Fulton County tribune. (Wauseon, Ohio) 1883-1925, 1916-06-30

contest to help deliver the electoral
votes to President Wilson. On the
surface that seemed like very gener-
Gus thing for a Democrat to do. It
was claimed at the time, however,
that my predecessor, in making this
declaration had his eye on the main
chance and that It was his real pur-
pose to attempt to slip back into office
under the coat-tails of President Will
son. This theory seems to be borne
out by subsequent events. He no
longer declares that he is in the fight
to help deliver Ohio's electoral votes
to the President. There is a reason.
The Presidents coat-tails are shrink
ing so fast that they can no longer
hide even the attenuated anatomy of
Ex-Governor Cox.
In announcing mis- candidacy for
denomination, my predecessor made
one declaration with which l heartily
agree He said: "Manifestly it is the
belief that my candidacy typefes the
opposition which automatically as
serts itself against the present state
administration" 1 think that state
ment is absolutely correct. "Auto-
matically" is good. l thank ex-Gov-
ernor Cox for it. / shall probably
have occasion to revert to it some
what frequently in the coming cam
paign.
/ thank my predecessor for the
high compliment he pays the present
Republican administration in Ohio by
saying that his candidacy typefes the
opposition to it. This is an acknow-
Judgement of merit graciously accept
ed by the Republican administration
in Ohio. l know of no finer tribute
to the Republican party's fidelity to
the people than this admission on
high authority that the opposition to
it is, typefed by my predecessor. This
proves that we have kept the faith.
Republicans believe that the only ex-
cuse for the creation of an office is
the needs of the public service; my
predecessor acted as if he believed
that offices should be created, not be-
cause the public needed them, but
to reward political favorites; we
sought to reduce expenses, his ad-
ministration sought to increase taxes;
we restored the taxing power to the
hands of the people, his administra-
ton concentrated it in his own hands,
because he deemed himself wiser that
the people; we practiced government
by the people, he preached it; we saw
ed banks for the benefit of deposi-
tors, the last Democratic state ad-
ministration wrecked banks to fur
nish feeding grounds for political
parasites; we decreased salaries and
abolished offices, my predecessor in
creased salaries and made more places
this administration made specific ap-
preparations so that public funds could
be expended only in accord with the
peoples wish; the preceding administra-
ton made lump-sum appropriations
so as to conceal salary grabbing and
expense juggling "by the consent of
the Governor; this administration
passed a Loan-Shark law to protect
the poor against the capacity of the
usurer; the preceding administration
strangled to death a similar mea-
sure; the present administration re-
its predecessor had taken from them
to aggrandize autocracy and build a
political machine. My predecessor
surely typefes automatically the oppo-
sition to rule by the people.
The opposition in this state to the
restoration of the government to the
people; to a tax law that reco gnizes
the rights of the people to elect their
local officers in a right vouchsafed
them in the Constitution; to a just
impartial, non-partisan civil-service
law; to an economical and efficient
administration of state affairs; un-
tainted by spoilation and plunder-the
opposition to all these naturally and
automatically" goes to Ex-Governor
Cox, or as he puts it, "to ray candi-
dacy" He is absolutely right. To
his personal candidacy will "automati-
cally" drift whatever opposition there
is to the present administration and
to good government in Ohio. in COM
mon with the confident and enthusias-
tic Republicanism here represented
and host of good citizens all over
the state, l am more than willing to
have it so.
In his speech Mr.. Cox again seeks
to have the public believe that the
flood of laws that he and his legisla-
ture let loose upon the state was en-
acted to make effective the provision
that found their way into the consti-
i LuClOn CnrOugn Cne cOHVenIlOH VI 1S1G.
He offered the excuse two years ago
and was overwhelmed with the proof
that not a single one of his autocra-
tic laws that aroused the hostility of
the people was required by the new
constitution.
Whence came the demand for the
Warnes Tax Law that took from the
people the right to elect their local
taxing officers and turned loose up
on them swarms of inspectors, depu-
ties and experts, appointed, domin-
ated and used by the governor and
his political henchmen in Columbus
Did the new constitution require it
No. The Constitution, from admis.
sion of the state into the Union down
to this hour, has required that town
Continued on page Eighty