The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1910-05-05
PLAYING Politics.

has lost ground.
When the Beatty graft probe COM
mittee found Democrats in state offices
that had been drawing illegal fees,
did Gov. Harmon have them dismissed
from the service2 No. All Of them
are still holding Office and not only
that but Gov. Harmon's personal
publicity bureau Is defending them.
Pick up almost any Democratic
paper i'm the state any week and you
will find what purpoIts to be an edito-
rial attempting to show how these
Democrat officials are not to blame for
taking money which they were not
legally entitled to. In the same col
umn you will unusually find another
alleged editorial praising Gov. Harmon
for his effort to clean out the grafters
at the state house. A strange feature
i'm regard to these alleged editorials Is
that they appear each week in every
Democratic newspaper that comes TO
this office, showing that they are not
editorials but are in fact sent out by
the governors press agent.
We have nothing to say about his
veto of the law legalizing Sunday base
ball as it is so plainly an attempt to
curry favor with the people who
believe that it is sacrilege to play ball
on Sunday that comment is super
1uous. If Gov. Harmon was making
any attempt to stop the playing of
Sunday baseball, which goes on openly
in every large city in the state, he
might be credited with commenda-
BILE purpose in vetoing this bill
There has been suspicion all the
time that Gov. Harmon was allied
with the large interests, that he repre-
sented the views and the ideas
of the trusts and corporations
and since the defeat of the Woods
Public Utility Bill in the Ohio senate
last week no one can doubt it.
This bill was one of several bills
introduced at this session of the legis-
lature along the progressive lines Of
better regulation of the railroads and
other public service corporations in
the interest of the public.
When vote was taken on this bill
last Thursday l3 out Of the IA Demo-
cratic members of that body voted
against it.
In very strong editorial the Co.
lumbus Citizen, a Democratic paper,
among other things says:
ut was opposed by every public
service corporation in the state, repre-
sented at Columbus by the brainiest
and most unscrupulous lobby that has
fought any measure there for years.
"The lineup was clear and distinct
reaction against progress-the same
lineup there has been in Washington
for months past between Cannonism
an6 insurgency.
''It is not given to us to read mems
minds and so we cannot say with any
degree of certainty what was in the
mind of Governor Harmon and the
Democratic senators whovoted against
this bill.
But, whatever their motive, by
their act, they played into the hands
of the Public Service Corporations in
the latter's attempt to defeat the
efforts of the people of the state to
regulate rates and service and stop
stock watering.
about an hour after the Demo
cratic senators had knitted this pro-
gressiye bill to death, Governor Har-
mon gave out this amazing statement :
" Il never saw copy Of the Woods
bill until just little while ago, when
l got 1t with the report that the
measure had been killed. l have not
read the bill, and do not know anything
about 1t. 1t would be ridiculous fol
me to say anything about the bill, as
/ know nothing about it,.
"This newspaper has frequently
joined with other friends of gooC
government In Ohio In applaudinG
Governor Harmon for his activity II
unearthing the graft of former STATE
officials and and other evidences thai
he was trying to be real leader a.
we'll as mere officeholder.
, "But we confess to feeling mo-
only Of amazement, but OF bitter dis
: appointment, when he gives evidenc'
of so little interest In matter of vita
, legislative importance that he mo-
only withholds the influence which
} might have saved the measure, but
/ according TO his own statement. neye
) read the bill until the senators of hi
J own party had done it to death"
The people are getting wise to tn
: fact that Gov. Harmon has simpl
/ been playing politics and that he |
! not In accord with the sentiments o
the common people but Is instead