The National tribune., 1905-10-26
THE OHIO CAMPAIGN.

WHO'S alluz teliin' what he'd a done II
he'd bin there, never gets there"
This is the insurmountable difficulty
with the Democratic Party of Ohio in
their present campaign Within the
fresh and vivid memories of the present
generation of voters. the Democrats
have several times deluded the voters
into intrusting them with power. They
have done this by gushing assertions of
what they would have done. and
promises of what they would do.
i Every time the results have been found
So regrettable that at the next election
the people have turned every one of
| them out again. Never has there been
| an exception to this. They utterly
| failed to make their promises and as
sartions good by any act which COM
mcnded them to the best judgment and
approval, of the people of the State.
The multitudinous statutes of Ohio may
be searched in vain for anything of
| Democratic authorship of real benefit to
| the State. The records of Ohio's rich
array OF benevolent and reformatory
institutions are equally sterile of the
lettering influence of Democracy. The
| lamentable reverse is true. Their adj
vent to power has invariably been the
beginning of a concerted raid upon the
most cherished interests and institu-
| tions of the State. Ohio'S splendid and
carefully -nourished asylums for the
i care of the blind. the insane. the deaf
and dumb, the schools for transform
| ing hayward youths into good men and
women-institutions in which every one
had a heartfelt interest, since his own
| relatives might be there, or liable to be
sent there-were always the first to suf-
| fer from the pernicious change. Where
they had been solicitously guarded
against political influence, and for their
management men sought who had
shown special ability for dealing with
the unfortunate, they We're now treated
as spoils. to be apportioned among
| henchmen and heelers careless of ey-
erything but good salaries and divyies
on contracts. Upon the penitentiary
and other State Offices the effect was
only less blighting than upon the be-
nevolent and reformatory institutions.
| All the well-ordered systems the
| growth of studious and painstaking
years were thrown into confusion by
the raid of greedy spoismen 1t always
took long time to repair the damage
done
No matter what have been the vol
luminous prediction protests, prom
ises. criticisms and assertions of the
| Democrats in the past, everything
which mas contributed to Ohios ad-
yancement. her prosperity. her high
standard of Government, and her fair
fame, bears the unmistakable stamp of
Republicanism. The Democrats are
making much of the Temperance issue,
to bring the ProhibitioEists into alli-
ance with them. The records show
that every effective movement against
the malevolent despotism of the Drink
Demon, and in furtherance of Temper
ance. has been made by Republicans.
against the bitterest opposition by the
DEMOCRATS. and only became successful
because the Democrats could not pre-
vent it. The same is true of scores Of
other matters of the highest importance
to the wellbeing of the State. which
Democratic hostility could not r
votes enough, under any pretext. - ,5I'c-
vent them.
| Can the leopard change his spots,
or the Ethiopian his skim" No mat
ter what these men may now say-no
matter what promises and protestations
they may make-they should not and
cannot blind the public to the fact that
they are, individually and collectively,
the same political aggregation which
has always bitterly opposed everything
of momentous benefit to the State,
which has always advocated heresies
and mischievous policies, which the
better sense of the people rejected.
which has made every promise. resorted
to every pretext, worked every device
to obtain power, but when entrusted
with it, have abused it 50 outrageously
that at succeeding elections the people
invariably turned every Democratic
placeholder out, and repudiated the
whole aggregation by overwhelming
majorities.
No matter what new issue these men
have attempted to spring, no matter
what misleading clamor they may raise,
no matter what new alliances they may
have, it is the Identical old crowd,
whose success has always meant brok-
en- promises, repudiated pledges, Bit
terly disappointed expectation, de-
moralization of every State office and
institution. and reformation instead OF
reformation.
| We are sure that the memory Of the
past manifestations of this aggregation
) is too fresh and vivid I'm the minds of
the Ohio voters to admit of a chance If
its being again entrusted with power
THE MORALITY ISSUE.
Politics make strange bed-fellOws
: but the strangest of bed-fellows Is the
alliance i'm Ohio between the Democrats
and the Anti-Saloon League Ever
since time whereof the memory OF
man runneth not To the contrary the
} Democrats have stood for free and un-
) restricted liquor selling and every step
i'm Temperance legislation demanded n,