Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1890-10-02

| pdl CA anu G4tALCI ChcCI
and his pocket book, and he naturally
watches with solicitude all legisla-
| ton and government in that di-
| rection. Because these are mat
ters of local concern they impress
the voter more deeply, and their re-
suits are more sensibly felt than many
other questions in politics. These prob
lens of state government the Democratic
party, in its short tenure of power in
Ohio, has ignobly failed to solve They
have had ample opportunity to meet the
expectation of the people and to redeem
the promises of their platform; and re-
view of what Democracy has accom-
plished. or to be more accurate, what it
has failed to accomplish, will demonstrate
this fact to the satisfaction of an impair
tial public opinion. No better evidence of
the truth of this charge can be offered
than by referring to the question of the
government of municipal corporations as
dealt with by the present Democratic leg
islature / refer to this first, and desire
to treat 1t at length, because it seems to
have been selected by the Democratic
party in the last canvass as a problem
which they felt especially called upon to
solve. 1t has always been a difficult ques-
tion of popular government as to
HOW CITIES SHALL BEST BE MANAGED.
Shall it be by absolute popular power, or
shall it be by concentrated boards or CEN
tralized authority? 1t is serious ques-
tiOn indeed, one worthy of the best con-
sideratiOn of the statesmen, and one to
thoughtful minds growing more serious
every day. Yet the Democratic party of
Ohio, with no other purpose in view than
- i,,+,, = l,a
breach in the last camraign, and offered
its panacea for all the municipal ills that
existed. This was done by a party that
never solved, either in National or state
affairs, public question, nor remedied a
public evil. What was the remedied of
fered Let the platform of 1889 speak.
In solemn words the Democracy of Ohio
spoke rs follows;
I'VE protest against the repeated enact
ment of laws vesting the appointing
power in tue governor enabling him to
control the local boards of our leading
cities, while depriving them of self-gov
ernment 1t constructs a vast political
machine that is at all times dangerous,
and, in the hands of partisan chief ex-
ecutive, has become a positive menace to
the interests of the state"
This grevious wrong from a Democratic
standpoint, prompted the Democracy to
declare in the same platform their remedy
in the following unmistakable language:
I'VE demand the enactment of laws that
will enable our cities to choose their own
servants and control their own affairs"
Upon this declaration, which served
both as a charge against the Republican
party and pledge of future action for
their own, they entered upon the canvass
of last fall. From every stump in Ohio
our present distinguished governor de-
manded "home rule' for the people of the
cities of Ohio, and plaintively appealed
that the heart which had been torn
out of liberty be returned to its resting
place Every lesser light of Democracy
re-echoed the charges of their chief, and
became indignant at the withdrawal of
power from the people, which resulted
from municipal boards. The election
brought victory to the Democracy. A
complete working majority in the
legislature and an executive In full SYM
pathy with the platform on which this
Legislature had been elected were now in
position to fully carry out the pledges of
the campaign and to put into operation
the newborn idea of "home rule" To
strengthen the position assumed in the
canvass, and in order that there might be
no mistake as to what was the duty of
the Democratic general assembly. Gov
ernor Campbell, in his inaugural address,
thus expressed himself upon the subject
which he had been so prolific and promis-
ing during the campaign:
an compliance with this duty your at
tention is directed to various laws, passed
in recent years, enlarging the authority
of the chief executive. He has been en-
powered thereby to appoint boards which
control, to n large extent, the government
and expenditures in certain cities. This
was deemed so clear violation of the
right of self-government that, one of the
political parties embodied in its last plat
form the following declarations:
We demand the enactment of laws
that will enable our cities to
choose their own servants and control
their own affairs The people of Ohio, at
the subsequent election, approved that
sentiment. 1t is the duty of the general
assembly to obey their mandate and to
restore home rule to all cities as speedily
as may be done without hasty or incon-
siderate legislation. 1t is not necessary
to recite the many cogent reasons which
prompted the people to this action. 1t is
10 hHOW DudU ILtI udNc 81 Ut
creed"
Certainly after these utterances in the
governors inaugural address the people
of Ohio had right to expect that honest
legislation in favor of popular govern
ment in the cities would follow the as
sumption of power by the Democratic
party The declaration of Governor
Campbell that the legislature should 're-
store home rule to all cities as speedily as
may be done'' was the promise of an
honest fulfillment of their party pledges
Did the Democracy, through its legisla-
ture, carry out the spirit Of it's platform
as promised the people? Did Gov
ernor Campbell stand by the language
of his inaugural? Let the record an
swer From the very moment that
that legislature met it sat as body
commissioned to find out where 1t
could advance the interests of the Demo
cratic party and make places for its poll
ticians rather than to legislate in the inter
ests of the people of the state. They sat
rather as a city council, engaging their
time with the adjustment of ward and
city machinery, hunting what officer, no
matter how humble position he held,
could be put out and a Democrat put In
his place.
THEY CAST AWAY THEIR DOCTRINE OF
"HoME RULE"
which had been inscribed on their tri-
umphant banners in the last campaign,
and entered upon series of legislative
acts which. for number and radicalism,
has never been paralleled in Ohio's legis-
lative history. They laughed at the
pledges of their platform, and by their
actions gave the people to un-
derstand that their fulfillment was
never intended. but on the con-
trary the cry of "home rule" was a sub
terfuge merely to obtain power. No man
can arrive at n different conclusion aftera
narration of Democratic management in
this state under the present administra-
ton The conclusion is forced upon the |
judgment of every good citizen that the
arguments of the last campaign, which
everybody had a right to suppose were
offered in good faith, turn out to have
been nothing but the empty and hollow
promises of those greedy for power.
shall enter into a specific enumeration of |
the instances of this mutilated and vio- |
lated doctrine of "home rule" little fur
ther along. But l want to say not a few |
words generally upon the subject. There |
are two charges against the Democratic |
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