On Monday March 27, 1899, shortly before Cleveland's hotly contested mayoral election, a reform-minded group held a public meeting in Germania Hall on Erie Street and Bolivar Avenue, one street north of present day Progressive Field.

The aim of this meeting was to appeal to the voters in the Lower Woodland area - largely immigrant Eastern European Jews - the poor and working class voters in "Czar" Harry Bernstein's 16th ward.

Bernstein would direct them to vote a straight Republican ballot. But the "good government" candidate was a Democrat. So leading Jewish citizens would appeal to the audience to act as free Americans and not be subjects of any "czar."

Germania Hall, demolished in the 1960s.
image: Cleveland Planning Commission

Robert McKisson: age 36, born in Ohio, Republican and a lawyer, had been mayor since 1895 and was running for re-election. His administration was a great builder of bridges and advanced other public projects, but a citizens group had uncovered its corruption.

John Harrington Farley, age 53, was born in Cleveland. A Democrat and known as "Honest John Farley", he had been mayor from 1883-85. He had lost in his run for mayor in 1897 and was running for mayor again. Farley was seen as the "good government" candidate.

Harry Bernstein: Republican ward leader, age 43, born in Russia-Poland. He would boast that he could deliver the vote in his ward - and he did. So much so that he was known as "Czar" Bernstein because of the influence he had over his constituents. He would meet immigrants from Russia soon after they arrived, befriend them, help them get out of trouble and make sure they became citizens. Then he would tell them who to vote for. His ward was located in the area where the main Post Office on Orange Avenue stands today.

Martin Marks: age 46, born in Wisconsin, In 1886 he married a daughter of Kaufman Hays, Cleveland's most wealthy Jew, and soon moved to Cleveland. An insurance executive, in 1890 he became president of the Reform congregation Tifereth Israel, the city's largest and second-oldest congregation. It was then on Willson Avenue (now East 55th Street), far east of Bernstein's Lower Woodland ward.

Rabbi Moses Gries: age 31, born in New Jersey and, since 1892 the first American-born and American-educated rabbi of The Temple - Tifereth Israel. Eloquent and confident, he soon became the leading voice of the Jewish community. Gries, too, had married a daughter of Kaufman Hays. He can say "I have worked with your children" because his Sunday School welcomed children of non-members. His comment about a fire engine running through crooked refers to a street with a bend in it to avoid moving Bernstein's saloon. (see Bernstein's Elbow). Three years before he had helped found  the Municipal Association, which would later become The Citizens League.

We display the story of March 28, 1899 below. Not clear and not mentioned in the story is how well the largely Yiddish-speaking voters of Bernstein's ward would have understood the speeches in English.

The Jewish newspaper of the time, the Jewish Review and Observer, made no mention of the meeting for the two weeks before and after it was held.

Photo sources:
McKisson and  Farley (Wikipedia), Bernstein, Marks, Gries (Merging Traditions)

Arnie Berger  December 24, 2010