The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-10-27
TREASURY LETTERS
NOT REAL ISSUES
ToIedo Times, Democratic.


Some prominent Republican states
men in Ohio may b. at this moment
seriously worried as to what letters
of theirs addressed to former Repub-
lican state officers may be produced
next, as the campaign progresses. The
Times doesn't know that they have
any reason to worry and hopes they
have not: but, as the philosopher
said, You can't always, sometimes,
most generally tell
Governor HaImon'3 latest disclos.
ures Oh the stump cite letters from
Mr. Harding and Lieutenant Governor
TreadVay, addressed to Charles c..
Green, then cashier of the state treas
ury, recommending deposits of state
funds under the new depository law
for certain banks in Marion anl Claye-
land. E-cl gentleman wrn.eI TO favor
his local bank under the new law.
and in each case the favor was grant
ed by the RoyG.H.al state treasurer.
II is not fair to either OF them to
assume, however, that this delving
into history ri ises campaign issue
and We do no. believe that Governor
Harmon regards ii as doing so. There
was nothing crooked or even unusual
about the recommendations made by
MesSrs. Harding and Treadway. The
new law provided for the creation Of
state repositories among existing
banks; It's administration was in the
hands of a Republican official, and it
was legitimate and natural for Re
publican politicians in all parts Dof
the state to recC- mend their local
banks as repositories, as long as such
banks were conducted so as to insure
the results contemplated by the law
Democats would have done the same
thing.
Since then, however, a system of
competitive bidding for such deposits
has been inaugurated, and such
recommendations as those made by
Mr.. Harding and Mr.. Treadway don't
go nowadays. The system is one Of
the Harmon policies, ana thus far has
produced very good results There are
valii arguments against it, as well
as in its faVor-for instance, that the
highest bitder within a prescribed
limit may not be the most responsible
bidder; but the law has at least done
away with the creation OF deposi-
tories on recommendation accepted
throL gh political friendships Only
time can tell whether it is otherwise
unsafe.
But, regardless OF all this, the real
issues OF tin campaign are not in
vClTed IN the disclosures regarding
Mr.. Harding and Mir. Treadway, mas
much as their relations with the treas
uly are not held to have been corrupt.
The real issues are in part of national
and in part Cf state Significance. In
their national aspect they include
every issue that has b Ell uppermost
in the peoples minds for some years
past, and they cannot be obscured by
The people of Ohio are going to vote
next November on the tariff question,
and nothing can stop them. They are
going to vote on the relative merits
Of Taft and Roosevelt and of Taft and
HarmOn-a queer miXture-but moth
ing can prevent it.
The paramount state issue is
whether Cow rnOr Harmon's adminis-
tratiOn shall be indorsed as a whole,
or the state government be turned
back to the Republicans. Governor
Harmon will not be reelected for a
negative reason-that the other lei.
lows could not be trusted. II re-
elected, it will be for the positive
reason that the people think he de-
serves it on his own merits.