The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-11-26
SHARE
OF BLAME
For Failure Of The Junior
Contest Work
Goes Not Alone To IDeffi-
Cicnt Ag. Board
But Is ExemplifiCatiOn Of A
Lack Of Policy
And Weak And WabbIing Rule
Of Executive
Who Thought To Go Through
Term On A Bluff


inefficient state board Of agriculture
for the failure of the junior contest
work this year without further placing
the full share of the blame would be
unjust. The miserable conduct of all
of Ohios affairs that have fallen into
the executive rule is the exemplifica-
tion of lack of policy and weak,
wabbling, uncertain governor who
sought to get through his official term
of service on bluff.
For junior contest work Is fail
ure. Scarce more than single hun
dred of boys are going TO Washington
as the winners of corn boys contests.
This means lack of interest in the
| work and 1t means that fewer boys
than usual have endeavored to make
more corn grow than steir neighbor-
hoods have even seen before on one
acre of ground. Last year nearly one
thousand boys were sent to Washing
ton. The year before not quite so
many. But Willis, In his mad career
! of destruction and decentralization,
ripped asunder the agricultural com
mission.
| First the new state board of agri-
culture ran wild in the matter of ex-
pendture at the state fair and went
in the hole deeply by mismanagement
| and the use OF free passes to pOliti-
clans. Then they are nominally re-
spOnsible for the failure OF the junior
contest work in respect to the Wash.
ington trip, and actually responsible
for having frittered away the money
that was to provide domestic science
training for girl prize winners In bak'
ing contests. They are only nOminally
responsible in the first instance be-
them Governor Willis Is actually at
fault. Until 1t was too late to enter
work Willis refused to let 1t be known
whether or not there would be any
junior contest work at ALL and when
too late he endorsed the program his
inefficient board did not know how tC
get the wheels In motion or arrange
for the numerous free trips. Even
when the board selected a manager II
was Inundated by Governor Willis
who forced his own selection of T. p
Riddle. though the boards own selec
ton, doing nothing. was kept on the
payroll Besides this the board Is ev
EN- now being called to account fol
having wasted in the extravaganza at
tending the state fair the money that
was appropriated to give Ohio an ap
pie show this year.
There will be corn boys, so-called
excursion, all right. but in reality II
is a big railroad excursion with the
corn boys furnishing the excuse. Penn
sylvania railroad officials have helped
to make the affair financially success
ful, having even offered to pay Ger
tain men of influence to make the trir
II is said. For the railroad the affair
will be a success, but for Ohio and the
cause OF agriculture 1t will be a sue
cess-Not
Some years ago when the Democrats
came into power as result OF vel
founded suspicion of state treasur,
graft, investigation showed that mil
lions had been taken where only thous
ands were suspected, Much of tn,
money Illegally taken by dishonest of
licials was recovered under Harmon
and Cox. But as soon as willis ant
the good old days" of Deferential Har
ding came in. an effort was made Il
take vengeance on certain agencie.
of the Justice that had been wrought
II so happened that one of the agen
cies was colored man. janitor
named z. II. Jackson, who told il
court how he had carried satchels o