The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-08-15
The Toledo Mayor States His
Position to the Public.
MAKES INTERESTING READING
viii wait to See How Many Letters He
Gets, but How He Is to Tell the
Genuine From Dicks Is
Not Known.
Special to the News-Democrat.

a possible non partisan candidate for
the office Of governor. My belief in
the good faith of the people who write
these letters and of the leaders OF the
Union Reform movement generally
leads me to write this open letter to
undertake to make my position clear on
the subject.
"I did not make the declaration that
4 will never again claim political 10y
atty to anything less than the whole
people' until had given the whole sub
ject the most careful thought that l
am capable of. I did not then see,
nor am / able to see, q single spot or
place where shall be debarred from
exercising any functions of good citi-
zenship by reason of having made this
declaration
PARTISAN POLITICS.
'In partisan politics we have an ex-
preston Of the worst evils Of our COM
petitive life. All of the ills that affiict
our commercial, industrial, social and
political life today can be charged di-
rectly to the evil of competition. 1
think the most careful analysis Will
convince all fair minded persons OF
the business of this charge. Men are
brothers, not competitors, naturally
loving, just and kind, and our aim
should be to establish an order of life
in which it is possible for us to live as
brothers To do this we must elimin-
ate the competitive idea in every pos
sible way that we can. Competition Is
an acknowledged failure as business
system, and it is no longer practiced
by any but common laborers and small
traders.
Business men, professional men and
skilled workmen combine; hence we
have the trusts, the corporation, the
labor unions, the bar associations, min
isters' unions, etc. The competitive Or
der may do for wild beasts; 1t was new
er intended for human beings. AS 1t
has been abandoned as business sys-
tenn and is rapidly going out of date In
every department Of commercial life,
1t is high time that 1t should be aban-
doned in our political life. I see no
possible way Of doing this by pursuing
A new party, using old machine meth
ods of precinct, ward and county COM
mitteemen, ETC., of self-constituted
committees to select lists Of delegates
will in the end produce the same old
results that the old party machines
have produced. 1t will select the cum
ming and the wise and the unscrupulous
simple, the confding and the unwary'
and this result will continue so long as
the competitive idea is our rule of life.
DIRECT LEGISLATION.
at believe in direct legislation. I be-
lieve in it now and am ready to begin
to practice 1t now. / shall not be can
didate for governor in this campaign, or
for any other office in any campaign
to come, unless the people, through the
initiative by petition, express their de-
sire that shall. I know Of no more ra-
tional or reasonable way to inaugurate
the initiative than in the statement
contained in my open letter in these
words. Referring to the desire for
a non partisan candidate, l said II in
yite those that feel that such a move
should be made to write to me for Pc
titions of correct legal form upon which
to secure signatures, petitiontng the
secretary of state to place the name or
the ticket 1 have not since nor will
make a single move to secure a name
beyond merely sending out the blanks
that have been asked for IF this Is
not submitting the question directly tc
the initiative of the people, then I dc
not understand the simplest words ir
the English language.
NO ORGANIZATION.
at is charged that 1 am making 6
Jones party and an independent par
ty. I reply, we have no form or sem
blance of organization or party as G
result of the election in this city las
spring. believe in organization fol
educational purposes, but do not II
organization of men drawn together
by the hope of spoils (offices). Wher
men and women assemble purely IL
the interest of education, we are theI
able to locate the people who are in
spired by moral purpose, but when they
organize for political purposes fo
the capture of offices, it is impossible t
tell who is inspired with desire to ben
eft their fellow men and who Is draw
to the movement by the hope of person
al gain.
"It has been asked how / could ex
pect to put my theories into practic
Without party pledged to enact then
into law. reply, give the people th
initiative and they will make their owl
laws, but the law will not represent an!
higher purpose than inspires the peopl
who make 1t. Let them nominate eve
nv official from constable to governo
by petition, and we shall at once get ri'
of the iniquitous delegate system b.
xvbich the hest men on earth can b.