The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1891-10-15
rFrom the N. Y. World, oct. 1a.l

COLUMBUS, o., Oct 1.-Two weeks of
actual campaigning on the part OF the
Democrats have completely changed the
drift of Ohio politics. The Republican
campaign opened full month before the
Democrats began and during that time the
| Republicans had IL all their own way. The
| progress which they made was terrific.
They had Mckinley elected six weeks be-
| fore the votes we're cast and they we're
only interested to know whether the ma
| jority would be over or under fifty thous-
and. The first shock to their confidence
| was Gov. Campbelrs action in beginning
! his campaign in the very heart of Ohio Re-,
| publicanism, in the Western Reserve.
The brave and apparently reckless man.
ner in which the Governor challenged his
opponents in their strongest stronghold
opened more eyes than those of the West
ern Reserve Republicans, who hadn't
heard Democratic speech for years be-
fore. The returns hadn't been coming in
over three days from the Governors West
ern Reserve meetings before there was a
panic in the Republican camp. II the
Western Reserve folks once got TO hearing
| tariff reform speeches, reading tariff re-
form literature and thinking tariff reform
| logic there was danger in the rear of Nc
Kinley's Protection army, for the Western
Reserve people are intelligent thinkers
| and fearless voters, once their interest in
a cause is aroused. Before Campbell had
made half dozen speeches on the tariff
the Republicans were insisting that silver
was the real issue, and John Sherman
even tried to revive the Force bill and
Southern elections as q campaign issue.
The whole Republican campaign, since
Campbell took the stump, has been re-
versed. AT the outset it was determined
to elect Mckinley by bluff, bluster and
| lies. For month there wasn't McKin-
ley meeting held at which less than 10000
| people were present, according TO the &C.
| counts in Republican newspapers. He
never passed through a railroad station
that hundreds of brawny workmen were
not present TO cheer him and ehake his
| hand. There was never n Republican
parade less than a mile long and never a
meeting in village, with a manufactur-
ing interest large enough to require a
smoke stack, where the paraders did not
carry tin canes or wear tin badges cut Off
| of tin plates "made in the now tin-plate
factory just startedn in the place. This
| eXaggeration and lying was too extensive
to have been accidental. 1t was the delib-
crate and prearranged system of the Re-
| publican campaign. 1t was intended TO
lead the public to believe that Ohis was
in perfect furor of enthusiasm over Nc
Kinley, and for time it served its pur-
pose. Not only the Republican news
papers and Republican politicians lent
themselves to the deception, but Major
Mckinley himself never allowed such
little thing as the truth to stand in the
way of his making good point. He has
uttered more deliberate falsehood's on the
stump in the past six weeks than have
ever been crammed down Ohio throats in
any six years before. Nowhere but in Ada,
where he knew that he would be contra
dicted, has he omitted to declare that "the
wool of the world is lower" as one explain
alton of the fall in price of Ohio wool. In
every speech but the one at Ada, he has
declared that tin was cheaper than ever
before. He declares everywhere that he
has "a list of fifty articles in common use
which are cheaper to-day than when the
Tariff bill was passed. but he never cites
anything from his list except sugar, boots
and shoes, binding twine and other arti-
cles, which have declined because the tax
on them was removed or reduced, an ex-
planation of the decline in price which he
invariably omits to give. Major McKin-
ley has missed no opportunity to add to
the halo of bluff in which his campaign is
enveloped by theatrical exhibitions. His
personal participation in the contemplate
tin-plate fraud at Piqua was only one in
stance in which he has lent himself to
methods worthy Of q constabulary contest
in ward politics.
The Republican campaign was begun
too soon for that sort of work. The Nc
Kinley balloon was an imposing specta-
Gle, as it was inflated, but it collapsed
disastrously when unkind persons with a
} prejudice in favor of facts began to prod
it. Gov. Campbell tore fresh rent in il
with every speech he made. The McKin.
leyites, who two weeks ago danced wal
dance around it, with red fire illumina.
tion, are now floundering in the collapsed
affair, struggling to regain solid footing
Two weeks ago every issue of Republi-
can paper in Ohio exploited some new
evidence of McKinley's popularity and
tin plate prosperity. To-day the same
paper is filled with "explanations,n - "de
nialsn and Contradictions of Gov
Campbell's speeches. Tho "tin plate in
dustryn has been chased out of the State
and the very word tin becomes by word
: and laughing stock in every village in the
State.
The fame of the Piqua performance has
| spread to every little hamlet. Tin plate
badges are being laughed out of sight ant
: tho expression, "tin plate liar" originated
, | at the beginning OF the campaign by the
| Republicans, as term of opprobium fol
: Democrats, has become instead q term o
derision applicable to the Republicans
and is so understood throughout the State
Wool can't be II entioned at public meet
4 ing without raising a laugh and the farm
y ers wear for badges tufts of wool on rib
4 bin, with the inscription, "A cents pei
pound this is what the tariff has done fol
. us.n The gross exaggeration of the sizt
and enthusiasm of Republican meetings
!. has reacted also. No Republican papel
ventures now to put over seven or eigh
4 thousand people at meetings that two
a weeks ago would have been rated at hft!
4 thousand, and 1t Ia a standard JOKE
' throughout the State, in speaking OF th'
7, size of meeting to ask whether the fig
ures "are Republican measure.n Tn,
campaign of bluff, bluster and lies ha
: been transformed into one OF explanation
evasion and denial.
How completely the Republican cTes
has been clipped and Republican bump
tiousness chilled 10 shown by little Incl
debate at Ada. The Republicans had ar