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Show THE CITIZEN 'V a investigate an official who had built up a Democratic machine and obtained office by that instrumentality. One of the most amazing features of the rise and fall of young Mr. Bock was his audacity. At a time when he was short $10,000 in his accounts as auditor he went to Europe as a special accountant for the treasury department, leaving his office unguarded, so to speak, against possible investigation. Returning to the city, he again took up his duties as auditor and had reasonable expectations of being elected again and again to that office, but 'he chose to step out into the limelight and run for mayor. If reports be true, however, he occasionally had his timid moments, for it is said that during the last campaign his lieutenants tried to make a deal with one of the candidates for mayor by which Bock was to retire from the contest on condition that he should receive support in his efforts to retain the office of auditor. After his election Mr. Bock was found one day. in his bathroom, overcome by the fumes of gas. It was stated that he had been taking a bath and had not noticed the escape of the gas. Now that Mr. Bock is out as mayor it is the duty of the remaining commissioners to choose .a new member and also a new mayor. It is to be hoped that machine politics will not be allowed to interfere with a correct choice. The commissioners have an opportunity to do a great public service by showing themselves independent of boss control or the control of sinister influences such as were back of Mr. Bock and aided in bringing about his ruin. ' GHOSTS OF AN OLD CAMPAIGN In other words, a combination of these two navies would ljcij "fleets-o- f m "England, andhffpr as has been can time, demonstrated, nobody guess what combina will take place. Mr. Cox had now come to see, far in advance of most of countrymen, that an alliance of Germany and the United St would give Germany the victory that would be so valuable to j. country.. It would be a case of Deutschland uber Alles, with Amefj the handmaiden of the kaiser. Jti The expression of such an opinion at such a time was signified for, as will be recalled, sentiment against Germany in Septenjjj of 1916 had become a tidal wave of wrath. Our ships had set afire or blown up at the docks and our munitions factories jpTJ been dynamited by German sympathizers and agents of the kai.( of the German and Anct government. To suggest the ican fleets at that time was a bit of defiance which caused sc' excitement in Ohio, but apparently none at all elsewhere, for Cox was then oniy a governor and his reputation had not 0Ta flowed the boundaries of the state. That Governor Cox was in entire sympathy with his edit views is evidenced by the fact that he made campaign speech 5 frankly designed to conciliate German opinion and flatter Genii' pride. Both on the stump and editorially he spoke after this fashv Every indication now is that tens of thousands of these splen;. people (Germans) still sympathizing with the fatherland, still 1 lieving in the righteousness of the German cause, still hopeful tN! Germany will win there is evidence that they will vote for Presid.c; Wilson for as the best means of aiding Germany, as v! as because the of President Wilson will be an aid the United States. Our German friends are coming to understand that it does ( 1 just happen that most of the rabid people in this co; try are for Hughes. From Theodore Roosevelt, the enemies of Germany are in:. the-power- .nothing-to-fear.-fro- pro-Germani- sm -- self-assertiven- ess ain. In the autumn of 1916, just as the leaves began to fall and vote: to sprout, the News said editorially: The United States is to have the second navy in the world, and it will not be so many years till it is actually engaged. Germany would have remained ahead of us but for the war. Her losses put her back. As for the navy of Great Britain, it so far outranks all others that no nation can hope to catch up with it. And here's a thing to remember when the world is talking war: The navy of Germany and of the United States combined would be much more powerful than Great Britains. . ii co-operat- ion re-electi- The ghosts of old campaigns are beginning to appear at the Democratic feasts. Their presidential candidate has been a salient figure in Ohio politics for many years, both, as a candidate and as the publisher of newspapers. His campaigns, as Stevenson would say, have been filled with a number of things, and a number of this number are receiving nation-wid- e publicity. In the campaign of 1916 there was an issue of and Cox elected to fish for German votes, and German votes are thick in the current of Ohio politics. In fact, he had enjoyed that kind of fishing for several years during the lurid tumultuous days that were sweeping us into the war. The issue even at this day is not wholly academic, but we present the following quotations not so much to emphasize the issue as to shed a revealing light on the candidate of a great party wTho, however well understood in his own state, is almost an unknown quantity in the nation. Soon after the Lusitania was sunk and while President Wilson was exchanging notes on the subject with Germany, the Dayton News, owned by Mr. Cox, had this to say editorially: Nor is victory by Germany the worst thing that can happen. If the allies were to win, and their winning meant a great increase of Russian aggressiveness on the one side and the Japanese on the other, Americans might live to be very sorry that Germany had not won. Of course, the editorial was written with the patriotic purpose of showing how much more valuable a German victory would be to America than an allied triumph. The editor realized, no doubt, that he was running counter to sentiment outside the German communities of Ohio, but he could not let his countrymen go on making fools of themselves by siding with Belgium, France and Great Brit- ful on re-electi- on anti-Germ- an Hughes band wagon. So it is evident, in this instance as in all others, Woodrow Wil?has been the real friend of the American citizen who sympathif with Germany. Those splendid German people are not so keen for Preside," Wilson as the governor was eager to have them in 1917, for t president, who, up to 1917, had kept us out of war, led us into t war on the side of the allies. When the war was about over made the German people a promise that if they would establi a new government and give up he would see that they obtain peace on his fourteen points, and when the Germans had surrender ( the president abandoned his promise and the fourteen points, Governor Cox now points out by way of extenuation that did not run strong in the German communities in that electi from which we are to infer, no doubt, that the Germans wrere im patriotic than he was and did not approve of that German-Amcrialliance which he and his editor seemed to favor. 1 ; 1 ! j : c: THE ISSUE OF DISTRUST Since his nomination Governor Cox has been trying to unite t party. He seems to think that if he can tie the broken thread together he will have a perfect garment once more. The governor has gone about his task like a typical politicir He has attempted to placate every interest. He met the preside, and agreed with him. He agreed with the dries; he agreed wi:; the wets. And he would be delighted to agree with the Bry; nit: if he could but find the way. Perhaps he calculates with his shrewdness that Bryan, having nowhere else to go. remain in the Democratic party. All w'ould be lovely if Bryan woi K remain in the party and, at the same time, be silent, but silence at! Bryan cannot abide together. In attempting this tremendous task of uniting the conflict elements of his party, Governor Cox, we believe, has missed d; vital issue. j If he will but cast his vision backward to the campaign of lj i |