The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1886-06-24
TINE esHvD CxU7s.
to the Democracy of Cincinnati, o
Hamilton County, and to the
Stnto az Lnrno n.notinn.


Hamilton County, and to the
State at large, greeting:
In a preamble prefxed to the
constitution and bylaws of our
club, the following language may
be found:
ave, the subscribers, believe that
it is the duty of every good citizen
to take, not only a deep interest,
but also an active part in the po-
litical affairs of the country, and
further, hat the welfare of the
country and the continued pros
perity of its institutions require
for their preservation that its poll
cy and character Of the government
shall be determined and guided by
the precepts of the democratic par
ty."
In Article 5 of our Declaration
of Principles we urge:
"Active interest in political af-
fairs, participation in primaries
and conventions, in order to secure
proper nominees. We denounce
the corrupt use of money to secure
nominations and elections, and
urge as essential to the preservation
of our institutions the purity of the
ballot"
Now that we have completed our
organization for the third year in
the history of the Ohio Club, we
deem it our duty to the party and
to the mass of the citizens outside
of it's folds to make a proper APP
plication of the foregoing DECLARE
tons to the facts of recent expert
ences in our local elections.
Primaries and party conventions
have fallen under the rule of reck-
less schemers, who derive their pow
er from the control of a depraved
a purchaseable class of voters. Con-
sequently the caliber and quality
of delegates to conventions and
nominees for officesin both parties
has been gradually lowered to a
deplorable standard, and a large
proportion of the officers elected
lack capacity, ability and honesty.
The democracy of Hamilton
County has particularly suffered
under these general alterations OF
party life and party management.
These general truths have been for
cibly illustrated in the history OF
our recent elections. 1t is admitted
that there was gross corruption
and violation Of the ballot-box in
the October elections. 1t is a mat
ter Of history that switching tick
cts and the wholesale forgery O.
names on the t~ally-sheets occurred
in a democratic ward, and that W
to this time there has been no de
finite condemnation of these out
RACES by an organized body within
the democratic party, and none by
the official class now holding of
flee in the city and county.
The so-called leading democratic
newspaper of this city has not on
ly. not condemned those onslaughti
E on the purity of the ballot, but OIL
the contrary has become their de
fender and apologist.
5 We claim that this silence OF
these grave omissions of public
duty justify what otherwise NIGH
seem an officious intrusion OIL
grounds heretofore set apart anl
occupied by organizatians NOR,
emphatically representative OF til,
masses of the democratic party
! than the Ohio Club claims to be.
The same general corruption
+ which had for years pervaded pub
lie life has to an alarming exten
Inspired by ourprofound attach
ment to the imporishable princi
pies of the democratic party, an,
: DESTROYS of awakening the intellec
=, and consciousness Of its member
everywhere to the danger of supin.
Z indifference, we declare our en-
Iphatic condemnation of those ba,
democrats who attempted to cIutcl