Constitution Party rallies to inform

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The party hopes to qualify to get candidates on the Ohio ballot next year.

By HAROLD GWIN

VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER

YOUNGSTOWN — Bill Paris of Hubbard said he and his wife, Ceil, decided to come to a Constitution Party of Ohio political conference in Youngstown "to find out what's going on."

The couple were among 10 people who turned out for the Saturday afternoon rally on South Avenue.

"I believe what he said so far," Paris said, referring to speaker Robert M. Owens, a Delaware, Ohio, attorney and chairman of the party's Ohio arm.

"It sounds interesting," Ceil Paris added.

The problem is getting some money behind the movement, Paris said.

But Owens said the party doesn't need a lot of money to have an impact.

It's a matter of using resources wisely rather than spending large amounts of cash to get the message out, he said.

There are no big-money interests behind the Constitution Party, which draws its funds primarily from members, he said.

A huge groundswell isn't needed to bring about change. All that is needed is a small group of dedicated people, Owens added.

What they've done

The party's basic tenet is less big government and more protection of the rights of the people.

Owens said the party is organizing on a Congressional district basis, and there are 18 districts in Ohio. Even just 300 active people in each of those districts would be enough to sway elections, he said, explaining the need to gain representation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

That's where all the money comes from and that's where a return to the limits on federal government needs to be imposed, he said.

The party has been recognized as a national political party by the Federal Election Commission since 1996. It was founded in 1992 as the U.S Taxpayers Party and changed its name to the Constitution Party in 1999.

It has some 400,000 members nationwide, making it the third-largest political party in the country, Owens said.

The Ohio chapter has only 350 members so far as it begins to get organized, he said.

Alice Marshall of Youngstown, the party's Northeast Ohio coordinator, wasn't bothered by the small turnout.

Only the beginning

"This is just the beginning," she said, explaining the party will now launch a series of small meetings designed to make people aware of its platform.

"We have to make a stand to preserve our rights and freedoms God gave us," she added.

Owens said the party is circulating petitions to get certified for the election ballot in Ohio, predicting it will get the 20,000 signatures needed by the end of this year.

The Rev. Albert Yanno of Youngstown said he came to the meeting because there aren't a lot of good options offered by the Democratic and Republican parties, either nationally or locally.

He wasn't immediately convinced that the Constitution Party is the answer, however.

"I need to get some more answers on where they stand on some things," he said.

"I like where they're going," the Rev. Mr. Yanno said, agreeing with the party's belief that America has drifted away from the pure intended purpose of the Constitution.

Owens urged those at the meeting to begin talking to friends and acquaintances about the concepts of liberty, the Constitution and limited government.

gwin@vindy.com

Sunday, July 29, 2007