The Democratic banner. (Mt. Vernon, Ohio) 1898-192?, 1915-07-09
SPECULATION
AS TO REASON
Of Gov. Willis ABANDONING
HOrn.TOOting Trip
Has Ended With The DiSCOv.
cry OF The Pact
Between Willis, Senator Bur.
ton And Raj ph Cole
Involving Presidency, Sen.
atorship And GOvernOrship
Which They Have ParceIed
Out Among Themselves

| OoiuiuouoD W., July o-opeCuldtlOn
as to the reason which impelled Gov.
ernor Willis to suddenly abandon his
western horn footing trip. has ended
with the discovery of the three
guardsmen" pact now said to have
been cemented between Willis, Ex-Sen.
ator Burton and Ralph Cole. By this
| arrangement Burton is to be given the
| Ohio support of his presidential candi-
dacy, Cole is to be the senatorial bud,
| and both are to lend all possible aid to
Willis in an attempt to succeed him.
self They made it plain to Willis that
| he could not secure an undivided Ohio
delegation and that made the western
| trip joke; but it was thought that
| his greatest strength in his own par.
ty would be to succeed himself be.
cause of the strong Ada personal ma.
chine he has been building. OF course
| both Burton and Cole would be alto.
gether unselfish in the matter, one
candidate for the presidency and the
other candidate for senator
This is purely Republican family
| talk and is not to be considered as
meaning anything much Notwith
| standing the "all for one and one for
all'' principle of the triumverate, it is
a case of a stand against the wall.
With Wilson in the Whitehouse and
the national administration making
success beyond all hopes, the nomina-
tion Burton seeks could be only an
empty honor. With Ralph Cole any old
chance at all is a good one, and in
this case he stacks up if nominated
against Senator Pomerene who will
have not only the support of a united
| Democracy, but of all the independent
voters of the state. So far as Willis is
concerned, with the miserable showing
he has made, any one of dozen Demo
Gratis prominent in the state could
beat him with ease.
The triumvirate is the first arrange
ment known and is not necessarily to
be supported by other Republicans
|
something about playing the game.
Other alignments and perhaps shift,
ing of candidates in the triumvirate
may be not unexpected.
Reports from those who have been
circulating petitions for referendum
on the agricultural ripper indicate that
the required number of signatures will
be had on July 10, the date limit. The
referendum petitions are meeting with
warm response for many reasons. The
new law is found to be lamentably
weak. 1t disorganizes the well plan
ned agricultural work of the state and
, restores all the old boards with their
separate interests. Without limit to
es of board members for such meetings
are not fixed, and indications are that
, all the old waste and the old expense
will be restored just as it prevailed
before the system was organized
when an annual saving of $4,000 was
effected. The injection of politics in
to the management of the state uni
: versity and the removal of Dean Price
from the faculty after IL years o
faithful service, and other interference
with the agricultural educational worl
by Governor Willis will also help the
referendum. AS another aid is the res
ignation of DR.. Paul Fischer as state
veterinarian because of defects in thu
S new law, and the selfishness which
caused its passage. The inner circle
j discovered in the state grange, formed
for the purpose of hogging the offic
/ es, will cause recruits to the referen
s dunn banner. Bringing up the list il
:. formidable array are the druggists
a wholesale dealers and supply men, gro
GERS and other retailers who are OF
ganizing to fight the ripper because o