Pine Bluff daily graphic. (Pine Bluff, Ark.) 1893-1942, 1911-06-04

vote for Republican for United
States senator if the people by tleii
votes declared for Republican. the
governor tod this committee dur.
ing the conference Il would be
proud to do it would simply be
doing the will of the people" One Of
the committee suggested the Oregon
plan was undemocratic. The executive
replied, ITS the very essence Of De
mocracy to put the government baci:
into the hands of the people and Ie'
them say whom they want for United
States senator"
Governor Harmon took new tack
and had Il similar measure offered in
the house. the Wyman bill. That
body passed it and sent it to the sen
ate, where the governor finally got
sufficient Republican votes to save it.
Ohioans had demonstrations recent
| ~ that their Judiciary one of the most
| sacred Institutions of a free govern
mcnt had been invaded by party boss
ea in their inordinate thirst for power.
Instead of being places where the peo-
| pie could turn to invoke the penalties
of the criminal statutes on those who
had offended certain courts were be-
ing used. III cases where men of vast
political power were concerned. TO
shield violatOrs from the vengeance of
the law.
Butthe general assembly took long
step forward from boss domination OF
the courts ny enacting d bill p,oyid
ing in the future that all Ohio Judges
from the dignifcd sowHed justices ef
the supreme court down tn the humble
laymen WHO sit as Justices of the
peace shall be elected on tickets alb
solutely free from party emblem u,
device Nominations may be made by
conventions but the ta,ver Of l'rsse~
to control nominations Was nrui<e-n u,
clause in the bill which sars ma.
nominations may be made by peri
tons There is not another such law
in the United States
Ohio has been hampered hy Tia.
crude. unwiedy machinery OF cen
stitution which was adopted iii lS,i
and the subject of making new or
ganic law is the biggest and most i'm =
portant proposition that has come be
fore Il Buckeye general assembly in
many years Selfish hands were being
outStreiched to get control of the con
stitutonl convention to be held IL
1912 when Governor Harmon took
charge of the arrangements for it and
succeeded III getting through the gen
eral assembly a bill which will remove
The delegates from political Influence
and make them responsible to the PEG
pie only. So we'll did he manage the
iga that Ohio will set prece
dent for all other states to foHow when
they come to rewrite their organic laws
Nominations Of delegates VIII be
made by petition only, and nominees
will be elected on ballots absolutely
free from party device or emblem OF
any form Of party designation. The
liquor question. which has been a sore
spot in Ohio for sixty years. will be
finally settled when the new consttu
ton is adopted
The state when Governor Harmon
grasped the rains of government. had
nineteen penal. reformatory and benev
client institutions. with the responsible
ity of governing them divided among
nineteen separate boards of trustees
three members to board They were
so conducted as to secure nett her econ
omy nor best results
These trusteeships all honorable
positions and eagerly sought after. haG
been used as sort of currency TO pur
chase nominations and to repay the
boys who had delivered votes in con
ventions. The trustees appointed su
perintendentS and all suNo' mates
and these combined to furnish the
dynamic power for the steam roller
which the late Mark Hanna and Boss
George B. Cox used to crush the life
out of rebelions against the rule OF
the G. O. =. machine.
Governor Harmons idea was that
1.-THE establishments which Il Christian
state maintains for charity are sacred
and that every selfish purpose should
perish at their doors.
Acting on this principle. the governor
framed and forced through the general
assembly bill placing all employees
of the institutions ranking below Su
perintendent under civil service rules
The nineteen separate boards OF truS
tees and nineteen stewards under this
law We're lagiSlated out OF office. ana
the duties of the hfty-seven trustees