The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1886-09-18
THE CAMPAIGN OPENED.
Speech of Hon. John B. Follett
at Batavia.
The bad Record OF tho Republican Party
Exposed to Wow.


So long have these words stood alongside OF
the equally trito words In its platform,
'grand old party" that outsiders have been
perpiexed to determine whether to designate
Il as the Y. o. p. or p. W. y. 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 dcprecates
open and shameless violation of law and
reckless disregard of the Constitution for
purely partisan purposes will point with pride
of OhlN In thesp later years, and esp cially
I'm the last two years. II is far from pleasant
for one whose interests are identified with
this State, who IL proud of the State, OF Its
position and achievements, to scrutinze the
acts OF the leaders of the Republican party of
Ohio curing the past two years % and reyiew ,,se e,,
bly, stamped upon the proceedings of both
branches of the Legislature. charnctcrizing
every Executive act and interlacng every
Executive order which 1t was supposed could
in any wise affect or serve to promote tho in
tercsts 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 tho constitution. and to
uphold and maintain the laws made in pur-
suanec thereof. is such q 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 1894, through the instrnmcntalty of
sovers and aFf% 9 ae orcrS %qSs a"d
peaceful instrumentalities, for preserving
rage rage upon upon the the baIlot.box, that con-
are ew of feastns a political pon he H
punder of the people. thus consummated,
but most of. them are now fostering and rot
tool, the Jealous instrument employed for the
consummat'on of that infamy, is now folded
in the bosom of the Republic lean party of
Warren County. where at each primary cleo
ton of the party his fine Italian hand is seen,
the peculiar methods taught him by the party
leaders are developed, and the only consola-
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 mt the
national election In 1884. the wisdom and earn
est patriotic devotion to the methods M land and
ident Cleveland In the very beginning of his
Administration, 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 pervadng prin"
cipc by which each of the Executive Depart.
mcnts 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
plating certain dissoutons, 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
as should drive from the support of the party
every intelligent. honest. patriotic, fairmind
ed Hepubl can. And such would he the
suit Of the disregard of law, the violation of
the constitution and the trampling under foot
of the rights of the people which hayo char
actcri2ed and infamousiy immortalizcd the
acts of the present Republican Legislature.
counseled and ins irated in great measure
by the Republican Chief Executive and lead
ers of the party, and approved and cmpha-
sized by the Republican judiciary, were il not
that the cardinal principle of the Republican,
creed is That "the end jilstiies the means"
and laws. constitutions, the rights of the peO-
pie, the most cherished and sacred safeguards
of liberty arc 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 opinons OF our Courts to which
motive that brought them forth. Men honest
in nll other things, and ut all times, who can
hold and balance the scales of justice with a
firm and steady hand. and can apply the set
tied and inneXible rules of law. without favor
or partiuiity, though 10 do so may be detri-
mental to the interests of their dearest per-
sona 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 -epre-
sentative Government comes under the utter
destruction of the confidence of the people
in the proper decision OF any case in
which partisan questions or partisan
zation OF the Electoral Commission. upon
which sat six Judges of the Supreme Court
OF the United States, upon whose judg-
people relied for IN impartial and just
determination of the momentous questions
involved, the people rcposed implicit conf
To-, tl~n rtfr tnsu
the ability and determination OF our Judges
TO impartially administer the law and uphold
and defend the Constitution against nll as
saults by whomsoever. or howsoever made.
Then, and since then. the judicial ermine has
often been so worn as readily and promptly
to be laid aside at the solicitation of partisan
autOcrats until IL has come to he regarded by
the masses of the people as scarcely dcserv-
ing their confidence and respect.
At the Inst October election in this State
the returns as made to the Clerk of the
Court OF Common Pleus of Hamilton County,
sho "ed that the. ten Democratic candidates
and the four Democratic candidates for tae
Senate had been elected.
This result left the Republicans a majority
of six in the House and gave the Democrats
majority OF three in the senate. and on joint
ballot the Republicans had majority OF
three.
AS soon as the fact was known the Repub
lican National Committee employed two able
lawyers and the Lincoln Club, of Cincinnati
and numerous ther Republicans employed
bile. the declaration uf the result, as shown by
the returns made by the proper officers o!
election, by the Canvassing Board, and the
issuing of certificates of election to thost
shown to be entitled to them by the results o
such canvass.
The statute under which the board of can.
vasScrs acted expressly says that they "iT
making the abstract of votes shall not deci
upon the validity of the return, but shall b,
governed by the number of votes stated IL
Notwithstanding the fact that the law gov
erning the canvass board was thus eNplici
and was an absolute prohibition upon the
performing or attempting to perform an,
function other than the mere ministeria
duty of abstracting and adding up the re
turns as made, and before said board thes'
in mandamus, to investigate the validity
the returns, hear testimony, sit In judgmen
and decide, but with specific instruction
II is not my purpose at this time, nor is thi
the occasion. to discuss the legal question
involved in the case Of Dalton VS.. Richard
son. reported in i3 D. S. r.
That decision will stand M a monument Il
the wisdom, the integrity and the legal abi
ity of the Judge concurrng in 1t long ATTIC
guards who traduced them for rendering tha
opinion shall have been forgotten.
There is, however, one strange, significant
inexplicabe and startling fact connecte,
with the dissenting opinion In that case
which, in view of what preceded and wha
followed the rendition OF that opinion, shoul
seriously and indelllbly impress every homes,
The opinion OF Judges of our Suprem
Court, which are published, are CAREFUL
prepared and rcnd over to all the Judges i
the consultation room before they are give
to the press or the public.
This dissenting opinion. so prepared, an
doubt not so read to the other Judges 1
consultation-room, was given to the publ
December IL, 1875, and was soon thereafte
published in numerous newspapers and lay
What wns in TINT dissenting opinion mus