Ottawa County news. (Port Clinton, Ohio) 1931-1956, 1956-03-02


Ohio and that system, of course,
has been the basis for our nations
great strength.
In speaking this way, / hold no
brief for Bender. | was asked three
times to get into the race against
Bender and | refused each time.
My aim has always been the re-
organization of the Democratic
Party in the state so that it will
represent a definite political view
point and not parade under false
colors through its titular spokes-
man, the Governor.
l want to warn you leaders of
organized labor that you have a
vital stake in this crusade to free
the Democrats. Whether your po-
litical faith is Republican or Demo
crat does not matter. AS repre-
sentatives of the wage-earners of
the state your responsibility in
cludes the continuing threat of re-
pressive legislation aimed at the
collective bargaining structures
you have built up over the years.
Labor cannot afford a one-party
system. Inevitably, domination of
any government by one party, one
political viewpoint, even if it is
disguised by party labels, leads to
economic legisA ton favoring the
supporters of that party.
Ohio is no different from any
other state. In all of them big
business dominates government in
varying degrees, just as it dom
mates nationally. The money ex-
pended for political purposes by
business is startling. During my
three terms in the Legislature and
as member of the Legislative
Servic Commission | had ample
opportunity to watch the process
1t is an operation without morals
integrity or conscience.
Big business makes an invest
ment in politics and it expects
profits on its investment. Some
times it is difficult to trace the
source of the profit but generally
it follows the pattern familiar tc
you in the Workmen's Compensa
ton legislation. There is good rea
son why Ohio's employer rate fol
Workmen'S compensation is so low
the lowest in the country. Had yol
been at the last session of thu
Legislature, as l was, you woult
have seen almost a death struggle
for control of workmen's compen
sation. Rather than lose their con
troll, the employers did grant
partial increase in maximum
benefits.
But ladies and gentlemen, t.1a
legislation does not assure increas
in benefits. 1t merely places tn,
possibility on record. The employ
erS still control the examining doc
tors and still control the individua
boards and still have the power t,
force settlement down the throa
of needy injured worker.
| am willing to wager that, be
fore the year is out, there will
have been only an infinitesmal in
crease in the total paid out a
compensation to all the injured
workers in Ohio, if there is any in
crease at all.
The profits to the employer il
this whole operation exist in re
tanning the same shamefully low
rate structure. They saved them
selves millions through the las
Workmen'S Compensation bill
They invested only a fraction O.
those millions in their lobbyins
blitz so their profits were enor
nous.
Had there been two active polit
ical parties in Ohio, l assure yol
that you would have seen funda
mental progress in legislation tax
ing the control of compensation
away from the employers. A hand
full of Democratic legislator,
struggled against the employer
but what could they do when The
Governor himself gave them activ,
opposition because he sided will
the Republicans on the compensa
ton bill.
Organized labor had marrow
squeak with the right to work
bill. In fact, if the Republicans hat
not looked forward to this election
year of 1856 when they expect t,
take complete administrative a
well as legislative control, yol
would have had right to work
bill.
With the Democrats paralyzed b,
Lausche, the Republicans anticipat
taking over the state by default
If O'Neill is governor and the AS
sembly is Republican, do you thinl
for one minute that big bushes
would miss the opportunity to pu
across right to work" bill?
Not only would they slam
right through the legislature bu
to prevent repriSals at the polls b.
organized labor, they will reviv
the Kile bill, shutting unions of
from any political activity what