to
show their party fealty by obeying party
behests.
The darkest forboding to our free repre-
sentative Government comes under the utter
in the proper decision of any case in
which partisan questions or partisan
interests are involved. Prior to the organi-
Eatlon of the Electoral Commission, upon
NWhf fah OF cd THIda rrf fha GnNn
of the United States, upon whose judg-
ment, integrity and assumed ability the
people relied for an impartial and just
involved, the people reposed imptIcit eonf'
dence In the integrity of the judiciary and
the ability and determination Of cur Judges
TO impartlally administer the1aw and uphold
and defend the Constitution against AZ as
saults by whomsoever or hdwsoeVer made.
Then, and since then, the judicial ermine has
often been so worn as readily and promptly
autocrats until It has come to- be regarded by
the masses of the people as scarcely deserV-
ing their confidence and respect
At the last October election in this State
Court of Common Pleas of Hamitton County,
eho we'd that the ten Democratic candidates
for m mbers of the House Of Representatives
and the four Democratic candidates for tao
Senate had been elected.
This result left the Republicans q majority
Of six in tho House and gave theDomocrats q
majority of three In the Senate, and on joint
ballot the Republicans had q majority of
three.
AS soon as the fact was known the Repub-
lican National Committee employed two able
lawyers and the4Lincoln Club, OF Cincinnati,
and numerous other Republicans employed
numerous other lawyers to defeat, If posi-
BILE, the declaration OF the result, as shown by
the returns made by the proper officers of
election, by the Canva6sing Board and the
issuing of certificates of election to those
shown to be entitled to them by the results of
such canvass.
The statute under which thu. board of can
vassers acted expressly says that they "in
making the abstract Of votes shall not decif
upon the validity of the return, but shall be
governed by the number of votes stated In
the poll-book."
Notwithstanding the fact that the law gov
erning the canvass board was thus explicit
and was an absolute prohibition upon their
performing or attempting TO perform any
function other than the mere ministerial
duty Of abstractiug and adding up the re-
turns as made, and beforS said board these
eminent lawyers attempted by proceedings,
the returns, hear testimony, cit In Judgment
and decide, but with specific instructions
to decide in certain way.
the s is SSs a. fSS NOR s this
involved in the case of Dalton VS.. Richard
son, reported in 90 D. s. R.
That decision win stand as monument to
the wisdom, the integrity and the legal abil-
fly Of the judge concurring in 1t long after
the names and works of the partisan black
guards who traduced them for rendering that
opinion shall have been forgotten.
There is, however, one strange, significant,
inexpllcable and startling fact connected
with the dissenting opinion in that case
followed the rendition of that opinion, should
seriously and indellibly impress every honest,
thinking patriot.
The opinion Of Judges of our Supreme
Court, which are published, are carefully
prepared and read over to all the Judges in
the consultation room before they are given
TO the press or tho public.
This dissenting opinion, 20 prepared, and
doubt not so read TO the other Judges in
o0nsuftation-rooul, was given to the public
December Is, 1896, and was soon thereafter
published In numerous newspapers and law
Journals.