Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1914-03-27
REFLECTIONS FOR THE EDITOR
OF THE FAYETTE REVIEW.

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I have read the Fayette Review
for several years and have been in
terested in many of the sayings of its
editor. l have read with pleasure his
denunciations of rotten politics, cor
rupt political bosses and machines.
But of late their seems to have been
a change come over him for what he
once condemned in politics he now
praises. 1t could not be that he has
been given some little political office
for this change of heart.
He has been loud in denouncing the
Republican papers for saying that
Gov. Cox wah building a political
machine in Ohio, by creating SO many
appointive offices. A short time ago
ne was saying there were I'd many
offices and that those who were hold
ing them down were getting twice
what it was worth. Now he says it is
alright to have these offices and a
lot more.
Another thing that can not UNDER
stand about the Review Editor is
that he can not see that Gov. Cox is
building up a political machine. Al
short time ago Mr.. Turner, the prose-
cutting attorney of Franklin county
notified the State Civils Service Com
mission that the employees in several
departments of state were being as
sessed for political purposes. The
Civil Service Commission, and two of
its three members are Democrats,
found that during the month of Jan
uafy this year more than $4,000. had
been collected for the employees in
the state department, the head of
which Gov. Cox appoints to support
the state Democratic Press Bureau.
Cox appointees paying $4,000 month
to support a press bureau which
furnishes campaign material for all
the Democratic newspapers in the
state. Then we are not sure that this
is the purpose to which this money
was put for the fellows who collect
ed it swear that they turned it over
to w. L. Finley, chairman of the state
Democratic executive committee. If
creating offices to be filled by ap-
polntment by the governor, collect
ing money from these offices and
turning it over to the chairman of the
state Democratic committee as the
officers swear they did do, is not a
part of political machine what is
1 it?
But that is not all. It was CHARGED
that the Warnes Tax Law would be
used to aid in building up Gov. Cox'c
political machine and this the editor
of the Review said was base lie. If
the editor of the Review is right in
saying that the offices appointed
under the Warnes Tax Law are not
being used as a part of the state
political machine, how can he explain
why this same W. L. Finley chair
man of the state Democratic execu-
tive committee sent, the following let
ter to each of the township assessors
in Huron county?
THE DEMOCRATIC STATE EXEC
UTIVE COMMITTEE. "
Columbus, Ohio, Feb. 25, 1914. &
Dear Sir: am handing you here
with two sets of blanks. On one you
are to write or have written the
name and post office address lin a
city, the street y address) of thirty
(no more, no less) of the best, most
intellipent, most active Democrats in
each precinct in the county assigned
YOU. On the other blank you are. to
write or have written the name and
post office address Tin a city, the
street address) of twenty (no more.
no lessl fair minded intelligent
Republicans or Bull Moosers.
These lists are to be completed and
returned to me not later than March
10th. They are to be carefully ex-
ecuted You are to be responsible
for their correctness. To that end
you must go or send a responsible
party to the county seat of the coun-
ty assipned to you where the records
of the board of elections or of the
Democratic County Executive Com
mittee (poll books) are to be consult
ed for names and responsible parties,
Democratic Chairmen, Democratic
editors, committeeman, etc., conferr-
ed with as regards addresses as well
Of electors, want these lists prompt
ly and correctly executed. I am mere
ly suggesting the mode and manner
in which the work may be done. !
want to impress upon you that it can
not be done as result of a personal
visit to each county and you have
been assigned to do your share of the
work.
Yours truly,
w. L. FINLEY.
If you doubt the truthfulness of
| the above statement as to whom this
letter was sent write to the editor of
the Experiment" the only Democra-
tic paper published in Huron county,
Norwalk, and satisfy yourself.
And now, Mr. Editor of the Review
if using Gov. Cox's appointees,- to do
personal work for the State Democra-
tic Executive committee, if creating
thousands of appointive offices and
ieo1lecting large sums of monev from
at least a part of them as has been
proven by their own confessions, and
turning this money over to the chair
man of Gov. Cox's State campaign
committee is not building state poll
tical machine that will rival Tam
many of New York what would you
call it.