The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1905-07-25
FORMER SALOON KEEPER Is
MAKING FIGHT OF HIS LIFE
Sought Introduction to the Presidents
Daughter to Further His PoIt-
ical Ambitions.
BRIEF SKETCH OF HIS CAREER
How He Eyoluted From Kid Gang
to Saloon Keeper and Success
fuI Politician.

Cincinnati, o., July 20.-George b.
Cox will go to the senate, succeeding
]. B. Foraker, if Myron T. Herrick is
elected governor.
Owing to a twist in the constitution
al amendment, to be voted upon this
fall, the man who is elected governor
will have the appointment of a United
States senator to succeed Foraker.
That is why Cox is making the fight of
his life to elect Herrick.
There is no secret to this ambition
of Cox. His friends point out that it
would be the ideal rounding out of his
career. IT was this ambition that led
him to avail himself of being intro
luced to Alice Roosevelt recently.
Without question George B. Cox of
Cincinnati is the most powerful man
n the Republican party of Ohio today.
His domination of the convention
which renominated MyTon T. Herrick
'or governor was SO complete that he
even compelled the latter to choose
another man than Morgan Wood to
place his name before the convention.
Cox dictated the platform upon which
the Republican party of Ohio is going
before the voters this year.
The News, believing that the life his
tory Of man politically SO powerful
as Cox has proven himself to be is of
Interest to the voters of Ohio, publishes
the following authentic record:
George Barnesdale Cox was born in
Cincinnati 80 years ago. Little has
been handed down about his earlier
career. but it is known that of school
ing his was a small share. He enters
the zone of remembrance as the boss
Of the Fly Market Rangers" a gang
of boys which infested the market
aouse district, purloined fruit from the
stands and made life generally burden
some for the truck farmers and huck-
sters
In the early seventies Cox was en-
ploycd by the l.. Weighed Tobacco Co.
and subsequently peddled for the
Washington market. He mixed in pol
tics and acquired some reputation as
hustler at the polls and "scrapper."
II took rough work in those days to
handle the polls properly.
He saved some money, and with it
and the assistance of friends obtained
possession of saloon at Longworth
nd q, l.
heart Of the Tenderloin district, and
gambling, all-night saloons and disor-
ierly houses surrounded it on every
hand
COX'S INITIATION.
His bartender was a man who had
left Philadelphia in haste. Philadel-
phia had highly perfected political
organization" at that time, and its
members called upon Cox's bartender
when they passed through Cincinnati.
From them Cox learned that use could
be made of the buns who slept on the
chairs in his barroom Under the cleo
tlon laws then, the "Gitizens" selected
the primary officers at each voting
place early in the morning. Cox
aroused the citizens" who were sleep
ing around his cannon stove. They Sc
lected the election officers for his pre-
cinct and the result was thus assured
before the sun was up. This was Cox's
initiation into practical politics, and
that precinct was the nucleus of his
state machine of today.
He kept the saloon for years, with
one disastrous side excursion into rum
ming barrel house next door. The
place became headquarters for political
and other less reputable characters. A
number of men were killed, and it
earned the sobrtquet of Dead Mans
Corner"
When spasm of reform struck the
city and gambling was kept unde: COW
er, Cox's upstairs was the most -four
ishing of the protected games.
In the meantime he discovered that
his "citizens" might organize more
than one precinct until by and by the
entire ward belonged to Cox. He had
himself elected to council. In those
days there was no salary attached to
the Office. but many franchise ordi-
nances were passed. This council OF
which he was a member elected him a
member of the decennial board Of