Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-06-06
THE OHIO DEMOCRACY
Forecast as to Selection of Candidate
for Governor.
COL. KILBOURNE A STRONG MAN
Representative Lentz Would Be
Glad to Get Nomination.
MAYOR JONES A FACTOR
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

| CLEN ELAND, ONO, June >, 1879.
Its pretty near time for the democrat tic
| interresnum,' "a republican politician in Co
| lumbus told me the other day. But" he
added, well fool them this year.
It's coming around our turn again." a
| Cleveland democrat said to me yesterday.
Eve haven't had a governor for four terms
| now and we are bound to get one pretty
| soon"
The democratic interregnum has recur-
| red in Ohio at periods regularly almost
| since there was a republican party. Some
times 1t comes natural political re-
| action, and sometimes as an overturning,
the causes of which man can Judge The
| oldest inhabitants who have been foohng
| with politics for half century or so look
| for the signs of 1t just as they look for
the weather signs. The periodicity of this
| political change had become conviction
| with both republicans and democrats 1t
used to give the democrats United States
senator along with state officers. When
that precedent was broken and two re-
| publican sena tors represented Ohio faith
in the immutability of this law began to
weaken, yet the tradition is still strong
one that the democrats in Ohio must have
their inning. 1t keeps them content in the
longer periods of exclusion from the public
service, and it gives the republicans spells
Ot reflection and repentance.
l don know that there is a much strong
er reason to look for the democratic inter-
regnum this year than there was following
the presidential election, when a natural
reaction might have been expected. The
| fractional differences among the republicans
are deeper than usual, and that gives some
encOura cement However it may be, the
prospect is considered Il good one by the
democrats, and they are discussing a suit
able candidate for governor. Their state
central committee will meet next week.
and will call the state convention for Au-
gust. So while the rest of the country is
satisfied to keep cool, Ohio will have its
dose of midsummer politics
No Scramble for the Nomination.
1t does not look now as though the con-
test for the democratic nomination would
be heated one. The democratic factions
in the state really seem to be getting to-
gether and individual ambitions for the
governorship are tolerated without the
usual exhibitions of il-feeing. Some rri
t&tion has been shown at the suggestion
of the nomination of former Gov. James +.
Campbell but it is not deep. Mr.. Camp
bell has ceased to be live factor in Ohio
politics, and by the mass of the party he
is looked upon as a citizen of New York.
Nevertheless. in Cincinnati and that neigh
borhOod he has Il group of most worshipful
followers who parade him on every occa-
sion. He was popular governor and his
business misfOrtunes have not lessened the
attachment Of his Old friends, but the per
sCnal following he has is that of adorers
who PROSTATE themselves before his image
much like the mugW jumps before Grover
Cleveland. In the excess of their alteration
they don't notice that the rest of the world
has moved on to other shrines, and set up
new images.
These Campbell followers think that if
Jimmy" as they affectionately call him,
were to run for governor this year and be
elected he would be the democratic nominee
! = frE,a
Democratic politicians who have been pref
ty- successful in managing campaigns do
not like the Campbell talk not so much be-
cause they fear Campbell as because they
do not want a speech-makfng campaign.
They have no doubt that this ex-governor
would be a good campaigner, as he proved
himself in former contests. They are also
sure that he would stir up the republicans
as well as the democrats and would thus
cause another demonstration of the fact
that Ohio is republican state, except when
the republicans so to sleep. They prefer a
| different kind of Il campaign, and their
purpose is not to nominate a candidate for
| governor with any idea Of making him a
| candidate for President. G
Lentz Prospective Candidate. =
Representative John J. Lentz was at one
| time a prospective candidate, though the
| prospect was never favorable to his nomi-
| nation. He, too, is Il campaigner of the
| Campbell school, who wakes up his politi-
| cal enemies as we'll as his friends He also
| makes excessively long speeches, so that
| the papers usually speak of the speech
| which Representative Lentz delivered last
night and this morning LentZ Is an adrolt
politician, rot bothered with stable con-
| victions and would like the nomination.
| / remember him years ago at college, when
| he was one of the numerous other ambi-
| tiOuS Youths who were carving out careers
| for themselves in Congress and in the
| White House. Occasionally newspaper
| para graphs reached me telling of him as
| the special friend and champion of Grover
| Cleveland and of the gold standard democ-
| racy During the last presidential cam
| paign he turned up at a little meeting in
one of the villages on the Hudson where
| Bryan was to make address. Ientz
! made very good free silver speech and
| when | asked him if he hadn't been gold
democrat he replied that he was candi-
| date for Congress and hoped his old per
Sonal friends would he p him get elected
| He did get elected Ey narrow margin,
| and. | believe, has not made reputation
| for baShf illness during his first term. LentZ
| is the law partner of George h Nash, the
| republican candidate for governor, and
| that is given a reason why he will not
| be the democratic candidate
Movement for Col. kIbourne.
/ There is another reason. Before there
was any certainty Of the nomination of
| Nash. Allan W. Thurman and other lead
| ing democrats of Columbus had started a
| movement in behalf of Col James Kill
| bourne, a wealthy manufacturer They
| were certain to give him the delegation
| from Columbus. and that practically elimi-
| mated Representative Lentz. The present
| purpose seems to be to nominate Col. Kill
| bourne. and it is doubtful if any candidate
| can make Roadway against him.
| President McKinley's home town of Can
| ton at ore time had a promising candidate
| This was Mayor Rice, who kept the d mo-
| Gratis toge Their there. and held them loyal
| to the local ticket, though some of them
| did stray off and cast a republican ballot
| for President. Rice was looked upon as
| available by the politicians all over the
| state. but the democrats of Canton, or
| Stark county, felt they were important
! enough to have factions, there was a
| local opposition to Mayor Rice led by
| lawyer John c. Welty, with the result that
| Rice's ambition was curbed.
| Occasional mention is still made of for
! mer Representative Tom l.. Johnson but it
! is like the whisper of the winds. 1t pass s
! so quickly that no one has chance to
! catch 1t and examine 1t critically The
| probability is that Mr.. Johnson will not be
| drawn from this leisure which he has PLAN
| ned in order to systematically propa ga tie
| the single tax doctrines of Henry George