Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1902-10-20
AKRON DEMOCRAT CO.
HOME RULE BETRAYED.

hVhNSt ihOtiNVo tOuio w. /
over and over, in favor of the principle |
of home rule as demanded by the peo-
pie. And the other branch was at |
least ostensibly not opposed to this |
verdict Of Its fellow.
And so the record remained until the |
two branches went into conference,
through their committee. over the diff
ferences which really did exist be-
tween them. To the everlasting dis
grace of the peanut politicians who
officer the Legislature Of Ohio, no
Democrat was allowed to be on that
committee, SO that the largest city
in the State,-the city whose sole ex
perience in the workings of the fed
eral plan would have been most valu-
| able and wholesome, was denied a
| representation in the body which was
to shape the most momentous law by
| which 1t even was governed. An OBJ
| scure renegade, acceptable to
, the boss-owned officers who made up
the committee of conference only by
the corrupt betrayal of his constitu-
ents In giving his vote for the Infamous
curative act" by! which, when the
courts had ordered some robbers
caught with property plundered from
the people Of Cincinnati on their per-
sons to disgorge and drop 1t, the
thieves, headed by Senator Foraker,
were permitted to pick up the stolen
franchise and enjoy it at tine peoples
expense for forty-four years longer
such man, so recommended, was the
sole representative of the minority
party-a minority respectable in num-
bers and, by comparison with its ad-
versary, eminently so in character, in
a conference which had entrusted to
its action the most practically import
ant legislation ever adopted in Ohio.
Even then, this unrepresentative
body flinched from taking the plunge
which was to commit the people of all
our municipalities to the free hand
and untramelled caprice of an ire
sponsible bossism.
But the little finger of George b.
Cox, dark, dirty, unsavory and dis
reputable as his record has been, was
thicker than the loins of the law. At
, all hazards and in any event, his rule.
and yet not his rule at all, SO far as
: ever fixing upon him, or any one who
, can be known and pointed out to the
, finger of popular scorn, or be brought
within reach of the heavy hand of
, popular Indignation, the responsible
, ity for the grossest misuse of the
, enormous power confided to him, for
he could never be himself elected to
, the meanest Office of public trust
the rule Of this man must be extended
E and perpetuated in Cincinnati. while
the power Of Mayor in Cleveland,
, elected to his position by an open and
r overwhelming vote of his people, must
, with equal certainty be emasculated.
3 To this end, and to prod the tagging
5 energies of the row of wooden men,
D men who would find their exact
' sphere of usefulness as so many
: signs in front of cigar stands, who
4 made up the conference committee,
!, the burly boss, who together with
3 Cox owns the State of Ohio. came to
, Columbus the other day. He SO justly
distrusted the ability of tn, ignoramu-
! SEES whom he had to drive to patch up
! law into form IT, suit him after he
Q had furnished orders for both the ma.
. terlal and the pattern, that he brought
: his personal lawyer with him to lick
r the destined legal monstroslty into a
! shape to pass muster before the courts
{ Then he appeared In the State House
0 and cracked his whip. The dock
1 wollapers and the ronstabouts on the
s docks at Cleveland never jumped
a more nimbly at any of his old time
: cussing than did these Legislative
!. gentry at Columbus last Thursday
0 He gave them just Is minutes to stor
0 their abortive tricks of trying to plac,
J, before the people even a plausibl,
: thlmble-rig game OF now-you-see-it
e and-now'you-don't, and to bring fortl
o law which should effectually tax,
s away from the people Of all Ohio cite,
!, the right to govern themselves, and /,
S transfer their government to an irre
sponsible board, and the power o
o choosing that board In the ultimat,
p resort to nonresident Official,
s stranger to the governed and to thei
> needs and wishes.
:. 1t was done In less than the allote,
Il time A coumnIftAe of consarano