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

campaign. was raised on Frank
lin Delano Roosevelt and absorbed
the tradition he gave to the Demo
cratic Party. The Democrats are
the political voice of the working
man and woman, the progressive
and humane representative of the
little fellows. 1t has assumed the
responsibility for assuring that
their individual and collective lib
critics will not be whitfield away by
the insidious power of big business.
In Ohio that tradition has gone
by the board. Despite the wishes
of the rank-and-file Democrats its
leadership in Columbus has be-
come tool of the banking, insur-
ance and railroad interests which
run the state. There is no more
heart or compassion in these men
than in cash register and they no
more share the Roosevelt tradition
than Charley Wilson does.
The situation in Ohio calls for
the restoration of the purpose /.
/ the very soul of the party. This is
not new condition among political
parties. Whenever political leader
ship does a snow job on the people
with that old, old demagogy that
what is good for business is good
for the people, what he means is
that he has sold out his ideals for
the customary thirty pieces of sill
yer.
William Jennings Bryan describ-
ed the situation far better than
can. In 1896 at the Democratic con-
vention in Chicago when the tex
tile and railroad industrialists
tried to capture the party, he made
his famous Cross of Gold speech.
Perhaps you remember this part of
it. | quote:
when you come before us and
tell us that we shall disturb your
business interests, we reply that
you have disturbed our business
interests by your action. We say to
you that you have made too limit
ed in its application the definition
of business man. The man who
is employed for wages is as much
a business man as his employer.
The attorney in country town is
as much a business man as the
corporation counsel in a great
metropolis. The merchant at a
crossroads store is as much a busi-
ness man as the merchant of New
York. The farmer who goes forth
in the morning and tolls all day
&. and by the application of brain
and muscle to the natural resources
of this country creates wealth, is
as much business man as the
man who goes upon the Board of
Trade and bets upon the price of
grain E.
1T is for these that we speak
-" And here, may / suggest to
| labor that they adopt the attitude
the spirit and the very words OF
Bryan'S challenge in dealing with
the question of political action in
Ohio.
Bryan said: eve come not as ag.
gressors. Our war is not a war of
conquest. We are fighting in de-
fense of our homes, our families
and posterity. We have petition
and our petitions have been scorn-
ed. We have entreated and our en-
treaties have been disregarded. We
have begged and they have Knocked
when our calamity came. We beg
no longer; we entreat no more; we
petition no more. WE DEFY
THEM ="
Naturally, l ask for your sup
port in this campaign. The pos
Sibility of restoring the two-party
system begins with the Democratic
primary and you have choice of
five candidates for the guberna-
torial nomination.
l am the youngest of these five
yet the oldest in legislative service
in Columbus. am the only one of
these five with proven record of
!, my relationship with organized Ia
Dor. Phil Kroll and Jake Clayman
can tell you that every one of my
votes, every one of my committees,
every speech | made on the floor
was in favor of the economic and
social legislation needed by labor
Through every one of those terms
l either voted or took the leader.
ship in opposition to the repressive
legislation the corporations enter
every session. l am proud to be
able to say that my voting record
is 100 per cent with labor
+ Those of you who may have
seen my paper, the Ottawa County
News, know that Steve Novak OF
the UAW has a regular column in
it each week. He writes it, the
space belongs to the union Cat nc
cost of course) and his copy is
never edited. 1t goes in exactly as
he writes it.
l have had labor column in my
paper ever since it began. Mine is
one of three weeklies in the whole
| country and fha OpIy ono in Obi n