The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1888-06-14
written for the Democratl
REMININsCHNCHs OF STARK co.
The EARLY Democratic Press of Stark in
Connection with It's Early Politics.

-"
The EARLY Democratic Press of Stark in
Connection with Its EARLY Politics.
For ten years prior to 1926, Stark
county, in connection with the coun.
ties that constituted the 18th Congress
ional District was not Democratic, and
in gathering up the "reminiscences of
the long inurned, long forgotten, long
gone past"-my lamented friend, the
late Gen. James Allen, wrote Of John
A.. Bryan after whom the county seat
Of Williams county was named, l have
undertaken 70 give some of my recol-
lections of those days.
In 1923 preceding the election of
John Quincy Adams, which took place
in the House of Representatives, Ohio
politics were an uncertain quantity. 1t
ought to have been stated that Mr..
Adams election took place in 1895 in
The House and RhileI do not propose
to go into much of the detail Of those
days,-eall of which saw" / remem-
berry very distinctly when the great
contest occurred in 1928 and which re-
suited in the election of Gen. Jackson.
No bitterer' contest ever occurred,-I
am not disposed to except-the days
of Federalism and Republican, which
resulted and ended with the election Of
Mr.. Jefferson by the House in 1901,
Coffin hand bills, the shooting by order
of Gen. Jackson of Arbuthnot and Am
brister, after the finding of a court
martial; hand bills representing the
shooting of John Woods, a dealer in
articles c%Ontraband fthe Seminole war,
the shooting of Charles Dickinson by
Gen. Jackson in 1905 in Nashville at a
horse race, were political staples for the
Adams or administration party. The
names Wing and Democrat as distin-
gushing political parties were not
then known. m.5l
For ten years ending with the fourth
Of March, 1929, the 18th Congressional
District, composed OF Columbiana,
Stark and Wayne, had been represent
ed by the late Col. John Sloane. In
1926 he was elected for the last time by
a majority of SO votes, Stark county
giving this prepondering vote. In
1928 he was a candidate for reelection
and was beaten by Gen. John Thomp-
son of COlumbiana county, who vas re-
elected in 1880.
The foregoing is what I suppose a
lawyer in preparing a declaration under
the old common law practice would
call Involvement" When l began /
meant to present to the readers Of the
| nrrEn.Nn A m q orVnn1ano ant m fha ryoln1n6
historical articles of i. S. in regard to
the origin Of the STARK COUNTY
DEMOCRAT. In 1928 Joseph Wilkinson
| White, a practical printer, who had
then aud afterward started the publica-
ton Of more newspapers than any man
living than Sam Pike, Of whom here
after | may give the DEMOCRAT a
sketch, came to Stark county and
stopped at Kendall, then the metropoli-
tan town of Stark county, west of Can
ton, and now the Fourth ward of the
city of Massill0n. In the presence of
the writer he announced his determine
ton to start an Adams paper at Paris.
Mr.. White, on going to Paris, an
nounced his determination to some
earnest friends of General Jackson, at
Canton, who by furnishing means and
influence prevailed on him to start a
Democratic paper, or at least one in op-
position to the administration at Wash
ington. He did SO, and his paper was
called the Ohio Democrat. 1t
was subsequently moved to Canton,
where Whites terribly anti
| Masonic views did not suit
the leaders and influential oppon-
ents of the Adams administration, and
White was disposed of and General
Allen became the editor. In 1880 he
removed the property, cases, type and a
Ramage press, to Massillon and started
the Massillon Gazette, the editors being
Allen q Townsend. Townsend being
Dr. John Townsend, who remained in
the connection but a short time, and
went to California with the Argonauts
of 1849. White went to Mt. Eaton. in
Wayne county, and started an Anti
Masonic paper, exceedingly bitter in
all it's tendencies. The Masonic lodge
there was closed, the master of the lodee
renouncing Free Masonry, and the
whole thing, paper, lodge and all CON
nected with the affair in any way went
up. The lodge of course was closed
and White sought fresh fields and pas