The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-09-15
GEN. CHARLES DICK
Answers the Attack on Him
BY Mayor Johnson.

Sir-If you are correctly reported
in the Cleveland Plain Dealer of
morning, Sept. 10, this Is
what you said at the opening meet
ing of your campaign at Akron the
night before:
Last year when visited Akron, |
varied my usual rule. My rule is not
to say mean things about any one.
That is, any one except renegade
Democrats, and say mean things
about them most of the time But l
have made il a rule to say nothing
derogatory of the private character
of any man OF Senator Hanna's
private life l have never had a word
of criticism 1t Is Senator Hanna's
public record that / have condemned.
But as have remarked, when / was
here last fall / broke over my rule
and said some things about General
Dick. your fellow townsman. / said
he didn't pay his debts A few weeks
later / heard that he had paid his
debts. Now, I am not wishing to stand
before you as a collection agency in
any sense. And / really do not claim
to have been responsible for Dicks
having paid up.
"Dick is the manager of the Re-
publican campaign for those Repub-
lican leaders who are seeking to ma.
nipulate the party to their own per
sonal advantage. He managed the
campaign last year, and his manage
ment was subject to criticism. Last
year he had a literary bureau which
raked up lot of old things which
had forgotten entirely and which
was glad to have called to MIND
again. Some of the things he pub
lis he'd we're pleasant. Among othel
things he said 1 had not paid m,
taxes. For some reason we haven
heard anything along that line thi
year yet. Dick called it argument
but others called it mud. 1 under
stand that during that campaign h
became so dirty that he had to TAX
two Turkish baths a day.
With reference to your remark
personal to myself, let me say yol
are mistaken. / am still in debt
Iheavily in debt, as my obligations
Idirect and indirect, will testify, but
am making an earnest effort to NEE
my obligations honestly. 1t is in thi
particular that we seem to differ
owe debts; you owe taxes. / am er
Ideavoring to pay my debts, which
a distinctly personal matter; you ar
endeavoring to avoid paying you
taxes, which is matter of genera
public concern. Mine is a debt t
individuals honesty made; yours is
debt to the public, but dishonest
made. If should fail to pay, fe'
would suffer loss; If you are not con
Ipelled to pay, every tax payer
Ohio suffers, whether man, woman G
child, banker, farmer, corporation G
owner of a home; the widow and ol
phan along with all the rest who pa
directly or indirectly a share of th
Irevenue to meet the cost of govern
ment. You are not robbing the stat
county or municipality in which 20
live by the dishonest listing of pc
sonal property, since the governmer
must secure its revenues from or
source or another, but you do rob tt
honest taxpayer by increasing h
burden, to make up the deficiency II
curred, when you dishonesty lii
Jour property for taxation. Sine
you make honest taxation your them
in your campaign to be elected go'
ernor, impugning the motives an
honesty of others, let me ask you
fair question:
You listed under oath, for the GU
rent tax year, slS.76o: that is lie,
than you listed for taxation last yea
when you returned sl3, $50: it is lie.
THAN you listed in 1901, when you r
! turned sl3, 800 of personal propert,
No real estate stands on the tax d,
plicates of Cuyahoga county in yor
name. You are not prominently II
2 terested, if at all, in any Ohio indu
d tries, yet you are reported to
: Enormously rich. Your wealth hs
E been estimated by those who ougf
to know at from six to fifteen mi
4 lions of dollars. Do you believe thu
d a return of property aggregatin
7 less than fourteen thousand dollar
t in value is fair return for multi
millionaire to make?
Your personal attack on me
Akron a year ago, of which you no
5 boast, was answered in that election
+ at which time was a candidate, b
a the people of Summit county givin
me the largest majority received /
}. any candidate on the Republics
ticket.
This present controversy is not
Imy making. You have invited
and before this campaign closes yt
! lshall have your fill of it.
Respectfully,
CHARLES DICK.
columbus, Ohio, Sept. IL, 1908.