American Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1855-1860, 1855-07-26
T9r Gmtaster 6a5ttte,
CITY OF LANCASTER.
Morning. July s6, 1885
THOS. SPOoNER AND THE REPUBLI-
CAN TICKET.
CINcINNArr, July Esd, 1855,


The action of the 18th of July Conven-
lion is before the public, and sense of
dutv to YOU as well as justice to myself
prompts me to place before you what l
conceive TO be the true position of the Or
der in this connection.
Up to the hour when the State Council,
at its session in Cleveland, decided to post
pone all further action in the matter of
nominations until the 7th of August, your
executive had taken no part in either the
mode of nomination or the candidates TO
be nominated, but bad confined himself to
the discharge of his ofiaial duties, leaving
the membership to a free and unbiased
action But when it became apparent that
our membership would not only largely
participate, but be the controlling element
in that convention, felt thatt become my
duty to do all in my power to secure the
nomination of such head TO The ticket as
woul be most acceptable to the Order,
an | with this view labored earnestly and
honestly to defeat the nomination of Mr..
Chase. The result is before you. One of
tie lstrtsest and most respectable conven-
tiOns ever helf in the State, in point OF
numbers, intellect and character, deci-
del majority of which were members of
Che, American pary-clearly. and fairly
nominated that gentleman as the candidate
of their choice for the Gubernatorial chair.
The rest ofthe ticket if am rightly advis-
ed, are not only members Of the American
party, but especially acceptable TO it, and
emjnen;ly qualified for the positions for
which they have been selected What
then, is the duty and policy for hold them
mentcal) Of our Order in view OF this
fact?
II has ever been held by all parties, thai
holding placei in any convention or body
misrepresentation or in person, where con
flicting interests or views are represented
---commits those participating to the sup
port of the action of the body unles,
protest or withdrawal BE THEN AMI THERE
MADE. Was there any such Withdrawal
or protest-and if not how stands the
case.
~ It's urged by some that the head of tho
ticket is antagonislic to the principles o
our Order. Many good and true members
Of the American Party have fallen into the
popular error that "Americansm consist,
in mere antagonism to the Foreign anc
Catholic tendencies of portion Of ouI
population.
True Amercansm is not simply n mega
tiye-a mere antagonism--it is an active
living principle--the embodiment Of LIB
erty in its widest and most enlarged sense,
developed bya free education, directed by
the. teachings Of Christianity, with the
world for its area, and the whole human
family for its recipients.
This living principle of Lberty--the all
pervading aspiration of the soul of man
wherever and however situated we call
"AmericanisIn, for it is here in America
that it TO be, aud is being Developed
To Us as nation is manifestly committed
the mission of'eonducing it To a full and
final develepme9t, and spread it abroad
among the nations Of the Earth Then
lot usnot compromise the high trust conf
.ded TO US by attempting to circumscribe
p its limits or set bounds for its action, but
give it the ilimitable scope indicated by
its divine origin, knowing or acknowledg
ing no sectonallsts, North or South, East
or West.
With this enlarged and proper view o
=, the object and mission nj "Americanism
there can be no serious cause for appre
henson or distrust for any portion of the
ticket nominated ut Coumbus--there is NJ
positive antagonism to our principles
but very much that advocates aud sustain.
them
But suppose thorc be in the minds oil
some, hn opposing element in the material
OF the ticket--was not that Convention
d largely composed of members Of our Or.
dcr--and can We as an Order repudiate the
ticket and not repddiate our membership
who were in the majority in that Conven-
tion? We declined to nominate al Cleve-
. land, with tho distinct avowal that all who
chose might take part in the 18Th July Con,
venllon; and now, after having done so,
and having secured to our party eight out
of the nine nominees, shall wO prove our
selves SO unstable and unreliable that we
will not observe the good faith usual to the
old political parties whom we are accustom-
Cd 10 call dishonest and corrupt. It has
been said that delegates went into that Con-
NeHllon win HeHtuG TeS6rtuttOH. III Is
scarcely creditabe that an American, a
member Of the American Party and one
who so enjoyed lis confidence rs to be Sc
looted as its agent in an important Con.
venton would so far forget himself, hi,
party and his country as to descend to the
Josuitical dishonesty of mental rescrUa
ton" Ii there be such among us let them
be rejected and spurncd as they deserve
Jet us hold no faith with such base
ness.
It's urged bymany that the nomination
of Mr., Chase commits the American Par
ty TO the endorsement of the ultra Wow,
that may be entertained by that gentleman
ii II be true that tho nomination Of Mr.
Chase commits the American Party to tho
advocacy of his views, how much strong
or, then, | ask, by the same rule, are hi
frien9scommittedt TO Americanism leav,
the answer 10 those who have urged thi
specious reasoning
While it IS we'll established fact, tina
thegreat body OF the Order in Ohio ar
opposed to any intermeddling with the pc
culiar institutions of the Slave States, Ii
equally certain that they are decidedly an
earnestly opposed to all extension of slav
territory. The Kansas and Nebraska out
rage have so intensified this feeling. tia
IT were idle to attempt to disguise the fac