Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1889-10-24
5 invnds the domain Of the law


And now to the point The Democratic
party nominates its ticket at Dayton. Its
candidate for governor opens his canvass
the night before he is nominated: supple
ments it in his acceptation speech by a fierce
denunciation of the election laws of Ohio
passed by the Republican legislature There
is one man left in Ohio avg silable for the su-
preme judgeship who sanctioned this opinion
and joined in it and helped make it One of
the three is dead, another of the three has re-
tired from political life and is prosecuting an
honorable practice of law, the third one re-
mains available. and he must be had.
The Democratic party is willing to assume
the risk of criticism OF the candidate in the
compensation it gets out of the fact that
they have an absolute assurance of his posi-
zion In regard to these election laws, and so
they nominate Martin D Follett, of Mari
eta He is not only on record deciding that
the liquor laws of the state passed by the
Republican legislature were unconstitu-
tional, and that the saloon keepers were il
legally taxed only under the Scott law, and,
moreover, as l understand l., they cannot
recover back the money paid in pursuance
of the unconstitutional enactment and prac-
tices so manifeStly unjust
It strikes me that every honest man must
recoil from the Endorsement of it. But he is
a man that has committed himself against
any control of these election boards The
Democratic party demanded the repeal of
the election laws. l am aware that Judge
Peck, of Cincinnati, denies this, and insists
that he is in favor of the retention of the
election laws, but unfortunately for Judge
Peck his masters are of the other opinion
Who authorizes him TO say that his only OBJ
lection to the election laws is that the gov
ernor appoints the boardsl
Mr.. Campbell inveighed against the
boards regardless of further consideration,
and then whom driven by the outcry of pub
lie opinion, he too, said that he was not op-
posed to election boards, but demanded that
local authorities appoint them and that they
should be elected in the precincts. But he
denounces the restriction and demands the
repeal of the registration laws in the cities,
and cries out in an agony of grief that he
himself, James E Campbell, is compelled to
register before ne is allowed to vote.
How then does the mere disclaimer of
Judge Peck under the necessity for change
of front, made when the wrath of the people
is being manifested everywhere. to weigh
against the solemn declarations of the candi-
date, the decisions of his supreme court and
the long line of opposition to wholesome re-
straint disclosed in the record of the Demo-
cratic party. Experience has taught Us that
we cannot have fair election in the large
cities Of Ohio without registration.
Experience has further tauy yht US that an
elective board will fail of an honorable dis
charge of its duty. 1t is to curb these ten
denotes of these immoral majorities that
these election laws are devised. The people
Of Ohio are warned, we trust forewarned.
The value of property in the city,
the value of life and limb, the
honor and integrity of the grow
ing young men of Ohio, are all involved in
the purity of our elections. No man is
worthy to be a citizen who is not willing to
put himself to some Inconvenience in the
matter of registration and election in order
that there may be honest elections.
l firmly believe that the object near
est the heart of the men vino con-
trolled the Dayton convention as a
political result of a victory, would be to
destroy the election laws of Ohio, turn the
property and the people of the state over to
the manipulators of Precinct A, Fourth
ward, and their coadjutors in the cities of
Ohio. This is a reason sufficient to induce
the people of this state to vote the Repub-
ican ticket
These measures are Republican measures,
passed by the wisdom of the Republican
party. The issue is against the Republican
party; it shall not be turned aside and in
volved in a mere contest of ambitious men.
1t stands upon higher plane, and calls upon
the virtue and the honor and the integrity
of Ohio to vote the Republican ticket from
top to bottom [Applause.