Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1911-07-11

When the bribery charges
- against members of the Ohio
general assembly exploded with
the suddenness and force of a bomb
and sent scores on a hunt for lawyers
Governor Judson Harmon took the
same view of the personality of guilt
that he did when he reported to Pres
1dent Roosevelt that Paul Morton, a
member of his cabinet. had been guilty
of granting rebates While an officer
of the Santa Fe railroad. Guilt is
always personal" said Harmon to
Roosevelt, and he resigned his COM
mission to investigate rebating be-
cause Teddy was inclined to shield
Morton.
A few hours after the bribery charges
were filed the Ohio executive sent out
an order that no man should be spared
in the legislative boodling investiga-
ton. Party and even personal friend
ships must be set aside, the governor
said. and the entire situation cleaned
up.
Throughout nineteen years of con
tinuous control Republican state ad-
ministrations. when charges of irreg-
ularities were made involving members
of their party. assumed the attitude,
They are our thieves. and we must
defend them" There is an Ohio stat
ute which grants immunity to every
one who testifes before a legislative
committee. and this law. together with
a whitewash brush, had prevented any
Republican law violator frosa being
hailed before court of justice.
Naturally there was a great rush by
distraught members for legislative
immunity. But Governor Harmon
promptly pulled the plug of the i'm
munity bathtub and prevented any
one bathing in its soothing waters by
insisting that no legislative Investigate
ing committee be appointed and that
the inquest of the grand jury be the
only probe,
indictments were returned against
seven members of the general assem-
bly, and the sergeant-at-arms of the
senate, and these cases will take the
bic citizen who becomes involved in
criminal charges. A coterie OF Demo
Gratis who mad been lighting the gov
ernor's bills were among the members
indicted.
In less than three years Of his ad-
ministration Governor Harmon has
made a record of accomplishment I'M
paralleled in the history of Ohio poll
tics. He has wrought more progress
for the people than was accomplished
in the forty years that preceded him.
There has been written into the stat
utes legislation that the enlightened
citizens had been demanding and plead
ing for in vain for decades.
The supremely important achieve
ments of the Ohio Democracy under
the leadership of Governor Harmon
may be divided into transactions and
legislations. first. for the elimination
of graft; second. such reform in the
tax system as will protect the tax
payer from the tax spender and will
compel corporations TO stop lodging
taxes and pay along with all indi-
vidual property owners third. the APP
plication Of business methods and
economy in public expenditures. and,
fourth. the enactment Of purely nom
partisan laws for the benefit Of the
entire people, irrespective of political
parties, and designed to make rule by
interest seeking corporations extreme
ly difficult and rule by the 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 treasurers. He learned
they put interest earnings in their
pockets. There followed in rapid order
suits against the estate and b0ndsmen
of w. s. McKinnon. former state treas
urer for $ll6.1S5 and interest thereon;
against former State Treasurer |. B.
Cameron ard Ills bondsuen for s2ll.-I