The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1889-10-09
HOME RULE.
General Beatty Believes 1t
Good for Ohio.
Foraker and the Car of Russia
Agree That the
People Should Not Be Trusted to
Manage Their Own Affairs.
The Foraker Rule Has Taken the
Heart Out of Liberty"
The Foraker Rule Has Taken the
Heart Out of Liberty"

similar character, -partisan-tWo
Democrats and two Republicans-fo
these twelve cities, making seventeen
in all In addition to that we have ap-
pointed two non-partisan police boards,
one for Cincinnati and one for Dayton;
and we have appointed non-partisan
board of public affairs for the city OF
Hamilton, and the home of the Demo
cratic candidate. And in addition to
that we have appointed one Republican
board, the board of public affairs of Gin
! cinnati-all told, twenty-one boards;
twenty out of the twenty-one are
one-half Democratic, and seventeen out
of those twenty non-partisan boards
are election boards. What has been the
result? Never before in the history OF
the State have we approached to any
thing like the decency, or the satlsfac-
| ton or the honesty in our elections that
we have reached under these boards.
| [Applause.1
Every honest man in the city of Gin
| cinnati, | do not care whether he be
| Democrat or Republican. will testify
| that our elections have been honest,
have been decent, have been satisfac-
tory [Applause.l No piece of legisla-
ton in the history of the State has given
such universal satisfaction. With the
police board it is the same. You re-
member the kind 81 police force they
had in Cincinnati before this legislation.
With q few honorable exceptions they
were but an organized band of roughs
and toughs.
''You could scarcely name crime In
the whole calendar of crime that some
| hot had m tied
| What is the result as to the working of
| these boards? In the city of Cincinnati
| now, instead of the character of police
boards they had then, they have one OF
the best police forces that can be found
in any city in this or any other country
"a genuine pride to every citizen OF
| Cincinnati" Foraker at Xenia.
Is there safer repository of political
power than the hands of the people?
Can the majority of the electors of
State, county or municipality be trusted
with the management of their own
| affairs?
These questions are not new to the
world. They have been discussed in all
countries and probably in all ages. The
verdict in nine cases out OF ten and
probably in ninety-nine cases out of a
hundred has been against the people.
On one pretext and another they have
been stripped of power; now, because
they were too ignorant to exercise 1t
well, then because they were too vi
cious, and again, because they were too
| unstable, turbulent and Indifferent. II
the Gar of Russia were to make an ar
gument on this question he would fol-
low the precise line of thought suggest
ed by Governor Foraker in his Xenia
speech. He would not only urge plaus-
ible arguments in favor of making po-
lice boards and boards of public affairs
| appointive instead of elective, but pro-
ceeding a step farther in the same gen.
eral direction he would find, in such
cases as the recent defalcation Of the
treasurer of Warren County, an excuse
for depriving the people of the privilege
of selecting their own county officers,
and in the incompetency and possible
corruption of certain judges, reasons for
making the judiciary dependent upon
his sovereign will. In brief, he would
surround himself with an army Of priv
ileged adherents who would look to him
as the sole dispenser of Offices and hon.
ors, and in justification of this fragrant
invasion of popular rights he would
probably-in language somewhat simi'
lar to that of Governor Foraker, say:
: ssYou remember the kind of a police
force they had in ST. Petersburg, with
but a few honorable exceptions they
were but an organized band of roughs
| and toughs. You could scarcely name
a crime that some man on that force had
not committed. Now, instead OF the
character of police boards they had ther
they have one of the best police forces
that can be found in any city in this OF
any other country-a genuine pride tt
every citizen of st. Petersburg"
l do not propose to discuss the merits
or dement's of the police boards, election
boards and boards of public affairs ap
pointed by Governor Foraker. They
NAV be composed of wise and homes
n men; nv objection to them is that the
method of their selection is not only {
positive affirmation that the people arr
incapable of governing themselves, bu
an absolute and unqualified admission
that the fundamental principles of ou
government is wrong and hence no prin
ciple at all The citizens of Cincinnati
> DAYTON, Hamilton and Toledo are Amer
leans of average honesty, intelligenc
VI | ana DdUF1OGlSnl. oOhOOAc eshN
I, are as abundant and excellent with then
as elsewhere. If they are incaps
BILE of selecting proper police boards
election boards and boards of pull
lie affairs. no town, city or count
in the country is competent to d
81. and if any, then all should be di:
franchised, not simply in part as in rre:
ent. but in whole. No man of commo
L., 4,~, fFi,,,,a hot aif
zen who is too vicious to vote for polio
commissioners is good enough to vote IL
Judges of the police and common plef
courts. Nor will he venture to asse
that one too ignorant to vote for stree
commissioner, is qualified to cast ba
lot for mayor, representative or govern
or. If the majority can not be truste
in the one case it must be distrusted
all: it would be utter nonsense to clail
that IN element untitled for the mai
agemnnt of small affairs is competeI
to discharge vastly more importaI
duties. The fact is that the legislatio
creating these several boards is not onl
unrepublican, but indefensible, and a
y insult to the sovereign people OF u
u State. Mr.. Campbell condensed a avolun
of truth into brief sentence when l
declared that it had taken the hea
n out of liberty.
The assumption that these boards a.
N, in the main non-partisan is shallo
pretense. The Democrat selected by
Republican Governor, or the Republ
can selected by Democratic Govern
Eh for position from which public sent
ment may be nodded and votes contrc
led, is generally the most docile and u
sa@2Ratzasys 81 &sss u Rssa A2