The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-09-18


overwhelming-His Great Hope Is
In the Negligent, Stay-st-Home re-
pubiicans Of Ohio to Put Him at the
Head OF His Own Party.
One fact about the present cam
paign in Ohio may as well be under
stood first as last. In truth. the sooner
its full significance shall be clearly
understood the better it will be for
the public welfare and particularly
for every public interest that is so
vitality at stake in the maintenance OF
Republican control of national and
state affairs.
That fact is that the contest in
Ohio will be earnest and determined
from the start to the finish. There
will be no walkover about it. That
man does immense damage to the
possibility of defeating Johnsonism
and all of its perils to the public well
fare. who boasts beforehand OF the i'm
mensities of the majority that will be
given against johnson and his un-
Democratic vagaries. and then quietly
sits down and folds his hands and
bring about these majorities. About
107 900 Republicans. or at any rate
citizens of Ohio. and probably the
number is even greater than that. who
voted for Mckinley in 1900. had no
part or lot in the election OF Cover
nor Nash in the next year or OF Sec
retary Laylin last year. So far as
they were concerned, both Of these
| splendid and efficient public servants
might have been defeated. The credit
and the glory of their election belongs
not at all to any man of this immense
army Of more than 100000. Republic
cans though they are. but only to the
faithful and true. who actually at
tended to their personal political du-
| ties at the polls. In either of these
elections the Democrats might have
won in Ohio by over 10000, so far
as these stay-at-home Republicans
were concerned. had the entire Dem
ocratic strength been marshalled and
united in the ballots.
| Democratic dissensions are not to be
depended upon every year. Sometimes
the voters of that party get together
| very quickly and thoroughly. That
was shown in 1892. after the drubbing
that Mckinley had given them only
the year before. when the Ohio DEM
ocracy rallied to Grover Cleveland
with 10000 more votes than they had
cast In 1891. The result was that
Harrison had bare 1912 plurality in
this state. and even at that one DEM
II f,,t ~
this was directly traceable to the Re
publicans. who wanted Harrison elect
ed. but stayed at home from the polls
thinking that their votes were not
needed.
Take no chances upon the repetition
of such a history in Ohio this year.
Johnson has plenty of Democratic op-
ponents at this time and the opposi-
tion to Clarke's nomination is deserv-
ed and general. Nevertheless. the
Democratic vote may prove to be
much greater than 1t was a year ago.
This is the first great battle before
the national campaign of next year.
In no other state is any man running
for its highest Office on the Demo-
cratic ticket with any prospect of be-
ing the Democratic presidential nom
inee. such as stands before Johnson in
his Ohio campaign. Should he cut
down the Republican plurality to any
great extent that would put him in
the very front rank of Democratic
presidential possibilities. The greater
his gain here. the more sure would
; Johnson be OF sweeping away all other
. Democratic candidates for the party's
nomination. particularly should he
defeat Senator Hanna He has con-
stantly declared that that is what he
is after. and that is why he Is after
It. because Hanna's leadership of the
Republicans of the nation would en-
!, phasize Johnson's victory over him as
nothing else could do.
To be sure there are not few DEM
ocrats who. for reasons good and suf-
ficient. wish to see Mr.. Johnson wiped
OF the slate by emphatic defeat in
Ohio The full majority against him
must come from Republicans. how
ever. His hope is in the stay-at-home
Republicans. There ought not to he
one such man in the entire Republi-
can ranks, whose absence from the
polls will give the slightest encourage
ment to Johnson, the single taxer and
free trader.
Municipal ownership will make q
4 II.