The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-10-13
BLACKMAILING
THE employees.
Hospital People Obliged to Pay
q Big Percentage
OF THEIR DAILY WAGES

To tho Republican Campaigp Fund and
Lose Their Jobs " They do Not
settIe-Even Boys Are
Not Exempted.
Special to News-Democrat.
Massillon, Oct. 10.--The employees of
the Massillon state hospital are mad
and mad clean through. The heavy
hand of the great G. o. p. has fallen
upon them with a dull thud and each
employe from the highest to the lowest,
has been touched" to the tune of per
cent of his annual salary for the bene-
At of the Republican campaign fund.
The word was broken in the soft, sweet
tune Of the party of purity, about
week ago. 1t was just hint thrown
cut to the employees that an assessment
might be requested. 1t was scarcely
probable of course, that the hard work.
ing employees would be called upon to
70 down in their pockets for the benefit
Of the dear old party, but still 1t was
possible and there was nothing like be-
ing prepared IL the jolt actually arrived.
Such was the dose of laughing gas first
administered before the pain of the pull.
The employees winked the other eye and
saved their pennies. AS a day or two
ago they saw in the columns of the
News Democrat the statement of Super
intendent Richardson that politics
would have absolutely nothing to do
with the appointment of a superinten-
dent Of the state hospital to succeed
him. The natural deduction was that
IL politics cut no figure in such an ap-
ntment, politics would certainly not
draw from the pockets of the employees
q portion of the earnings needed for
their wives and families. So the en-
ployes forgot their troubles and ceased
to be sore afraid. But the blow came
Monday morning when a big assistant
supervisor walked from building to
building and held little hair-raising
tete-a-tetes with the men. His CONVEX
sation was confined to the subject in
hand and at it's conclusion each indi-
vidual knew just what was expected of
him. The chief assessor did not trust
the supervisors memory. He was pro-
vided with several sheets of foolscap
and each employees initiation fee was so
plainly marked that he could run and
be squeezed. They felt that there was
NO alienation. 1t was pay up or get
cut. The one lone individual who rer
volted had little riot all to himself.
Thesupervisor with the foolscap ap-
preached an Irish laborer and said:
"Wally, you're down for ST."
"Wally" took a tug at his geans,
Knocked the ashes out of his pipe and
81 i'd:
"Oi may be down for 81, but I'll see
we be domed seven times seven before
ye get 1t up outen me wallet"
The supervisor walked away while the
Irishman communed with st. Patrick
and took reef in his purse strings.
"Wally" quit. He is one of the prize
shovelers on the local pipe line and
shys every time he sees the hospital
spires.
But this man was free to do as he
pleased. The burdens fall on the men
", AVE their little homes to pay for
and mouths to feed. A dozen getting
$22 per month were assessed 81 each.
One of these was a boy who can not
vote for a year or more. But his money
was good and the real, good, virtuous
q. o. p. reached down in his pocket and
took what 1t wanted One man, 1t Is
said, was compelled to pay $40 into the
corruption fund and several paid $28 as
their assessment. The supervisor did
not forget the executive office, and here,
it is said, SIS was placed opposite at
least one name while while scarcely
smaller amounts were collected from
several of the chief assistants. A News
Democrat reporter walking about the
hospital grounds heard the mutterings
of man and supposed he was patient
who was being allowed his liberty and
was humored by the management APP
preaching the scowling individual the
reporter asked him If he were a victim
of the cigarette habit. For a moment
the news gatherer was in danger and
then the fellow told of the passing of
the supervisor and his foolscap. He
was only a hard worked employe who
had been held up for the equivalent of
two months rent Asked as to the
identy of the real thing collector, he
gazed at the setting sun and said the
word that did the business came from
Columbus