The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1910-07-07
DOESN'T LICHTEN
LOAD OF HARMON
Defeat Of Frank Woods Brings
Joy to Corporations,
IS HELD TO VACATE An ISSUE

Claimed This Action AbsolVes Har-
mons Responsibility for Defeat of
the Utilities Bill, But Reverse Is
the Fact-Fixes Governor More
Firmly on Corporation Side.
That the corporation influences, so
friendly to Governor Harmon's dou-
ble-barreled candidacy, will leave no
stone unturned in his behalf is indi-
Gated by the exultation of tn tele-
phone, telegraph, railroad and trolley
companies throughout the state over
the defeat of Senator Frank Woods
for denomination in the 27th-29th dis
trict.
Leaving aside the details of the
convention at which Mr. Woods was
defeated, and the causes leading to
his downfall the fact remains that
the public utilities corporations all
over the state were highly gratified
at the result, as were the liquor in
terest two years ago when the FIRE.
mont convention defeated Senator
Drake with Thomas Dean.
One weak spot in Governor Har-
mons armor is the clumsy dodge he
made when the Woods utilities bill
was summarily defeated in the state
senate by the solid Democratic vote.
The people are coming to learn that
their governor, never wearyIng of
Hi1lo hn
friend of the people, has yet to take
his first unequivOcal position on any
vital issue. He loves to generalize
and then to excuse himself and evade
responsibility He is prone to appro-
pirate to himself the credit of work
done by others, when it proves to
have been popular, even though at
the outset he may have been against
the proposition.
Does Not EVade Issue.
The defeat of Frank Woods in Re-
publican senatorial convention is held
by the corporations to rob the oppo-
sition of the opportunity to point to
Harmon's attitude on the utilities bill
in the campaign this fall. They do
not take into consideration that the
defeat of Mr.. Woods was personal;
the slaughter of the utilities bill was
the sacrifice of the people at the in
stance of the corporation lobby.
And the voters of Ohio will not for
get that JudsOn Harmon, mCuthing
pharisaical phrases about devotion to
tn whole people in his inauguration
speech, was so Indifferent to their in
terests as to admit that he never
read the Woods bill' until it had
been killed by the Democratic senate
votes. He did not undertake to eX-
press regret at the death of the meas
ure; he did not praise the bill; he
did not chide his party members who
ambushed it in the upper house. He
simply had not read it," and screen
ed himself in the cloak of personal
irresponsibility by defining the con
stitutional duties of the governor.
There's a lot of rot and rubbish
about the Harmon plant of an un-
friendly Legislature. There is nothing
but twaddle in this day of en!ighten-
Q mt in the talk of nOn-interference
C~ the part of the executive in legis-
lative matters. 1t is an old corpora
tion trick to seek behind the sacred
constitution an excuse for nOn-per
formance of pledges made to the peO-
pie. President Taft is being praised
on every hand for the many meas
ures which his inSisten e procured
from congress. The public applauds
Governor Hughes of New York in re-
convening the legislature at Albany
to force through primary law such
as the people demand. Governor Har-
mon would have been applauled in
Ohio if he had taken the Democrats
in the senate by the scruff of the
neck and forced favorable cOnsidera.
tion of the Woods bill, and it is not
going to excuse his inaction that the
author of the measure was defeated
for renonination.
Platform Inconsistent
To again proclaim in the platform
adopted at Dayton, for a law 70 con.
troll public utilities, only emphasizes
the hypocrisy of the governor and
the palmer points his corporation
connection.
OF Harmons proneness to appro.
pirate to himself credit for the work |
done by others can be shown in the |
case of the Beatty investigation. The
Wood county senator introduced his
resolution without the knowledge,
and against the wishes of the COVER.
nor, and for the graft exposures
made, credit is due entirely to Sena.
ator Beatty and not to Governor Har
mon-who has on the ticket with him
this year one of the, men whom the
Beatty committee exposed - State
Treasurer Creampr