The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1902-08-08
Capital Gocrip
BY Der e.. WILLIAMSON.
(stafr Correspondcnt.)

from this time on4 John r. Malloy
unlocked the doors Monday and on
Tuesday General Dick looked in on his
way to the second brigade encampment
at Newark. When the encampment has
closed and the boys have returned to
their homes Dick will come to Colum-
bus, and after that the Republican
campaign will practically be on. The
campaign will be of an alleged literary
character. The text book furnished by
the congressional committee, just out
of print at Washington, will serve as
the basis of instruction Ito Ohio orators.
But what bothers the Republican lit
erary experts most is how to instruct
the fellows on state issues. With a
SPECIAL session Of the legislature COM
ing on and no telling how long they
will be tinkering with code for Ohio
municipalities, it is difficult to instruct
the spellbinders and the ward heele:s
and township leaders, what to tell the
talEers to talk about. State is
sues would be evaded IL possible but
whether III is possible is another mat
ter. What the legislature does will
come home to every city and village.
The Republicans will be respons BILE
for whatever is done. There is no way
that responsibility can be evaded.
Governor Nash is showing his future
contempr for councils, as constituted
in the state of Ohio. He has desired all
along to curtail their powers as much
as possible and his latest plan is to
have the president of the council elect
ed by the people and not from the
councilman'c body itself. This would
make sort OF guardian out Of the
president of the council and. being
elected by the people, would serve to
make him the arbitrary authority In
council meetings. The code trainers
would have 10000 as the mark of divi-
sions between cities and villages and
would have an extra councilman for
every fifteen thousand population over
10000. When this increase commenced
there would be six coIncilmtn elected
by wards and three at large. One
would be added as the population grew.
But one thing thah they seem to have
overlooked is the authority to make the
boundaries for wards. Who is to do
the redistricting? Will the present
council redistrict for the future body,
or will the state authorities do that?
1t ic probable an effort will be made
to take the redistrict'pg out Of hands
of people Of the cities, SO that the stal e
authorities or somebody appointed by
them may fix the lines. Then every
city that is Republican will be left Re-
publican, and every city that Is Demo-
cratic, when voting by wards, will be
so radistricted as to make it Republi-
can, if such a thing is possible. In
Canton, for instance. a board could
figure it out, by running the
lines east and west, Ito make the wards
there Republican. A judicious distrt-
be had. which would give the Repub-
licans four out of the six. Then with
four to go on and only three to elect at
large. it could readily be figured oat
to elect at least one Of these running
at large, and have Republican coun-
ell in Canton at all times. This is
what will be done if 1T is left to board
OF course IL 1t is left to councils, Re
publican councils win take care of the
future and so will Democratic comn-
cils. But it seems queer that, in all
their deliberations, nobody has seen fit
to bring this important question for
ward.
Senator Ccnre,l, of Lisbon, was
rather astonishe1 when your CORES
pondent asked him the C-estion as to
who would redistrict the cities and
villages of the state under the new code.
He is here tinkering with the 9th ers,
having undertaken the village end OF
the code making, and he declared the
question had never occurred to him.
II suppose the councils as now con-
aitutcd would make the cities over
into districts" said he.
But wouldn't that destroy the very
essence of a uniform code by creating
partisan redistricting, by partisan coun-
cils:" was asked.
Possibly it woull," declared Con-
NELL "That is a matter that will have
to be looked into"
II is Just possible that the fellows
who are working this uniform code
plan through will mol thank anybody
for raising the question. 1t is alto
gether probable that little clause
was to be edited in giving a board ap-