The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1886-09-16
THE CAMPAIGN OPENED.
Speech Of Hon. John B. Follett
at Batavia.
The Bad Record of the Republican Party
Exposed to View.

Exposed to View.
The Republican party has long boasted Of
its record, to which, as a stereotyped por-
ton of its platform, it points with PRIDE"
So long have these words stood alongside of
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 a
reckless disregard of the Constitution for
purely partisan purposes will point with pride
TO the record made by that party in the State
of Ohio in these later years, and esp pecially
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 its
acts of the leaders of the Republican party of
Ohio during the past two years and review
the record it has made. That record, indeli-
branches of the Legislature. characterizing
every Executive act and interlacing every
Executive order which 1t was supposed could
in any wise affect or serve to promote the in
terests of the Republican party. ratified.
sanctioned and approved by the Republican
mdges OF r S9r tbar naSs %nG TO are
conserve and defend the constitution, and to
uphold and maintain the laws made in pur-
true patriot would gladly erase with his
tears, and, if necessity requires, with his
blood.
record of the Republican party of Ohio as
made in 1884, through the instrumentality of
Lot Wright and his thugs, called Deputy
Marshals, armed with British bulldog re-
vO1v and
the purity OF elections. Some of the men
rase Mss pon aHs sns that
centrated essence of all political vii
lainies, are now feasting upon the
but most Of them % are now fostering and rot
ting in their political graves. The willing
tool, the Jealous instrument employed for the
contamination of that infamy, Is now folded
in the bosom of the Republican party of
Warren County. where at each primary cleo
ton of the party his f1ne Italian ian hand is seen,
leaders are developed, and the only consola-
tion honest patriots can feel is in the fact
that, either he. or the Republican party, in
ant, must soon die, unless It be true that the
party there thrives and fattens on corruption.
The success Of the m ,ase roc party ct the
est patriotic devotion to the methods and
practices of good government, shown by Pres
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 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-
fSsm Of as and to what
tie wisdom they may have had in times
past and to impel them to such excesses
as 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 have char.
acterized and fnfamously immortalized the
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 justifies the means,
and laws, constitutions, the rights of the peo
| 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, thai
we are able to account for and trace to theil
origin the opinions of our Courts to which
have alluded, and to understand the rea
motive that brought them forth. Men hones
| in all other things, and at all times, who car
| hold and balance the scales of justice with
| firm and steady hand, and can apply the set
| tied and infiexible rules of law, without favol
or partiality, though to do SO may be detri
| mental to the interests of their dearest per
sonal friends, when the interests of theil
| party are involved, and they hear the cracl
| of the party whip and the ominous threat o.
| the party leaders and press, make haste tt
show their party fealty by obeying party
| behests.
The darkest forboding to our free repre-
| sentative Government comes under the ute
destruction of the confidence of the peopl,
in the proper decision of any case il
1 pvh
interests are involved. Prior to the organi
cation of the Electoral Commission, upol
which sat- ss OF the
| ment, integrity and assumed ability the
| people relied for an impartial and jus
involved, the people reposed implicit conf
dence in the integrity of the judiciary ant
the ability and determination of our Judge
| to impartially administer the law and upholt
| and defend the Constitution against all as
| sauts by whomsoever or howsoever made
| Then, and since then, the judicial ermine ha
to be laid aside at the solicitation of partisan
| autocrats until it has come to be regarded b,
the masses of the people as scarcely deserv
ing their confidence and respect.
At the last October election in this Stat
| the returns. as made to the Clerk of tn
Court of Common Pleas of Hamilton County
sho wed that the ten Democratic candidate
| for m mbers of the House of Representative
and the four Democratic candidates for to
| Senate had been elected.
This result left the Republicans a majorit!
of six in the House and gave the Democrats
| majority of three in the Senate, and on join
ballot the Republicans had majority o
| three.
AS soon as the fact was known the Reput
lican National Committee employed two abl
| lawyers and the Lincoln Club, of Cincinnati
and numerous other Republicans employe
numerous other lawyers to defeat, if poss
BILE, the declaration of the result, as shown b
the returns made by the proper officers G
election, by the Canvassing Board, and tn
issuing of certificates of election to thes
shown to be entitled to them by the results {
The statute under which the board of car
vassers acted expressly says that they ii
making the abstract of votes shall not deci
governed by the number of votes stated
| the poll-bOok."
Notwithstanding the fact that the law go'
erning the canvass board was thus explic
and was an absolute prohibition upon the
performing or attempting to perform an
function other than the mere minister's
turns turn "a as % made, and before said board the,
eminent lawyers attempted by proceeding
in mandamus, to investigate the validity
and decide. but with specific instruction
to decide in a certain way:
1t is not my purpose at this time, nor is tn
the occasion. to discuss the legal question
involved in the case of Dalton VS.. Richar
son, reported in 43 .. s. r.
That decision will stand as monument
the wisdom, the integrity and the legal alb
| ity Of the judge concurring in it long aft
the names and works of the partisan blac
guards who traduced them for rendering tn
opinion shall have been forgotten.
There is, however, one strange, significan
iDexplicable and startling fact connecte
with the dissenting opinion in that cas-
which, in view of what preceded and VIII
followed the rendition of that opinion, shou
seriously and indellibly impress every homes
thinking patriot
The opinion of Judges of our Supren
, Court, which are published, are careful
prepared and read overto all the Judges
| fhaO nr1G1 hQfnra Oi
| | to the press or the public.
This dissenting opinion, SO prepared, al
doubt not SO read to the other Judges
, consultation-room, was given to the pub
: | December Is, 1885, and was soon thereaft
published in numerous newspapers and Ia
Journals.
What was in that dissenting opinion mu
have been placed there by the dissenti
, | Judge, must have been carefully reread a.
revised by him before it was read by him
his brethren on the Bench, SO that Just VIII
' it contained he must have known, and it INT
, | have been just what he wanted, and as
wanted it before it came into possession
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