The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-04-09
Simply To Land A Partisan
In A Fat Job
How CfOmley Is OverruIing
The Supreme Court

Frank B. Willis may consider him.
self exceptionally lucky If he escapes
damage in the threatened fiare.up in
this stateOver alleged violations of the
civil service law passed under consti-
tutional amendment. 1t is charged by
a civil service official that Governor
Willis has not only violated the spirit
but he has broken the letter OF the
law in the matter of urging partisan
appointments in the classified service
and withholding his approval from ap-
pointments because the appointees
were Democrats.
There is no use being mealy mouth
ed about 1t" he said, as heretofore re-
ported in this liberty guarding scion
my position is to select Republican
over Democrat
This being the governors attitude
and by him blatantly announced there
| is no doubt that there has been SER
ious fracture of Section 26 of the civil
service statute, which provides against
"Abuse of Official Power" and prohib-
it's any official from using his infu-
ence or power to secure partisan ap.
pointment for another under penalty
| of fine Imprisonment and forfeiture of
office. While under the law creating
the industrial commission the govern
or is authorized to approve appoint
1nents, he might be criticised even for
action that limited of partisanship, but
when he demands the appointment of
the lowest on list and orders the
! highest removed and then boldly
states 1t is because my position is to
select Republican over a Democrat"
he deserves severest condemnation
and punishment as a spokesman. I'm
der such executive attitude unchecked
the civil service law becomes utterly
worthless and there is no civil service
| whatever A storm of Indignation is
who is everywhere charged with ut
terly debasing the high Office to which
he was elected, and accused of prosti-
tuting the office of governor to the
position he better fills of machine poll
tician.
Many years ago poor boy worked
in quarry in Athens Co. in order to
defray the cost of his keep and to pay
his tuition fees at Ohio university at
Athens Last May, grown to man.
hood, that boy was appointed by form
er Governor James M. Cox as trustee
of the institution and in June he ap-
peared at the annual commencement,
proud and happy, His presence was
impressed upon the pupils as an OBJ
ject lesson to teach them that their
opportunities to rise lay within them
selves Last week Governor Frank B.
/ Willis withdrew his name from the
Ohio senate and nominated in his
stead, one, Hopkins, chairman of the
political committee in Athens county
No cause was officially promulgated
| by the chief executive, but it lies upon
the surface for all men to see. It is not
partisan because the removed trustee
is Republican. 1t is because he is Ar
thur Johnson, managing editor of the
Columbus Dispatch. which paper. in
| dependent in politics, did not support
Willis for election last November.
Representative Cromley of Knox
county has developed a bad case of
swell-head. Cromley has a mania for
getting up and talking, and it has
reached that stage that little attention
is paid to what he says, as most Of it
is certainly lacking in wisdom and
some not in sense. An illustration of
both absence of wisdom and sense was
given by the loquacious member from
Knox county last Tuesday when he
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