The Meridian times. (Meridian, Idaho) 1909-1938, 1920-10-22
Clam He Had Never Pressed !
Soldier Into an Industrial
Controversy Not True.
USED OHIO MILITIA TWICE.
Question Not About Merits ot
Strike or Need for Military. |
but as to TruthfuIness.
BY WILLIAM HosrER

4 'poA Accoru has been IL
shattered by his own officis, 81
Claiming that he had never nre.saai
I, soldier into an industrial centroya.
sy" the record of his action as von
ernor Of Ohio in modelling the Ma
tional Guard of this state for service
in the steel strike of 1919 has hasn
/ produced in fiat contradiction of h,s
i assertion.
Not once, but on two occasions was
the Ohio guard at an expense of 500
600 to the people of Ohio, called into
service and sent to Akron and held 4
readiness for action in nearby Canton
The question is not as to the merits
OF the strike or as TO the necessity for
the presence Of the guard within strfk.
ing distance of Canton, but concerns
wholly the truthfulness of Goyernor
Cox's statement, obviously made to win
favor among the workingmen. The
facts as brought out in the speech OF
Republican State Chairman George II
Clark, formally opening the campaign
at Columbus, are as follows:
Ordered Guard Out Twice
After the steel strike had progressed
for some days, with more or less djsor.
der, Governor Cox on September 2S
1919, suddenly ordered the mobilization
of the guard at Akron. A period Of
quiet followed, and the troops were
withdrawn. And then again suddenly
on October 20 the guard was once more
modified and sent to Akron, and while
it lay there at that strategic point
awaiting a summons into action staff
officers representing Governor Cox kept
close watch on the situation in Can
ton.
In his speech at Wheeling, W. Va,
on the night of August IA Governor
Cox said:
For six years have been in execu-
tive authority in the great industrial
state of Ohio. During all this time !
have never pressed soldier into an In
dustrial controversy"
The question is, did Governor Cox
tell the truth? Answering this ques-
ton, Chairman Clark in his Columbus
speech displayed to his audience pho
tographic copy of Special Order No. 80
issued from the Adjutant Generals de-
partment of the State of Ohio, dated
Columbus, October %, 1919, which des-
ignated certain officers for immediate
active service and paragraph OF
which reads:
Facts Presented.
] I'm anticipation of the development
I of a rioting condition at Canton, o., the
Governor of Ohio has deemed it neces-
sary to assemble sufficient number OF
state troops at Akron, o., to be held IN
I readiness to render aid to the civil au-
I thorities at Canton, o., and has so d.
1 rected the Adjutant General Of Ohio,
4 who, pursuant to such order, directs
Colonel Benson w. Hough to proceed
4 without delay to Akron, O., to take
command of all state troops upon ar
rival at Akron, o., and to hold them IN
\ readiness for duty, awaiting further
orders" ..
The order is signed by the AdJutant
I General and counter-signed in these
words, "By command of Governor cox
! Did Governor Cox tell the truth 10
\ the workingmen?
Supplementing this documentary
proof Mr. Clark produced photograph
\ &c copies of headlines from Canton, v.
I newspapers of concurrent date, Whicn
read state troops mobilizing for duty
here. All available companies are OF
dered out" And. "Governor ordelt
troops for duty here, Ohio soldiers re
porting to armories following trouble.
/ Truth Should Be Known.
The surprising thing about it all Il
that Governor Cox in his Wheeling
l speech should have made so fiat an as
\ sertion when all of the facts with re
I gard to his mobilization of the guar'
\ were still fresh In the public mind, a
\ least in Ohio. or course 1t is not to q
X expected that workingmen elseWher
! in the United States would be famllla
\ with the circumstances, and 1t was ~
that reason that State Chairman Ciarl
| In his speech stressed the necessity 10
| the people all over the country 70
1 Informed that Governor Cox's assertio
I that he never pressed soldier lnp
1 an Industrial controversy" was aose
4 lutely at varience with the truth.
Publication of these official facts ha
utterly confounded the advocates
4 Governor Coxs election, who have pee
l making special plea TO the workin.
4 men on the basi of his West Virgin
4 speech. The revelations as to
I Cox's mobilization of the troops al
1 being compared with the sworn SUN
/ ments of liquor league contributiens
| his gubernatorial campaign funu
1 refutation of his statement that ~
4 vets have never contributed one dotis
to any of my campaigns" In Dol
cases the point is made that the lsst
Is not as to the merit of his mopil2
ton of the troops on the one hand,
az to the status of the wet ana a.
question, on the other hand, but th'
the real issue is as to the degree