The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1910-10-07
Something of the Man Who
Stands as Democratic Can
didate for Governor
Reprinted from the Review of
Reviews for September,
by Sloan Gordon.
"'W AT FELL, IT'S just like this" said
WW Judson Harmon Of Ohio,
Wv tossing his panama hat on

table that occupies the center Of the
long reception room adjoining the gov
ernor's office. I'm not the mayor of
this town. Pm governor Of the state.
If the local authorities can't cope with
this situation the state authorities
must. These soldiers aren't here to
do police duty. But If a riot starts
wen put It down, you bet"
Saying which, Judson Harmon, gov
ernor, strobe into his private Office and
slammed the door Then he sent for
the mayor of Columbus-one Marshall
and told him to get busy, which the
mayor did, though to but little purpose,
az 1t later developed. And 1t finally
did become necessary for the state au.
thoritles and the state troops to take
hand. But that's another story.
1t was to news hungry horde of
| reporters that Governor Harmon made
the statement given above. He had
Just landed in Columbus from his sum
mer home In Michigan. There was a
street car strike on in Columbus. The
mayor and the sheriff had called out
the troops. -Four thousand of the state
militia were camped about the town
It was costing the state thousands of
dollars to maintain them there. And
Judson Harmon was mad about it.
The Interference of troops in strike
times is a condition usually fraught
with delicate danger to those political
ly ambitious. Politicians had schemed
to get Harmon into a hole" Did It
bother him? Not a whit. lie just
went at the situation with characters
tic directness. And that's the Harmon
way-direct, forceful, unwavering. If
he has work to do he does it. If he
starts out to play he plays.
Harmon appeals to the Ohioan
whether that Buckeyes political no
tions dovetail with the Harmon brand
of politics or no, because Harmon is,
to use the expression of a Holmes
county farmer who was analyzing the
merits and demerits of the state ex-
ecutiYe, 'jes' so durn common"
Which homely estimate casts an In
tense and interesting side light on ].
ALaA4AAD44s L4C AAtAJ 4LOA DG 4Ih NAAoA4lg Al
terested in you, but he has a quiet, un-
obtrusive way Of making you believe
that he has been sitting up and wait
ing to greet you since the dawn of
history-not an ostentatious palaver,
understand, but just a natural, friend
ly sort of way with him that you're
bound to recognize and appreciate and
swell up about
Newspaper men are good judges of
human nature. They have to be. No
man is a hero to a seasoned reporter
All great men are merely ornamented
clay. The reporter is trained to cyni-
hsm. He knows how most great men
become great and what negligible !
atoms they would have remained if |
printers ink hadn't been smeared over |
them in sufficient quantities to make |
them conspicuous. And so the fact |
that Governor Harmon is the idol of |
the Ohio press boys Is worthy Of rec |
ord. They all like him. 1t may be |
that the particular paper which a re
porter is employed by maintains a po- |
litical policy that cOmpels the Colum-
bus representative to hang a criticism |
of Harmon on every available news |
hook. That makes no difference The |
reporter likes Harmon. And Harmon
understands the reporters position.
And he jokes with him and gives him
the news and sits on the big table in
the center Of the governors reception
room and swings his ample feet and
hands the reporter an occasional stogy
and talks right out in meeting.
A timid young news man, green and
uncertain of himself, was sent to in
terview the governor one day last win
ter.
"Come in,' shouted Governor Har
mon from his private office.
The reporter entered haltingly.
"Sit down." directed the governor.
The reporter eased himself into a
chair.
'Look at that letter." said the exec
utive, thrusting a sheet of paper COW
cred with alleged writing into the
hand of the puzzled reporter. 1T
seems to me that a man who writes
like that ought to be sentenced to
thirty days in a country school,"
Then the reporter got his interview
and went away understanding that
Governor Harmon was 'just folks"
and that there were no frills about him
whatever.
And Judson Harmon, attorney gen
eral of the United States in the cabi-
net of Grover Cleveland, was just the
same as is Judson Harmon, governor
Of Ohio. There were no frills about
him them. When he first went to
the reporters fiocked about
him, of course, to ascertain just what
sort Of person this newly discovered
Ohio attorney who had been elevated
to the cabinet might be- Mr.. Harmon
met them smilingly, looked them over
with eyes a-twinkle and proceeded to
answer their questions with a frank
ness and candor that were most re-
freshing.
"What am l going to dO2" he re-
marked in response to interrogatories.
"HOw the devil do I know? What
would you do? 1 don't know any
,,oro oE,o-,A AI,R- I'll, AI,,~, ,4c, aoo- |