The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1915-12-16
were LEGACIES ;
OF cox REGIME
willis Overcoming Numerous
Obstacles In His Path
WAS HhRASSEO At EVERY TURN

Cox Conspiracy to Perpetuate His
Power Under Republican Governor
cIines but Goes Not Work Out.
Patronage Question Among the
Problems Tackled by Governor Vii
| lie Life Jobs For Democratic
HoldoVers.
Columbus, O.-(SpeciGl)-No one
who drops in on Frank Bartlett WA
lis and is welcomed with the hearth
ness which is characteristic Of this
big, strong, able. yet apparently care
free man, would imagine ne had en-
countered any harrassmcnts in his
work as chief executive.
Yet, in truth no one of his long line
Of predecessors has had to overcome
more obstacles in their official tenure
than has Willis in eleven months in
seeking to make good as governor Of
Ohio.
The bane o. the existence of every
bigh-minded public officer is the pa
tronage problem. Before Ohio COVER.
nors were given the veto power the
largest power they had was to make
appointments.
The sneer so often heard that only
q petty politician an official of small
caliber, concerns himself with patron
age details, is a sneer of ignorance.
Jonn Sherman was recognized as a
real statesman during his lifetime and
is so now. Yet he was as painstak,
ingly careful in selecting an applicant
for an appointment as scrubwoman at
the capitol as he was In preparing a
speech to- be delivered in the senate.
Army Of Office Seekers.
Governor Willis recognized, as
every other efficient governor has,
that the patronage problem must be
tackled and made to work out, both
for efficiency Of government and eff
cheney of tne organization Of the par
ty to which the government had been
| intrusted
But what did Frank Willis have to
tackle? In eleven months somewhere
between 10000 and $4,000 applica-
tions for appointment to Office were
filed in his Office.
The number is unprecedented, al
most unbelievable. Whence and why
came all these job hunters, an agsre-
CATION almost half as big as the Unit
ed States army?
One cause of swelling the ranks has
heen generally overlooked. Willis is
the first governor of Ohio who has
been nominated by direct primary.
Every Republican who worked or
voted for Willis at the primary could
| consider that basis for a claim to a
| Job, if he chose to; thousands did
choose to. All these so called claims
were in addition to those filed by Re-
(ublicans who worked and voted for
Willis st the November election.
Effects of Hard Times.
Wilson hard times, now blown by
the gun powder of European battle
fields into temporary good times, but
all pervading in 1914, had something
to do with it.
Capable men, either out Of work or
whose investments or business enter
prises mad greatly shrunken or been
wrecked, sought political jobs, mer
who had. never thought Of doing so
before.
This army Of office seekers was con
frOnted with an army of Democratic
ONCE holders, some 5000 strong, who
claimed life titles to their Jobs.
The new constitution makes civil
service mandatory Governor Cox re
fused to allow his legislature to obey
this mandate until provision was
made in the rotten law Of 1913 fol
keeping Cox appointees in Office in
perpetuity.
Opening the Candy Bag.
Lest hold,over Republicans dip tneii
hands into this Christmas candy bag
the Democratic administration. witt
an exhibition of nerve which was tru
ly sublime, postponed the going int
cffect of this law for year
That gave time to fire Republicans
and fill their places with Democrat:
before the candy bag was opened.
A big batch of Republicans wa:
fred Dec. 81, 1918, the day before t1C
law went into effect.
In case he was reelected, Cox would
dominate absolutely every detail O.
the government. In case, which wa:
the case, of his defeat, Democrats in
trenehed in the more important, anC
also the least important, of the state
offices would be in position to contro
the workings of Republican admin
istration, or at least to paralyze the
efforts of a Republican governor tt
accomplish anything.
Would Keep Going.
/ II the people voted confidence in
the Democratic machine it would
make its sixty miles an hour over it'
cwn right of way. If the people voted
to ditcn the machine, yet it woult
lumber along the middle of the road
The conspiracy designed a continua
ton of a partisan machine govern
ment. whether the people liked it 0,
not.
The biggest factor in the schenn