The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1911-11-16
REPLY IS MADE TO ATTACKS
THAT AKE unfair AND UNTRUE
The Ohio State Board of Commerce Wants the
PeOOIe TO Get the Truth About COnStitn-
tiOnaI C0nVeHtiOn Campaign.

he resents attacks made upon his or
ganization.
President Foote says he asked the
Scripps-McRae papers to. publish his
communication either as news. or as
advertising at regular rates, which |
they have refused to do.
The Seripps-MeRae papers IN Ohio
are the Akron Press. Cincinnati Post,
the Cleveland Press. the Toledo
News-Bee aud the Columbus Citizen,
all of which receiVs't copy Of this
letter:
To the Editor:
The Ohio State EDard of Commerce. |
its constitutional educational commit. |
tee and its individual members have |
been subjected to criticism and abuse |
by the papers Of the Scripps- McRae
league.
We have been patiently awaiting
the wind-up of the false statements
about the board and its work, believ-
ing that sooner or later even your
bright imaginators would run out Of
material for the fabrications you have
been retailing In the guise of facts.
The constitution educational COM
mittee of the Ohio State Board Of
Commerce has been assailed because
1t is making an effort to give to the
people of Ohio discussions on both
sides OF the big questions that will
enter into the work of the coming
constitutional convention. The as
saults Of the Scripps-M -McRae newspa-
pers have been particularly vicious
because this committee has seen fit
to discuss the initiative, the referen-
dunn and the recall cn their merits.
You pretend to advocate these three
principles of government, but as
matter of fact that advocacy has been
altogether an attack upon the work
Of the Ohio State Board of Commerce.
You take particular pleasure in charg-
ing that big business" the inter
este" and special privilege" are mas
Cuerading under the name of the Ohio
State Board of Commerce. The fight
on this organization is wholly on the
plea that big business" with bar
Tels of money! Is seeking to throttle
the interests of the people, when not
board can be shown to be measure
designed for the special benefit of any
interest
As a matter of fact, the business
men back of the Ohio State Board of
Commerce do not begin to constitute
as menacing a special privilege" as
dangerous an interest" or, as big a
business as your foreign-owned news
paper trust
The Ohio State Board OF Commerce
is conducting publicity campaign in
which an effort Us being made to tell
the people the whole truth about the
issues involved in the constitutional
convention campaign. 1T is NOT RE-
SORTING TO APPEALS TO THE
PASSIONS OR PREJUDICES 1t Is
not seeking to array one class of citi-
Zens against another. If the publicity
matter sent out by this organization
is effective then 1t must be right, for
the people could not be fooled into
accepting speciOus arguments. If the
publicity campaign is not effective
then the people who are making a
fight on the Ohio State Board of Com!
merce have nothing to fear.
But the truth told in this education
al campaign must be effective or the
yellow press would give no heed to
the campaign being carried on by
this organization.
The attitude of Scripps-McRae pa
pers is the best argument yet presented
against the initiative, the referendum
and the recall, for these principles
are not discussed on their merits, but
abuse and prejudice are depended
upon as defenses. II your campaign
were q fair one this communication
would not be given to the public. II
your newspapers were not attempting
to build up sentiment against the
Ohio State Board of Commerce and
were devoting your efforts to a de.
fense of the initiative, the referendum
and the recall no doubt the BigeloW.
propaganda would be making better
headway.
With the initiative and referendum
papers of the Scripps-McRae type
would try to get the approval or re.
lection of the questions submitted by
appealing to the prejudices and pas.
sionB of the voters and not by appeal.
ing to their intelligence-just as they
are doing now in their fight on the
Ohio State Board Of Commerce. They
lose sight of the fact that the funda
mental function Of a constitution is to
crystalline into concrete form princi
pies and policies concerning which
the people are In general agreement
so as to give stability to the state
government and protect minorities
against the ill-cOnsidered action Of {
prejudiced majority guided by some
sudden popular impulse.
Any one who hab faith in popular
government must believe that tht
people will decide what is for thu
best interests Of all whenever the!
give careful, sober thought to public
questions on which they have to pass
But when they are guided by the dem
agogue, the firebraRd, the selfish anC
E1nr1taI le,adnP thnp e. iC fhof uyoV,oaY
are tarred and feathered, men are
burned at the stake and tragedies oc
cur like that at Newark, o.
No good cause need fear the order
ly. thoughtful crowd, but the bes
cause must tremble before the hasty
thoughtless action Of misinformet
or excited citizenfy.
The Ohio State Board of Commerct
is not dominated by "big business
or selfish interests" We enter
plea OF guilty to the charge that W,
for the right to own property-b
SPECIAL PRIVILEGE and the righ
to vote Is a special franchise.
The Ohio State Board Of Commerce
has not raised "slush" fund of $125
600. Whatever money is raised will
be spent in an appeal to the intelli
gence of the people and not to thei
prejudice and passions. We woult
iike to raise $125.000, TO be used TO
educational purposes. VIC. know hov
we can use 1t in ways that will h
certain 20 benefit every citizen OF tn,
state. We have no desire to use
in any other way or for any othe
purpose. We hope the people of tn
state will put US In position to demon
stFate the truth that money spent TO
correct education IL put to its higbes
economic use, by supplying us witt
all the funds required,
When they have learned the truth
II the people want the initiative, th'
refere -ldum. the recall or any OF thu
other propositions discussed, they arr
patriotic organization the Ohio Stat
Board Of Commerce, in the future. Al
In the East will 40 what IL can u