The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-09-22
GAG and HALTER.
Candidate Clarke's Complete
Costume Needed Them.
10 OF ALL cUYAnO0A DELEGATES

Had John II. Clarke gone upon the
platform of the Tom Johnson conven-
ton in the frl harness Of his position
there as a delegate from Cuyahoga
county he would have needed to make
his costume complete a gag In his
mouth and q halter around his neck.
n. ID. Baker. Johnson's city solicitor,
who figured as chairman Of the COM
mittee on resolutions. really wore the
gag and the halter Just the same. That
was true of every other man in the
delegation OF 70 members, not even
Chas. p. Salen. Johnson's county clerk
and chief manager. being free o
speak or to say a single thing except
as johnson directed or permitted
Johnson himself was a delegate and
he was the only delegate in Cuyahoga
county with any right to say anything
or do anything. All the rest were
bound up and tied up to keep still un-
til he told them to speak. to say moth
ing except as he permitted them to
gay 1t. and not a man among them lad
a vote Of his own. The unit rule gag
one proposition was presented to the
convention upon which a single man
Of them all was permitted to have an
opinion of his own, much less an ex-
preston.
Such is the outcome up to date of
Tom Johnson's home rule" In his own
county. in his own party. Absolute
dictation like unto this has never been
known in any party in Ohio since the
state was organized. The half of It..
nor the fraction of II has never been
attempted before this by any party in
any Ohio county. The gag Of the unit
rule repudiated by the Republicans in
their national convention under Gar
fields leadership after a splendid con-
test nearly a quarter OF a century ago.
has been fastened upon the Cuyahoga
county Democrats by Tom johnson.
and they will never get rid Of 1t until
they rise up and repudiate him root
and branch. Nor was this all Of the
beauties and peculiarities Of home
rule" according to johnson. intro
duced by him in his own party. In his
own county. This move was only the
last step In a series taken by johnson
proving that he dare not trust his
own followers. but felt 1t necessary to
hobble and cripple every step that
they should take.
The delegates to the johnson state
convention at Columbus from Cuya-
hoga county were not chosen by the
Democratic party in general OF that
county. but instead everything was
carefully arranged to make sure that
none but Johnson men could get any
where near that Johnson county con-
vention in Cleveland. Even in that
convention. the members did not d.
rectly and personally ballot for the 73
delegates to Columbus. but were only
permitted to ratify the slate selected
by a small committee dictated by
Johnson for that purpose. And ii was
these. even thus chosen, who wera
gagged when they got to Columbus.
Not one vote cast by the Cuyahoga
county delegation represented the per-
sonal views of its 73 members.
Even this. however, was not all of
1t. nor the worst Of 1t. in its practical
ILLUSTRATION of Johnson home rule" at
Johnson's home. The johnson county
delegates in Cuyahoga were magnani-
mously allowed to be chosen by ths
people at Democratic primaries. Had
this primary election been actually
open to all Democrats upon an equal
basis. as becomes the party that pro-
fesses that 1t always trusts the peo-
ple." very different results might have
been reported. AS II was. the voters
when they got to the polls found sub
stantially nothing but Johnson tickets
to vote. Nobody else was given a
chance or was permitted to think of
trying to have a chance. Any one who
wanted to take day OF from his busi-
ness to be a delegate to the Cuyahosa
county Johnson convention was called
upon to pay $40 for the mere privilege
/ of being such a candidate. If he was
not n Johnson man. spot cash was rs-
quired of him. Whether any Johnson
man actually paid this $40 is secret
of the Johnson inner circle.
| Not even this precaution. however
unprecedented as 1t is in Ohio politics
was considered stringent enough to
protect johnson from opposition with
in the primaries of his own party OF
his own county. In addition to II the
lists Of candidates for delegates to the
Johnson county convention were kept
hidden for days. and in fact the voters
| did not know who they were to ballot
| for until the tickets were handed out
to them at the polling places. This
shut out the last possible opportunity
OF the chosen favorites. and absolutely
compelled the people at the primaries
to do just what Dictator Johnson d.
rected with no chance for anything
else. Such is home rule" down tc
date by the greatest professional home
ruler on the surface of the earth. by
his own boasts. Johnson home rule
II stance he ruled at home as no other
politician ever thought of attempting
to rile anywhere in this state in al
It's history.
This is the kind OF home rule" that
Johnson seeks to extend all over the
state of Ohio IL elected governor. and
that he would like to make universal
throughout the United States by bill
own nomination and election mex
year as the Democratic candidate TO
president. What he has done in tn
way OF absolute dictat.on over his owl
party in his own county of Cuyahog'
is what he also did at his state con
vention In Columbus that nominate'
him for governor. II is just what tn