The Bellefontaine Republican. [volume] (Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio) 1855-1905, 1903-09-11
"STAY-AT-H0MES."
They'Alone Can Give Johnson
Amy Gain.
rne PRESIDENCY IS HIS AIM

Everything Else Except That. But .
, Means to That One End-The Talk
About State Questions Nothing But .
Blind - Overwhelming Defeat His
. Due Desert.
On election night next November
the entire country will be waiting
anxiouBly for news from Ohio. No
other state election will be SO general
in its interest. or far-reacfing in its
Influence. All talk about shutting Ohio
up within its own boundaries Is not
only absurd and impossible. but dis
graceful. The Buckeye state has been
for two generations the first great bat
tie ground for ideas of national conse-
quence. Every election here has out
run the borders of our state in the
yastness of its importance. To pre-
tend at this late day that Ohio can
hold an election involving the most
|momentous national questions. and
yet that such election shall be purely
local. and limited. and restricted. is an
insult to the people of this great state.
30 long the leader in every national
politieal controversy.
Yet that is the very absurdity pro-
posed in the Ohio Democratic platform
fastened upon that party by Tom
Johnson, its present absolute ruler.
That document tries to elaborate
pretense that the contest in Ohio II
solely and exclusively upon state ques-
tions and concerns our own common
rvl ale rl.nr al
but Johnson himself knows better, for
he knows as he has repeatedly stated
In public Speeches that the very es-
sence OF his boasted Just Taxation"
IN in his view the single land tax.
which seeks to confiscate all real es-
tate to the state upon the ground that
private ownership OF any OF 1t is rob-
berry. He knows. too, that 1t is an in
separable part of his scheme to do
away with all tariffs. to abolish all
custom houses. to destroy protection.
root and branch. and bring in absolute
free trade with the entire world as the
policy Of the United States through
out our entire domains. Knowing
these things. boasting OF them at
times. every move made by johnson
which pretends to ignore them, which
goes through the motions OF making
ais campaign upon nothing but state
tissues In q deliberate endeavor to de-
ceive the people
Il More than this. though. and of still
4 more immediate consequence in the
campaign In which he is most COM
pletely the captain. is the fact that
johnson Is straining every nerve, In
using every move that he makes to
have the people of Ohio boost him into
the presidency of the United States.
or at any rate into the Democratic
nomination for that Office. Any gain.
or even seeming gain. that he might
happen to secure in Ohio next Novem-
Der by all false pretenses will be ac-
claimed as evidence that he is the
Ionly man who can lead his party in
its coming contest for the presidency.
Every Johnson vote. then, will be a
ballot to boost him along that line.
Every johnson vote that he can gain
beyond what his party has had in Ohio
OF recent years will be pointed to as
Iproof that he Is the partys choice for
It's presidential nomination. He open
lly boasted in his speech of acceptance
at his Columbus convention, Aug. 26.
1903. that he was going to go out after
such votes among Republicans. That
lspeech made It perfectly plain that he
Ibid not expect his own party to sup
lport him Too many Democrats have
been undeceived about him by their
lelose associations with him. They
lhave found him out for what he IS:
las cold and selfish a schemer as ever
Ioperated in politics anywhere. There
fore he is planning to use his seduc-
tons upon Republicans whom he can
deceive in their ignorance Of him
This will be impossible II the Repub-
Iican rank and file are awake and alert
to the kind of man that he really Is.
/ That result. the earnestness of the
ieampaign will most completely accom-
lplish beyond doubt
One other danger to be dreaded
however. Is that Republicans may lull
themselves into supposed safety as to
the outcome In November. and thus
fail to do their personal duty to bring
about the right result in the coming
election. johnson will count even 9
cutting down of the Republican plural
sties as proof of his power. The shout
will go up all over the country thai
johnson has made great gains In Ohio
and every stay-at-home Republican
twill be counted as contributing Il
lthose gains for Johnson. Instead o.
that the Republicans need to turn on
In the campaign and at the polls In
! such force as will crush Johnson anC
Johnsonism Overwhelmingly for thi!
year. and next year. and all time L
rome