The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1897-08-12

effective protest and potential rebuke
and representative self-government is
at an end. The population of the
state falls below 100000, and the total
vote is below 100000. And yet the
vote exceeded 100000.
"As startling as the statement may
appear. there were more votes cast In
Ohio in 1896 than there we're male per-
sons 81 years of age, as shown by the
| quadrennial enumeration, and this in
| cluded all males. unnaturalzed aliens.
| Iunaltics, imbeclles and prisoners In
confinement. No intelligent man doubts
but that nearly or quite 100000 males
of 21 years go to comprise the
1,016,545 persons in the enumeration
especially when we add thereto the peo-
pie who, being qualified, failed to vote
for any reason"
"Can you point out any single place
where the vote was unusually Sarge?"
81 will take one at random, because
I am familiar with the locality. In
Ashtabula county 1T was a notorious
fact that from 1000 to 1850 Republic
ans had left the party ON the silver
question and were going TO vote for
Bryan, which they actually did.
"The expectation, among honest men
at least, was that the usual Republican
majority would be reduced by from
1000 to $500. But such was not the
case The highest previous vote cast
in the county was 10,209, of which the
Republicans received 6,419 and the
Democrats 2,769, the other parties
casting 1,O1o, making the Republican
plurality 3,65c.
"The total vote cast In 1896 was 12,-
729, of which Mckinley received 8,557
and Bryan 1852, showing Republican
gain of 2,019 and Democratic gadn of
993, and "a Republican plurality of
4,795. The gain in 1896 over the pre-
vious highest vote was 2,529, and 1000
of this was In the village Of Ashtabula,
and 900 of the remainder along the
railroad precincts where railway
boarding houses abounded, leaving the
other 500 TO be distributed among 20
or more townships containing two.
thirds of the population OF the county"
How could the vote be manipulated
In this way?"
II will tell you what one of our
travelling men related to me a day OF
two after the election. He went west
from Columbus on the evening pre,el-
ing the presidential election. Two
coaches we're filled with men who
came from farther east, wearing Dryan
badges and declaring that they were
railway employees going homo to vote
They were unusually boisterous in On.
nouncing their presidential preference
and thus attracted the gentleman's at.
tention.
"He noticed that they debarked IN
squads at functional points, the great
est numbers at Urbama, Piqua ant
Greenviile, where the last of them lef
the train. Since then I have beer
curious enough, after studying the IN.
crease at Ashtabula, to examine ant
compare the election statistics. Here
Is the result: l find that at Urbane
the vote was increased 259 over 1t!
highest previous vote, Piqua S02 an(
Greenville 2S2, making net gain o
the three points of 1923 In total vot,
Of 5.156. Almost the entire increased
vote in the three counties where thes,
places are located Is to be found II
these towns.
1T is easy to understand Why
: Democratic challenger would overlook
stranger wearing a Bryan badge, ant
! also why the Republican challenges
: would let him pass unchallenged.
"Ihave also pushed myinvestigationl
Sar enough TO find out that at every
other functional point and where rail
way boarding houses abound the samI
phenomenal increase of the vote ovel
all precedent is to be found, and tha
there Is no instance of an nbnnrma
/ incease to be found In the remote
{ towns and precincts.
: "You may cali this what you please
a but to me 1t looks like asche me which
. can be easily worked with money. AnS
. may be worked again If the people ar,
asleep to what Is being DONE How cal
this maater be explained by any othe
: hypothesis than the one / have sug
e gested?
: 81 am now satisfied that ever,
I method in vogue last year, from falls.
I and delusive promises to threats o
business ruin, coercion, and phenbme
. nal increase of votes in localities
where such increase will do the mos
good, will be attempted again thi
year. and honest men and patriots cal
not be too quickly put on their guard
"Mr. Hanna at least permitted re
j sort to such methods last year, sino
0 he was the national chairman, enN
a they nave been stamped with the bills
: tering name OF Hannaism in politics
am Republican Of Republicans, am
:, even adhere to the single gold stand
ard Mea, but / can not and will mo
. condone such methods for obtainin
results. That they are resorted to b
suppress the wishes of the majority o.
q the question Of finances begins to shak
my faith in the justice and equity of tn
n single standard itself,
/ ~Higher and more important tho
I either side Of the money question 1
the preservation of the liberty OF con
science and conviction, an untram
melled right to vote ones conviction
on all public questions and an unde
e filed ballot" A REPUBLICAN.
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