Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1911-07-12
GOVERNOR JUDSON
HARMON OF OHIO
By "A. v. Al ER.NETHy
US. O.-[special.l-
When9 the bribery charG"s :.
- against members of the ono

= ~ 81
When> the bribery CHARGES
w. against members of the Ono
general assembly exploded with
the suddenness and force OF D'n'D
and sent scores on Il hunt for la"3ers
Governor Judsun Harmon took the
same view Of the personality OF guilt
that he did when he reported to IRE;
ident Roosevelt that Pau! Morton.
member of his cabinet, mad been gu'itT
OF granting rebates while an oti'rer
Of the Santa Fe railroad. Guilt -
always personal" said Harmon 7"
Roosevelt, and he resigned his com
mission to investigate rebatinG be
cause Teddy was inclined 10 shic'e
Morton.
4 "A few hours after the bribery charges
were filed rhe Ohio executive sent out
an order that no man should be STARED Z
in the Legislative boodIing inveStlga
zion. Party and even person'lt frlehu-
ships must be set aside. the governor
said, and the entire situation cleaned
up.
Throughout nineteel, years OF coi
tinuous control Republican state 40
lninistratiOns. when charges OF IRE.
ulariries were made Involving meinbri:s.
Of their party assumed the attil nd..
'rhey are our thieves. and we mist
defend them" There is an OHIO stat
ute which grants immunity I" every
one who testifies before II h:.l>ii,tive
committee. and this law. Ingeill"i with
a whitewash brush. mad prevented any
Republican law violntnr from bcln;:
huied before court ot justice
Naturally there wassn great rush by
distrnught members for legislative
immunity. But Governor Harmon
promptly pulled tie ping OF the I'M
munity bnthtub and prevented any
q one hithing III lis soothing waters BY
insisting that no legislative lnvtstlgat-
ing committee he appointed and that
Il the inquest Of the grand jury be the
only probe.
siiidictlnents were returned against
seven, members Ut the general assem-.
lily and the sergennt-nt-armS OF the
Y senate. and these cases will take the
same course as that OF the most hum
BILE citizen who becomes involved in
criminal charges. A coterle OF Demo
Gratis who had been fighting he gov
crnor's bills were among me Dleulbers
indicted
In less than three years OF his ad-
luinistratfon Governor Harmon mas
nude u record OF accomplishment I'M
l,aralleied III the history Of Ohio poll
l:cS. He mas wrought more progress
for the people than was accomplished
in the forty years that preceded him.
There hns been written INTO he stnt-
iltes legislation that the enlightened
citizens had been demanding and plead
E ing for in vain for decades.
The supremacy important achieve
ments Of the Ohio Democracy under
the leadership Of Governor Harmon
may be divided into transactions ana
Iegislations. first. for the elimination
Of graft: second. such reform la the
tux system az will protect the tax
payer from the tax slender and will
compel corporations TO stop lodging
taxes and pay along with I'LL lndi-
vidml property owners: third. the ap-
plicatinn ct business methods ana
economy ir public expenditures. and.
fourth. the enactment OF purely nom
partisan laws for the benefit of the
plitirc people. irrespective Of political
parties. and designed to make rule by
interest seeking corporations extreme.
~ difficult and rule by he people easy.
After he became governor two years
ago Mr. Harmon quietly began his IN
vestigation Of the methods by which
public money had been loaned by Re"
publican state treaSnrcrs. He learned
they put interest earnings IN their
pockets There followed in rapid order
suits against the estate and bondSIncn
Ut W. S. McKinnon. former state treas
lircr. for $ll6.7S5 and interest thereon:
ng,linst former State Treasurer |. 3.
Cameron and his bondsmen Cor, $21l,-
12l and interest thereon. They were
Republicans. Another graft investt-
gation brought forth the exposure.
prosecution and conviction OF Mark
Slater. former Republican, state print
pr. on graft charges III lesser degrees;
the settlement Of an interest claim Of
over $5.7OO on funds carried in the
bank for former Republican State AN
hnor Walter D. Guilbert and the filing
of Il claim for over SO 600 with the re-
ceiver OF Il defunct bank at Columbus
ns III interest charge OH funds carried
in that bank by Mr.. Guilbert as ;},l-
tiitOr.
These revelations during the COVER
(, nOr'S first tenn awakened the civic
conscience and paved the way for his
subsequent reelection. The Democrats
captured the general assembly ut the
same time.
Then Governor Harmon renewed his
efforts in behalf of certain bills two
Republican general assemblies denied
him
'rhe most notable achievement ac
= c0Iuplished by the executive during The
Legislative session w:S thrLrructlEent
of the WvnH,n bill. Including t!n. Ore
gnn plan OF nominating and elrctin.
United States senator's
y conference committee WAS appoint
ed ~ frame Il compromise senatorial,
nomna ton and election bill Il wul!d
4 vote for a Republican for United
States senator if the people by th..;7
votes declared for Il Republican," the
governor told this committee dur.
ing the conference Il would b"
proud to do it. would simply b.
doing the will Of the people" One of
|. tile committee suggested tie Oregon
plan was undcnlOcratic. The executive
replied. Its the very essence Of De.
Isncriicy to put the government back
into the hands Of the people and let
them say whom they want for United
States senator
Governor Harmon took new tack
and had Il similar measure offered in
tue house. the Wyman bill That
la"ly passed it and sent it to the SEN
nt". where the governor finally got
sufficient Republican votes to save it.
Ulonns had demonstrations recent.