The Detroit times., 1910-10-07
HOW PEOPLE
ROUTED BOSSES
Remarkable Story Of Fight in Which
Ohio Voters Made Their
Judges Free.
BY N. o. COCHRAN.

TOLEDO. Oct. THE purpose of
this story is to tell how the people
of one judicial district in one corner
of Ohio. In spite OF the active power
ful influence OF organized poltttoe, or
g&nixed business and organized
finance. freed themselves from SOW
ernment by kept courtA = !.
Ffva yeAfn x1o some OF the 3ndees
In the judicial distriet Of Will "a TQ.
ledo is the metropolis, were like many
of the judges elsewhere in this land
Of the free. home Of the brave and
government by courts. Today In this
district the judges are free, the courts
are free and the people are more
nearly free than ever before.
What has been done here can be as
easily done anywhere else where peo-
pie live who have the courage to be
free.
While the independent NOV ement In
Toledo has resulted In the overthrow
of both old party machines and COM
plete control Of municipal government
by the people, the recapture Of the
courts is by all odGs the biggest thing
the people have done for themselves.
1t freed both bench and bar from legal,
political and corporate bossism. JUS
tice now sits in the Lucas county
court house unawed and unashamed.
Lawyers Were Backward.
Before the awakening few lawyers
had Tie courage to help the people
in any fight against political bossisn.
Most Of them had laudable ambition
some day to sit on the bench. They
knew they couldn't be elected unless
nominated. Political bosses con-
trolled the party nominating machin-
cry. It was dangerous for ambitious
men to incur the enmity of the bosses.
The shrewdest and most successful
corporation lawyers played the politi-
cal game with the bosses. Their share
of the swag was the valuable privi-
lege of picking judicial candidates.
For this privilege the corporations
made liberal contributions to machine
campaign funds.
The common pleas and circuit court
districts Of which Toledo is the
metropolis we're strongly Republican.
More men had acquired the habit or
voting for the eagle than for the roos-
ter. Singularly enough most OF the
big corporation lawyers were active
in Republican politics-more especial
ly, judicial politics,
II became common talk that one
firm of Republican corporation law.
yers was on terms Of closest intimacy
with certain Judges. This firms prac-
tice grew rapidly until It represented
railroads, trusts, combinations and
other aggregations Of capital that
needed special privileges In their
business.
One of the first successful jobs was
to secure a perpetual franchise for
telephone ompany-through pro
bate Judge who was very friendly. An
Ohio law authorizes probate judges
to grant franchises when a city coun-
ell fails. neglects or refuses to grant
them. In this case application was
made to council for the franchise,
asking for one that no council would
grant. waiting while for the coun-
ell TO act. the lawyers went before the
probate Judge, duly alleged that the
council had failed, neglected. refused.
ETC., and were granted franchise, the
terms and conditions ofAwhich were
written by the lawyers of the COM
pany that got the franchise-and nom
mated the Judge.
The company has been paying divi-
dends for years-and every dollar OF
the stock and fully 10 per cent of the
bonds. is water.
A financial group grew up around
this influential law firm. A savings
bank and trust company was the
heart OF It. A brewery merger was
formed-and millions OF wstered stock
issued. The savings bank and trust
company underworld the bonds.
Gas Merger Sells Out.
Then big gas merger was formed
and millions OF vatered bonds Is
sued. The savings bank and trust
company underworld the bonds.