Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-10-28
NEW CODE IN OHIO
Displeases the Smaller Cities
in Buckeye State.
EFFECT ON CAMPAIGN
BLAME FALLS ON THE REPUBLI-
CAN MANAGERS.
But Mayor johnson is Ofsetting Their
Mistakes by Some Of
His Own.
EFFECT ON CAMPAIGN
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.


The adoption of a municpl code, unlike
anything that was popularity demanded by
the special session of the general assembly
which came to an end this week, has no
doubt thrown a damper on republican en-
thusiasm in the campaign that will make
Itself felt. The new law is the dictation of
George B. Cox of Cincinnati, the repub-
lican boss, and Senator Hanna. The repub-
licans of up-the-state are disguised with a
party control that has completely upset the
governments Of seventy-one cities in the
state in order that Cox might not be dis
turbed in the slightest degree in the means
by which he controls absolutely the repub-
lican politics of Cincinnati and Hamilton
county. The form of government prescribed
by this new municipal code is almost an
exact copy of that under which Cincinnati
has been governed for fifteen years, so that
while all the other cities of the state must
be completely reorganized Immediately,
Cincinnati proceeds urdisturbed.
The particularly exssperating feature of
this, to the smaller cities of the state, is
that the same complicated and expensive
municipal machinery that is necessary to
govern a large city like Cincinnati is i'm
posed upon them. In the case of governing
boards, public service and public safety,
the code does permit city councils limiting
them to three and two members, respective
J,
by no means certain that the supreme court
will sustain this degree of fiexibility.
Delegations Were Heard.
In committee of the whole the general
assembly heard delegations from all parts
Of the state as to what they desired in
their new city governments. In all the
number that appeared, no one but the rep
resentatives of Cincinnati asked for such
municipal code as was adopted. When the
conference committee had reported the code
in the condition in which it was adopted
protests came in from mayors of the small
er cities all over the state, but they were
of no avail. In the beginning Of the special
session the house took a firm stand against
the Cincinnati plan and until within
If that plan would fail. The political deal
by which George B. Cox secured control of
the house on this proposition and forced it
to approve the Cincinnati plan was so plain
that it has made the result the more dis
tasteful to the smaller cities. 1t happened
that w. S. McKinnon, speaker of the house,
and w. E. Guerin, probably the ablest re-
publican member of the house, were among
the most radical opponents Of the Cincin-
natl plan. Following visit by them to
Cincinnati and conference with George B.
Cox came a sudden turn on the part Of
these gentlemen in favor Of the scheme
Mr.. McKinnon announced his candidacy for
the republican nomination for state treas
urer next year and Mr.. Guerin came out
as a candidate for the republican nominal
ton for attorney general. This turn in af-
fairs was generally interpreted to mean
that in consideration Of the change of front
on the part of Speaker McKinnon and Mr..
Guerin they had been promised the support
Of George B. Cox and Senator Hanna in
next years state convention. Senator
Hanna co-operated with Cox, partly be-
cause he wants the Hamilton county dele
cation to help secure his return to the Sen
ate in January 1904, and partly because he
wishes an overturning of the government
Of Cleveland, in order to dislodge Tom l..
Johnson, who under the federal plan now
in force there carries the city for the dem
ocrats right along.
How the Fight Was Won.
The newly appointed lieutenant governor,
H. L. Gordon of Cincinnati, was already
thoroughly under the domination Of Cox,
and with the acquisition of Speaker Nc
Kinnon, the fight was won by Cox, for
these officers had the power to appoint the
conference committee that could make the
code what they wished, regardless of what
the two houses had done. AS was expected,
when the house conference committee was
announced Mr.. Guerin was member of It.
The expected happened all the way through.
He led a movement to agreement upon a
code Numerically opposed to what the
house had adopted.
Not republican in either house attempt
ell " QSleHu tlG Coue IepOI leu LII sAieilCe
that side listened to the scathing speeches
Of the democrats, denouncing the boss
methods by which seventy-one cities were
to be disrupted at the request Of one boss-
vote was practically along party lines. Two
republicans in the senate and one in the
house refused to-vote for 1t.
So much is necessary to understand the
probable effect upon the pending election.
To say that the republican legislators nave
gone to their homes disguised at what the
men running the republican politics oe the
state have compelled them to do hardly
fully expresses it. But with the rank and
file of the party the Objectionable results
of the legislatures action will not become
apparent until long after the coming cleo
ton, for the first elections under the new
code do not take place until next April.
Were 1t not for this the republican party
In Ohio would suffer a dangerously large
loss in next months elections. AS 1t is
there will be considerable detection OF
Disguised republicans.
1t has become maxim with reviewers of
Ohio politics that if the republicans make a
faux pas during a campaign the democrats
may be confidently expected to duplicate it.
instead of taking advantage Of the opening.
Mayor Tom L. Johnson who is the head
and front of the democratic campaign,
could hardly conduct campaign more sat
isfactory to the republican committee.
johnson Vote Loser.
the votes they can get fractional matters
that they might like to dispose of at once
are postponed until after the election Not
so with Mayor Johnson. He believes in
reading all men out of the party who do not
come up to his standard, and at nearly
every meeting at which he speaks he de-
nounces some prominent democrat who hap
pens not to indorse all the propositions that
Mr. johnson has put in the state platform.
The result is that there is almost open in
surrection in the party against Johnson's
rule. He ordered the democratic members
of the general assembly to caucus on the
code bill, and while they were almost solid
ly opposed to the code, they refused to
obey the order, sent by Johnson. through
Harvey G. CARRIER, the state chairman, and. 1
thus recognizing his authority. johnson
has been particularly severe in his strict
ures upon John r. Mclean. and, though his
paper, the Enquirer. has ignored 1t all, 1t
loses no opportunity to give Johnson
thrust in a political news story. This feel
ing against johnson Is all the more likely to
be expressed in the election result. because
II is believed that he will lay claim to polit-