The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1896-08-06
AND TOOK NECESSARY STEPS
BY wAYO OF PRECAUTION.
The Electoral Middle Will Probably
Go to the Supreme court for De.
termination = Phases of the
Great National Campaign.


The two states having this palpably
unconstitutional provision in their stat
utes are Ohio and Michigan.
And out of these two statutes will
grow the most interesting complications
caused by the nomination of Bryan and
Watson by the Populist convention.
1t is the understanding, of course,
that in making up the tickets of both
the Democratic and Populist presiden-
tial tickets, the same electors are to be
placed ON each, the heading to be re-
spectively: Democratic Ticket-For
president, William j. Bryan; for vice
president, Arthur Sewall." Peoples
Ticket-For president, William j. Bry-
an for vice president, Thomas Watson" 4"
Under each of these headings will fol-
low the list of electors, being precisely
identical This may be done, as already
suggested, in all the states except Ohio
and Michigan.
AS to what prompted the enactment
Of the law in Michigan am not in.
formed, but take it for granted that the
motive was essentially the same as that
which governed the lawmakers in
Ohio.
1t was the election of 1899, four years
ago, which impressed upon the Repub-
lican leaders of Ohio that the enactment
Of such law was matter of party ex-
pediency.
In that year the Democrats and Popu.
lists of this judicial circuit nominated
the same man, Hon. Frank Chance of
Champaign county, for circuit judge.
The district or circuit was nominally
Republican by 5000, but count of the
ballots showed that Mr.. Chance had
been elected by some 1875 or $50 plurali-
ky over the Republican candidate.
The Republican members Of the cleo
ton board of Fayette county refused to
certify the Pnpulist votes cast for Mr..
Chance in that county, and they were
numerous enough when left out of
the computation to elect the Republican
by 10 or 20 of margin.
The matter was brought to the su-
preme court for adjudication, and that
body, which was solidly Republican
promptly decided against Mr.. Chance
and the people. To do so it was com.
PEELED to reverse itself in the Iden
Gaumer case, in which Hon. d. H
Gaumer was deprived of his seat in the
senate.
| Mr.. Gaumer was Democrat, but the
court made Republican instead of q
| judicial decision to unseat him. The
same rule applied TO the judicial case
would have seated Mr.. Chance. So the
court reversed itself and laid down one
rule for Democrats and another for Re
publicans.
The Republican legislature in 1893
and again in 1894, undertook TO amend
the law, so as to prevent q fusion o.
parties, but there was not force enough
behind the movement to make it sue
cessful.
But prior to 1S95 the occasion arose
which called the potential and chosen
leader to the front. The law associa
ton of Hamilton county nominated
candidates for common pleas judges
dividing them equally between the twt
parties, and succeeded in getting thei
names on all the tickets and secured
their election.
Mr.. George B. Cox, who claimed
ownership i'll everything in Cincinnati
objected to having the courts taken ou
of his control, so he conceived the idei
of amending the law so as to preven
such things in the future.
Senator Dana of Washington count,
prepared, or at least fathered the bill
which is now known as the Dana law
and which prevents the Peoples part.
from placing the Democratic electors a
the head of their ticket.
There was good deal of reluctanc
about passing the bill until the DANCE
of fusion between the Democratic an
Populist parties was pointed out, an
. then it went through with whirl.
When the Cincinnati Bar association
learned that it was shut out from nom
; mating nonpartisan judicial ticket,
held consultation and the unanimou
opinion of all the lawyers was that tn
law was in derogation of both the stat
and national constitution, and ster
were taken to go to the supreme couI
and have it set aside.
In the meantime the national conver
tions came on, and it was seen that a
the friends of the equal coinage of gol
and silver were going to unite, eve
while maintaining separate party OIL
ganizations, and vote for single list c
electors.
Those having the Cincinnati case i
charge seemed to have been gold bug
md, no doubt, believing that the mail
tenance of the English gold standar
was more important than the purity @
the judiciary i'll Cincinnati or anywhei
else, dropped the matter.
All the lawyers in this city, withor
regard to politics, agree that the law
unconstitutional, and nearly all of thel
agree, also, that if the matter WI
brought into the supreme court it woul
render Republican opinion and su
&.s. he Il. &c
Populists would carry the state again
Mckinley and gold buggery.
1t is quite likely. however, that I'll
matter will be brought before the cou
to give 1t an opportunity to go on reco,
one way or the other.
There is much speculation as to 81
outcome of the complications involve
in the nomination Of Watson on I'll
Populist ticket.
There is suggestion, rather than 0
argument. that the two parties, Dem
Gratis and Populists, are to place q
the same electors ON their tickets, wit
the understanding that in states whe
more fopunst than Democratic vot
are cast the electors will vote for Brya
and Watson. In states where mo-
Democratic than Populist votes are ca
the electors are to vote for Bryan al
Sewall.
In the event of Bryan's electio
which may be set down now as CO
tainty, curious situation might d
yelop as regards the vice presideno
With the electoral vote cast for Brys
divided to any considerable extent, the
/ might be no election of vice presidel
by the electoral college.
Then what? The senate must ele
The vice president from the two havb
the greatest number of votes. III
chances would be that Mr.. Watsc