The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1907-12-19
Was Only Machine Made and mol
a Personal Victory
DOODLE AND BOOZE ACTIVE
A Review Of the Cleveland Situation
and Its Effect Upon Legisls-
tion-some Timely Poit-
ical Gossip.
Especial Correspondence)


Johnson's reelection upon legislation
to be enacted by the general assembly
this winter has been discussed by poll
ticians all over the state. Mayor John
son never has been strong outside Of
his own little baiiiwick. and surmises
have been made as to his probable
strength in the Legislature this coming
session.
In the language OF the man up the
tree. Johnso1s reelection for mayor
was not what II seemed on the sur.
face. nor what he and his admirers
would lead the populace to believe.
It is true that Mayor Tom was re
elected by a majority of something
like 5000 votes. but the vote neces
sary to make that majority represents
no more than the vote polled by his
machine OF 5000 men. Add To this his
saloon strength and one.third of his
entire vote is accounted for.
OF course the vote of his machine
and of the liquor interest counts foi
Just as much as any other vote In
making majorities. but in this partic-
him because an issue appealed to
them. but because OF "iobs" and a
"wide-open" town.
The issue in Cleveland was whether
the city should back Mayor Tom in
his project TO give him and his friends
absolute control of the streetcar stu
alton in the city. even going so far as
confiscation Of the railway company
that competes with the mavor's line.
or II the old-established company
should be given some ri"hts instead
OF favoring the mayors abbreviated
street railway system alone.
The vote cast at the election was
extremely large-close TO 10000 exer-
cising their right of franchise. The
streetcar issue was thoroughly dis
cussed. and even though Mayor John.
son and his campaigners arrayed class
against class and conducted a thor
oughly demagogic campaign, his bat
tie was lost until. as a final resort.
thousands OF dollars were poured into
proper channels and the full force OF
the big machine was turned out to
"rull" for Johnson. And all this time
the Johnson campaign workers made
use Of the old campaign dodge that the
opposition was spending fortunes.
There Is no discounting the fact
that Mayor Tom il a foxy politician,
and that he is surrounded by wise.
acres in campaign work. What he and
his associates do not know about the
political game would not make much
OF a book. They are practical politi-
clans Of the most practical kind. As
witnssseth this:
The regular PAYDAY for city EN-.
ployes came on election day. II the
citys cash had been paid out on that
day II would not have helped the can.
didates on the Johnson ticket. so pay.
day was moved ahead "a hours, and
the ghost walked" on the day before
election. The payroll amounts to
thousands and thousands of dollars.
and those thousands at once found
their way into campaign fund and
through employees who felt their jops
were in the balance into places where
money would be used in the most ef
fective manner.
The last week Of the campaign the
Johnson followers thought they were
defeated. They knew their streetcar
issue had been failure. And a losing
spirit Is a mighty good one to instill
into workers whose jobs depend upon
an election. In politics particularly
confidence begets carelessness-and
II is safe bet in Cleveland that John.
son politicians are not permitted to
get careless Just before election.
And then, besides being filed with
the fear of defeat, the workers had
plenty OF funds, large part of which
Is credited with having come from
those Interested in an open Sunday
administration. The result was that
the day preceding election the John
son workers had more funds than
were ever spent here in a local cam.
paign.
Sometimes II is interesting to hold
sort OF postmortem on election fig.
e'~p' IL ooihoOh = Cubt IL IL DdTt1cu-
larly interesting and enlightening. Out
OF $1,000 votes cast he received $4,000
and Burton received $4,000. A change
OF 1000 votes, II Is plainly seen, would
nave given Burton winning majority
and the 5000 are easily separated
from all the votes cast because they
are so plainly labeled machine"
N Ia 10
5000 votes. Ten thousand or Is 900
could be isolated and dlssected. for
the saloon vote In Cleveland Ia estf.
mated at not less tan the latter fig.
ure. II this vote and the machine vote
were elini 'atrd from tho election day
records Johnson's true strength would
be snown--apd that ~v,id be defeat
by an Overwhelming majority.
All of which deductions have been