Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-15
Opening of the State Canvass
at Chillicothe This Week.
THE COINAGE QUESTION
LETTER TO BRYAN FROM RUS
SELL ON THE FINANCIAL PLANK.
Johnson's Proposition to Form Cam.
County Causes Protest.
Special Dispatch to The Evening Star.

COLUMBUS, ONO, September 10.-Ihe L.
ness of Senator Hanna and Governor Nash.
both speakers at the opening of the state
campaign of the republicans at Chillicothe
next Saturday, threatens to interfere with
the program to some extent; but both Of
these gentlemen claim that they viii be
able to be present and carry out their part
Of the program. Governor Nash Is to pre-
side and. of course, upon taking charge Of
the meeting will make short address If he
is able to be present at all. His health has
been impaired for a long time-heart affec-
ton being IT, main trouble, and it is not
expected that he will take any further
active part in the republican campaign.
Senator Hanna's Illness.
Senator Hanna had been in his usual good
health up to two weeks ago. when he SEEM
ed to collapse under the strain of hard work
incident to the preparation for his cam
paign for return to the Senate. He i'm
proves slowly and his physicians have ad-
vised him against taking up active cam
paign work at once. He insists that he VIII
be able to get into the harness when the
time comes, and do hard falls work. In
order to save his strength for the state
opening at ChlIlicOthe he has Cancelled all
his political engagements up to that time.
Unless the doctors are not given any chance
to say anything about it, there will be fire.
Quent rest days for the senator, and no
such strenuous campaign work as he has
been used to doing will be assigned to him
in this campaign.
Nearly all the candidates for the legisla-
ture on both the republican and demo-
cratic tickets have now been placed in
the field Since the chief object on both
sides in the campaign is to be the United
States senatorship, this is an important
matter. Mayor Johnson, who is ruling
things on the democratic side with high
hand Is doing a most extraordinary thing
in regard to the democratic nominations for
the legislature. He is undertaking to make
changes in the legislative tickets where
they do not suit him. At Akron last week
though the democrats of Summit county
nominated their candidates for the legisla-
ture some time ago. Mayor Johnson offered
a place on the ticket to a close political
friend-taking no pains to conceal the prop
osttion He stated that he would make
place on the ticket If this friend would
accept it. 1t is said that he proposes to
trim the democratic legislative ticket in
Lucas county (Toledo) in the same way to
suit his plan for a fusion with the Golden
Rule Jones faction of the republicans.
Democratic Discussions.
This is, of course, making discussions
among the democrats-the friends Of the
men who are to be thus forced off the tic
ket protesting-and adding to the general
opposition in the party to the arbitrary
methods of Mayor johnson In running the
party machine and their results. The Gin
cinnau Enquirer, the strongest democratic
paper In the state, Is posing rather as the
organ or the Johnson opposition now. In
an editorial reference to the democratic
state ticket last week the Enquirer referred
to John II. Clarke. the candidate for the
Senate, as "Our Grand Comma nder. In 1SY6 - I
abiding to the fact, Of course, that in the 1
national campaign Of that year he was
prominent among the Ohio supporters Of
Palmer and Buckner. and added "but it is
only fair to state that Mr.. Clarke is as con-
SiStent and firm an opponent of free coinage
now as he was then, but it does not scare
him so bad now" Such editorial references
as this show where the Enquirer's sympa.
thies are IS
AS indicating the sentiment of the radical
free silver democrats toward the nOmina.
ton of Clarke. letter written by L.
Russell of Cleveland to William ]. Bryan
and published here serves well. Mr. Rus
sell is a prominent lawyer of Cleveland.
was the candidate of his party for Con-
gress four years ago. and was one of tho
ablest advocates Of Mr.. Bryan both times
he ran for the presidency that he had in
this state. In the letter he plainly saws to
Mr.. Bryan that he has backed down on the
coinage question before stronger will than
hls-Tom Johnson's-and that while contin-
ually reading men out of the party for do
ing just what Mr. Clarke did, he embraces
Mr.. Clarke and advises his nomination for
a most important office.
In heavens NAME" says Mr. Russell
IF humanity is to be crucified upon a cross
of gold. let Senator Hanna and not our MI.
Clarke be the crucif1er"
He warns Mr.. Bryan that Clarke is a
man having the courage of his convictions
and that If elected senator he will prob
ably continue to be a gold bug as occasion
requires, las you have not, 1t seems been
able to continue to be a free coinage ad-
vocate."
He tells Mr.. Bryan that it would be bet
ter to keep Mr.. Clarke at the practice of
law until the gold bug In him does as he
hopes 1t will.
Nothing that Mayor Johnson has done so
Tar In the campaign has caused more dis
sension in the party or is likely to cause
more as the campaign proceeds than his
proposition to organize a committee of
lightweight members-one member from
each county-as a general campaign COM
mittee separate and distinct from the state
central and executive committees to have
general charge of the campaign work in
the counties. Already there are loud pro-
tests from the regular county executive
committees, who insist that in this way
Mayor johnson proposes to take the cam
paign work out of the hands Of the persons
who have been selected by the democratic
voters of the county to look after 1t. To
this Mayor Johnson and his political man
ager. Charles P. Salem. replies that 1t il
not intended to ignore the regular county
committees and that the general commit
tee will operate with them.
Making a Machine.
Those who are in a position to view this
move on the part of Mayor johnson calmly
can see in 1t the first steps toward the
building up of a state machine for next year
through which Mayor johnson will be east
ly able to make Ohio democracy support
the candidate of his choice for the presi-
dency. The suggestion is made in this con-
nection that perhaps in this lies the explain
alton or the Endorsement OF Johnson and
his MANAGEMENT of the state convention by
MI Bryan. for Bryan no doubt knows what
Mayor Johnson's plans for 1904 are Some
Iurther explanation Is needed of the fact
that In securing the Endorsement of BRYAN
for the nomination of Clarke the gold bug
Mayor johnson has induced Bryan to do
what no one had been able to get him to do
since ls96-that is. concede that for the
present. at least. free coinage is a dead is
sue