The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1898-03-17

this state. 1t has never taken kindly
to the boss idea. OF course would be
bosses arise and hold sway for briei
space now and then, but the hour OF
their overthrow comes apace from the
moment that they assume the boss
ship" II is different with the Repub-
lican party. 1t seems to like to be
bossed. 1t can't do business without
them.
There is no disposition on the part
OF the committee to restrain any one
who has contracted the writing
habit from indulging himself to his
hearts content in expounding the prin-
ciples of the party as he understands
them to any one he can induce to read
his eftusions, providing he does it on
his own personality and pays for the
stationery. If the committee wishes to
issue any proclamation in the name of
the party will hereafter do 1t on it's
own account, and see to it that no self
constituted boss seizes the headquar-
ters and Eliminates therefrom, using
party ammunition to serve his own pur-
poses.
Stop the Farce.
Very Unexpectedly the Pugh bill to
prevent the indiscriminate signing of
petitions for the insertion of party tick
cts on the Australian ballot had some
trouble in the house this week. 1t pass
ed the senate with almost no opposi-
tion, and should find no opposition any
where. The plain object of the bill is
to make such petitions mean some
thing. 1t is a farce, as the matter
stands now. A voter can sign 40 peti-
tions for tickets, intending to vote none
OF them. Such is plainly not the inten-
tion Of the law, but as it stands it can
be done, apd is done at every election.
The result IS that the ballot is enor-
mously wild med cut, TO no purpose, as
the election returns show, for not one
tenth Of those who ask for the inser-
ton Of many Of these tickets support
them with their own votes. Last fail,
for instance, the gold Democrats had
no trouble in getting over 10000 names
to their petition, but at the polls only
1862 voters cast their ballots for julius
Dexter, the candidate Of the party for
governor.
The scheme is perfectly plain. The
Republicans signed the petition, know
ing that if the gold Democrats did not
have a candidate on the ballot they
would vote for the regular Democratic
candidate for governor.
A Peculiar Investigation.
The selection of members of the COM
mittee appointed to investigate the
charges that have been made by num-
Der Of newspapers within the last
week, that ring of cOrruptionists in
the house is holding up legislation for
boodling purposes, indicated that it's
real purpose was not to ascertain the
truth of the publications, but to dis
cipllne the newspaper writer's who ex-
posed the matter. The first movemepts
OF the committee rather tend to con
firm this suspicion. The committee
seems to know that If it digs in the
right direction it will turn up indispu-
table proof of the truth of theIpublica-
tions. 1t looks now as though the ef.
forts Of the committee woul9 be mainly
directed toward keeping facts that
would not look well in priBt under COW
er. One OF the principal newspaper cor
respondents in the case has served no.
tice on the committee that he will
spend the rest Of his natural life in jail
If necessary before hewill agree to give
his testimony in secret session. What
l have to say about this matter" said
be, must be said IN public, and will be
available for use by every newspaper
in the state and elsewhere that cares
to use It,"
The committee appointed to inyesti-
gate the stateprison has been acting in
the same way. This committee was
made up offriends of the combination,
and Speaker Mason refused to appoint
additionsl members of II when the
house adopted resolution Increasing
the nuhber of members of the commit
tee, so that the other side might have
representation. That is about as arb,-
trayy as anything the czar of all the
Russias has done lately 1t is stated
that II has been absolutely impossibls
to get this committee to work in the
direction that 1t was intended II should
work when the resolution providing for
It was adopted.
j. H. GALBRAITH.