The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-10-08
The Political Outlook
in Ohio.
BY LEO.

thing of it. So many liquor peo-
pie were making a din Of sup
porting the Democratic candidate
for governor, making the impress
sion that Governor Harris was
bound to suffer defeat this time.
1t seems not so now. Of late,
candidate Harris has been max
ing gains and Harmon is losing.
The reason of the change in
the outlook is owing to the awak-
ening of the temperance people.
They are for Governor Harris
strongly because the brewers,
distillers and saloonists are try
ing their best to elect the Demo-
cratic candidate in the hope that
by electing Judge Harmon tenn
perance aggressiveness will be
stopped. Judge Harmon is hurt
by the zeal, the Incorporate zeal,
of his liquor supporters. 1t is
believed that he will be control
led by the people who show so
much interest in his candidacy.
A man is judged by the company
he keeps, and since the liquor
people are so bent on electing
Harmon, many conclude that he
is in accord with that element.
1t may be an error, but if so it is
an error which will probably de-
feat the Democratic candidate
for governor of Ohio.
There is nothing against the
personal character of Judge Har-
mon. He is man of clean life,
a son of a Baptist minister, him
self a member of that great de-
nomination. He is an upright,
christian man, if reports are true.
tits his misfortune to be caught
in bad company. And because
he seems to be in with the liquor
interests the anti-saloon people
will move heaven and earth to
defeat him. And probably they
will succeed, for the whole state,
outside the large cities, is trend
ing toward temperance. Already
nineteen counties of the state
have gone dry" under the Rose
law, and probably half, if not
more, of the counties in Ohio will
follow ere long. This shows that
the general drift of things in our
state is against the saloon.
Governor Harris is in with that
element. He moves along on the
temperance tide, and seems des-
tined to win the state. He is an
old soldier of the Civil war,
practical farmer, and temper
ance man, all of which will work
together for his election in Nov
ember.
It is strange how things turn
out. Three years ago the Dem
ocratic party won in Ohio in alli-
ance with the eAnti-SaloonLeague.
Pattison was elected by the tenn
perance voters. It is calculated
that about seventy thousand tenn
perance Republicans voted for
the pronounced temperance man,
Pattison, rather than for Herrick,
who was accused of being in with
the liquor interests. We believe
Injustice was done Mr.. Herrick
Be that as it may, the temper
ance vote defeated him and cleo
ted the Democratic candidate be-
cause he was a Jealous, outspok-
en- temperance man and advocate
of the cause.
This year things are reversed.
The Democratic party in Ohio is
in practical alliance with the liq-
uor people, and the Anti-Saloon
League, as we'll as the temper
ance people generally, are in al
lance with the Republican party
to elect Governor Harris. The
Democrats won three years ago,
but the Republicans, as it seems
now, are going to win this year.
There is a great moral question
involved, and this is almost sure
to decide the election. Ostensl-
bly,, the two competitors in Ohio
are the two parties, Democrat
and Republican, but really the
contest is between pro-saloon and
anti-saloon men. :,
The pro-saloon people will come
out second best.
ASTo R r A..