The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1916-05-26
GOEKE
Threatens to Get Into Congress
SiOnaI Game Again
Unless Cunningham Takes TO Tall
Grass ais Version Of Last
Dirty Political Fight.


John Henry Guecke mas broken his long
silence with regard to the congressional
situation. His expression takes the form
Of a signed statement addressed to the
voters, indicating that he win be can
didate for congress as long as n. W.
Cunningham entertans hope of being ell
ccted to that position.
Goecke's attitude, as implied IN the III
timatum and even more strongly between
the lines is that the Blumton banker was
directly responsible for the injection or
denomina tionalism in the last campaign
lie also states that he has no desire to
go to congress, but that in order TO elm
mate Cunningham as factor he will
make the race. adding that the church
issue used in the last fight has no place
in politics and must be removed by re-
moving the nstigatOr.
! The statement takes "A number of var
| led turns and Is apparently directed 70
| several groups. First, ne explains lhal
| he desires to inform those VINO are alruu
! to run because of his anticipated entrance
| Just where he stands. Then he states
| that personal ambitions have nothing to
| do with it. The venture would be a n
nanciul loss because Of the interference
| with his law practice. The next turn Is
| toward "a historical resume, charging Gun
Inngham with breach OF faith, and deClar-
| ing that the latter was put INTO the race
| of 1914 by influences outside the dis
! trict" From this he launches INTO a
! personal estimate of his rival, which can
| not be Classed luke warm in tenor.
! The WapakOneta attorney then devOles
his attention TO the need of an available
candidate" who can be elected and become
useful in Washington In this connection
there is a trace of advice to country can
dates throughout the district regarding
| the presence on the ticket OF a mill
stone" And here enters the challenge
|
| idea of EOig to COgress after the hight
OF two years ago, Goecke VIII take all
OF the voters of the district INTO my con
| fidence and give them some interesting
information that is now known TO but
comparatively few" In other words ne
indicates that he has something ready
Goecke's closing sentence hopes that
this win not become necessary Nheth-
er or not il vii bring up the question as
to what the Wapak0neta man considers
the necessity, the inference is that he is
to be the judge himself, for the context
shows plainly that he Will run unless
Cunningham decides not to do so.
This gives the ultimatum the aspect
OF a demand for a showdown, Goecke ev-
identity bclieVeing ne holds the hlEh card.
There is just enough of lue definite
i'm the challenge to show the frame or
mind of the attorney for he makes II
plain TO the other prospective entrants
ningham. But there is also enough of the
vague to leave the matter up i'm the air.
Goecke does not state positively what he
viii do. but makes it contingent on a
series of prepOsitional words such as 'lt'
and unless" and the like.
All eyes turn to Cunningham as the re
suit Of GOecke's statmenl. ThaL ne VIII
come back" with either total denials or
a set of counter charges appears to be
the concensus Of opinion. The Goecke
proclamation apparently calls for an an
SWcr, in that il does not end in a deiln-
ite conclusion, and the fact that the for
mer congressman claims to have some
interesting information adds TO the IN
terest of the electorate.
ton man viii ignore the threat but the
common belief is that he VIII disclalm
the authorship of the religious issue Py
simply retOrtng that he cannot be helu
responsible for what a few of his foolish,
over Jealous and short sighted adher-
ents may have done without his know
The text of the statement prepared by
GOeCke personally, and signed m accor-
dance with the anonymous altac' stat
"in view of the fact that the time linn
il for the announcement q. candidates
for Congress is soon TO expire ana that
there is a general impression throughout
the district that l am candidate Tor the
democratic nomination, | feel that IL Is
only fair to ytOse who may be deslrous
of entering the contest that should make
a statement of my position, especially
since my friends all over the district nave
been constantly urging me again to be
come a candidate, saying that my hat al
II want to first make it PLAN that
my hat is not in the ring with my con
sent. | have privately advised my friends
from time to time that | was aYerse TO
becoming a candidate again at this time
because Of the great personal SacrlHce
it would entail upon me and because OF
the peculiar political situation IN the dls-
trict. / am very fond of the work OF
my profession 1t is congenial and much
more profitable than politics and it Is
quite natural that | should prefer TO de-
vote m yentire time and energies TO the
practice of the law and only devote such
time to politics as every private citizen
ought to devote who is interested In good
government and clean polit cs.
1.-TWO years ago Mr.. Cunningham came
to Washington and urged me to again be
come a candidate for congress and pied
ged me his support 1t he had kept MS
word / would have had no opposition in
the primary; my election would have been
q fOregone conclusion and the district
would not now be represented by a re-
publican. He permitted himself TO be set
into the fight by influences outside OF the
district and then proceeded, by the ana
of his political henchmen and manlpuIa-
tors, to conduct a campaign, the methods
of which We're both Illegal and reprehen-
sible, resulting in his defeat at the polls
and sending to congress the tlrst repubn-
can in the history of the district. lie ana
his political manipulators, and no one else
are responsible therefor Every Well
formed citizen of the Fourth district
knows this statement to be true. a man
m,i,5t.,,,,| is rot ~ 70 ranTespnt any dis
i1 SonfnSs The methods employ
od ~ 70 iI hriUme eaLo,jt his nomination When
tun{ aIiI5 anG Yin NIKE his candidacv
,i i,ei ei,3Un"Gssihiiity If nominated he would
,mo,,a ,,l r,iiistona about the neck of every
candidate on the democratic ticket from
T., Rtto ,ioft,t The lesson Of two years ago
nnSbf to he smfIicient warning to Cum
fSs7Irha,S, ana his bepchn1en that this will
| ~ ~ ne lie' II. tas,Iit s,Iif ''''
De .,SKTbiie Ny am in no wise responsible.
aithsr directly or Indirectly. for this de-
iILItt?z1 LIE ~, II, tLa 5iet,ict