The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1889-10-02

biggest lie the most unmitigated, unconsciona-
BILE falsehoed that has ever been perpetrated
on me-and that means great deal, for the
last time ran for Congress 1 used to get from
three to six columns a day in the Commercial
Gazette-the worst one is the insinuation in
that paper, and which was made indirectly
dozen times in the speeches of a fellow-citizen
OF yours-the insinuation or the charge that 1
have anywhere, at any time or any place, said
one word against the Election laws or Regis
tration laws or Election Board or the Police
Board Of Cincinnati. [Applause.l I will tell
you what have done: have ripped up the
back" as the slang phrase is, the attempt OF
Governor Foraker to make partisan boards out
OF what the law and the people intended should
be nou-partisan boards lApplause.l have
attacked one feature only of the Election laws.
Mr. Jordan explained why. 1t is perfectly under
stood have attacked the right of man who
is running against me having
THE CONTROL OF THE ELECTION BOARDS
OF the State when candidates for the
same office. I don't care how good man he is.
The worst Election Boards he would appoint
the quicker the people would see their danger
and get rid of it. have said that favored any
thing that would purify the ballot. don't care
if it is the Australian system or the Chinese
system, if they have one, or any other, that will
enable the people under an actual non-partisan
Board to have their ballots cast and counted,
am in favor of any such law fApplause.1 Now,
charge here and I have charged everywhere
upon the Governor that while the law compels
him, far it is possible to do to make his
Election Boards non partisan, that he, SO far as
lies in his power, has attempted to make them
partisan. Who passed the non-partisan cleo
ton law? Why there sits Judge Wilson, one
of the gentlemen, who has peen elegantly de-
nominated by the same newspapers that have
complimented SO highly as one of the -four
frauds" Laughter
Don't blush, Judge, am proud of you. Why?
For various reasons, but for one that you and
the other three gentlemen who have been
sTIGMATIZED IN THIS MANNER AND LIED ABOUT,
Have put actual nonpartisan election law
on the statute book. But as soon as they got
YOU out and the Republicans in they COM
menced to tinker with the non-partisan board.
Before that the Election Board in this
city, and at the time it the only one
existing had the right to select its own clerk
They changed all that, looking not to the city
of Cincinnati alone, but to other cities in the
State which we're subsequently bound in the
ordinary course of events to be taken charge of
in some manner, and their ections also regu-
lated. Thereupon they inserted in that statute
a provision that the Governor should ap-
point the clerk. Now, tell me why that
was done? You have two Demo
Gratis and two Republicans on your
Board. You have four excellent men on your
Board. Ale not those four men of different
politics more likely to select clerk who will
attend to his business and let the people alone
and not meddle with their rights than one ap-
pointed by the Governor, who has diseased
ambition to remain forever in office. lApplause.l
If they had intended that the lection laws
should do their duty as they ought to- and as they
do where the boards are left alone they
wonld have left that provision remain in the
statutes; but they did not and what did the
Governof.do? They created altogether seven
teen Boards As Mr.. Jordan had said the Gov
ernor appointed. seventeen clerks for the
seventeen Boards, and seventeen of them were
Republicans "A Il the rest were Democrats
[Laughter.l Because crticise this as
NOT FAIR. EXECUTION OF THE Law,
Because said the Governor, if he wanted non
partisan Boards such as the people wanted
would occasionally have found Democrat or at
least a Prohfbtionist to take the place, he
said that my opposition to the execution of the
law was because Of the character of the clerks
he had appointed. don't knew any thing