Evening star., 1894-04-11
OHlO'S THIRD DISTRICT
Importance of the Congressional Contest of
May l.
Interest in the Campaign of SOrg and
RathbOne for the Seat of the
Late George HOuk.
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star

py the democrats OF the third Ohio dis
trict to succeed in Congress George w.
Houk, deceased is, as his name plainly
indicates, of German descent, and is a
West Virginian by birth He was born at
Wheeling in 1885, so that he Is yet a COM
paratively young man-very young to have
amassed already a fortune that should
content any man. He is a molder by trade,
having served an apprenticeship in Wheel
ing. and worked there as a "jour" He
went to Cincinnati about twenty years
ago to work at his trade, but soon after
ward invested his small earnings in a lit
tie tobacco business, which has grown into
the present extensive plant at Middletown
known by his name, and which is said to
be the second largest plant of the kind
In the United States. Mr.. Sorg married
In 1876. and is the head of a small family.
While always a democrat and taking a
lively interest in the affairs of his party,
any office. and 1t was only by dint of great
effort that he was induced to accept the
nomination in this case. The party was
unanimously in favor of him.
His opponent, Maj E. c. Rathbone did
not receive his nomination with such
unanimity. Still, outside of his own coun-
ty. the party in the district was generally
In favor of giving him the nomination.
Opposition in Butler county grew out of
an old family feud apparently as lasting
and deep that of the Hatflelds and the
McCoys in Kentucky, but manifesting it.
self in a less sanguinary way Ex-Con-
gresham Henry L. Morey of Hamilton first
married a daughter of State Senator VIM.
III. Campbell, an uncle of ex-Gov. Camp
bell, and when she died he married her
younger sister. Though VIM. H. Camp
bell ALWAYS n strong democrat ha
| threw his influence always to his son-in-
law, Morey, rather than to his nephew,
now ex-Gov Campbell when the two
contested for political honors.
Maj. Rathbone married a daughter of
Lewis D. Campbell, known in Ohio poiiti-
cal history the Butler County Pony"
Lewis d. and VIM. H. Campbell were
brothers of Andrew Campbell, the father
of ex-Gov. James Campbell. In settling
up the old Campbell estate there was a
great deal of trouble the burden of it set
Ting between the Lewis ID. and VIM. II.
Campbell families, represented in this gen
Grafton by the Morey and Rathbone
houses. This is the handspring of the
contest between Morey and Rathbone
over this nomination. Both Morev and
Rathbone are ambitious for political pre-
ferment, and each always opposes the
candidacy of the other for political office.
Following out this line, Mr.. Morey. who
had at the beginning announced that he
could not be candidate, threw all his
efforts into the elections for the selection
of delegates to the congressional conven-
ton to prevent the county expressing itself
for Rathbone. The outcome of it was the
selection of two sets of delegates in Butler
county-one being for Rathbone and the
other for a man by the name of ReisS. In
the convention there was a contest for
seats, resulting in the seating of the Path
bone delegation, and, of course, the nomi-
nation of their candidate.
OF course, Mr.. Morey announces his sup
port of Rathbone. and doubtless he will do
hi
fealty requires. But family ties and family
feuds have made peculiar combinations in
these old Butler county families, and Ohio
politicians are familiar with them. In a
congressional contest between James z.
Campbell and H. l.. Morey a number of
years ago, the latter had made, at great
expense, a list of all the eX-SolGiers in the
district, with great array of facts about
each one, that were very valuable to the
candidate seeking their votes. 1t was so
valuable to Mr. Morey that he got forty-une
more votes in the district which was demo-
cratic, than his democratic cousin. How
ever, democratic House ousted him and
seated Campbell. But the point is that at
a succeeding congressional election, when
James E. Campbell was the democra tic
candidate against John Little of Nania his
valuable soldiers list, which Morey had evil
IDENTIFY laid away for future use, turned up
in the hands of his democratic cousin and
was used by him against Little 1t was 4
case of kinship blood being thicker than
political party water.
The normal democratic plurality in the
district is between $500 and 1000. Presi-
dent Cleveland carried it in 1892 by $3.50.
Last fall, however, Gov. Mckinley carried
1t by 563, and this is what arouses the re-
publican hope that it can be carried by
them at this special election. The munich
pal elections of last week give little enc0ur-
agement to either side As is usually the
case, local questions seem to have turned
the elections, with little regard 20 party
lines. While the democrats carried the
strongly republican city of Dayton. the
largest city in the district by nearly n
thousand votes, the republicans captured
the democratic city of HamiltOn-cX-Go
Campbell's home. 1t is usually good for
LOO democratic majority, but the republi-
cans carried it at last weeks municipal
election by that figure-in round numbers
The three counties composing this district
Butler, PreDle and Mont2omery-conl lain
the finest farming lands in the state. Prob
ably in no other district in the United
States are the farmers generally so com
fortably fixed financially. The district is
also noted for the great number of import
ant small towns it contains. The indus
tries and enterprises in these towns are
owned and operated mostly by the farmers
living around them. Mr.. Sorg himself, who
is president of the Middletown National
Bank. and is interested in number Of
manufacturing concerns there, has asso-
ciated with him many of the farmers If the
vicinity.
Where the Democratic Strength is.
1t is in these farming regions that the
strength of the democracy of the district
lies. Both parties understand this. and the
democrats charge that Gov. Mckinley had
a purpose in postponng the special election
to May 1. The death of Congressman Houk
occurred SO early that withoI unseemly
haste the governor could have issaed his
writ in time to hold the congressional cleo
ton upon the day of the municipal cleo
tions-thuS saving the expense of a special
ELECTION. The reason for not doing SO, they
say, is that the republicans well know that
by May l farming operation will have be-
gun; farmers will be busy on their farms
they and their employes-and it will not be
easy to induce them to take the time from
their work necessary to go to the POLLS
and vote
This may have been thought Of and
doubtless it would operate that way in a
quiet campaign. But If the preparat ations the
republicans are making is any indication of
the kind of a campaign they are going to
conduct there is no 10 be much quietness
about ii. The dates for a half-dozen
speeches from Gov. Mckinley are now an
nounced with quasi authority, and the
coming of eX-Speaker Reed and Congress
man Burrows of Michigan is assured. While
this kind of a campaign will arouse the re-
publican voters, and doubtless win new
converts to the party, it Will also help the
democrats to arouse their party members,
1rod InFa fhn aIs -