Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1856-10-03

this time by single misunderstanding or
unpleasant feeling; and / would at any time
defend him promptly. and Indignantly
against personal attacks upon his reputa-
ton. Ibelieve him to be a man of distin-
guished ability, of high integrity and val
liable experience. He is surrounded, too,
in Pennsylvania, by many political friends,
whom personally love and esteem, and
to whom | am united by ties of long cher
ished political and social intimacy, and the
loss Of whose friendship I should regard
as great calamity. For more than a
quarter Of century | have steadily labor
ed with the Democratic party, and never
doubted that should do so during my life,
For years I have exerted myself to bi4ag
about Mr.. Buchanan's nomination. III
1848 and 1862 was one Of those who car
ried for him the delegates of our district,
and was his jealous and ardent supporter.
On each occasion l was in the National
Convention as one of his delegated
These ties are exceedingly strong and
hard to sever, especially with one who is
naturally of conservative cast, and slow
to change old habits Of thoughtand action;
and Ihave resisted for months the convic-
tions that were urging me to my present
declaration. 1 have diligently sought rea-
sons and arguments to save myself the pain
Of breaking up old associations. alternating
myself from old friends, but all in vain
My love Of country and hatred of oppres-
sion would not allow my feelings and in.
clinations either to delude my Judgment OIL
still my conscience, and | am compelled tc
forfeit my self-respeet by committing wha
l believe to be palpably wrong, or else en-
roll myself inopposition to the Democratic
party.
see no reasonable hope of justice ant
sympathy for the people of Kansas in th'
success of the Democracy. Inits ranks
and with the power to control its action, ar,
found the Border Rufians of Missouri ant
their accomplices of the South, who hav,
trampled upon the Constitution and all tn
essential principles of our Government
robbed Kansas of its civil liberty and righ
of suffrage, laid waste its territory with fir
and sword, and even repudiated civilization
itself. 3 'al
In its platform / find the enunciation Q
principles which would put the rope aroun'
the uecks of men for exercising the consti
tutional right of petitioning Congress fo
a State Government, or q redress of gliev
ances far worse than those which led to tn
war of the Revolution, and a declaration
stigmatizing as EARNED resistance to law,
the moderate and justifable self defense {
men shamefully and UNANIMOUSLY .oppresss
by rufian violence and outrage, beyond a
human endurance. aa
l find the whole party of the nation as
sembled in National Convention, with bu
one individual dissent, expressing its eur
qualified admiration" ofan Administratio
which has lent itself as the tool and az
complice of all the wrongs inflicted upo
Kansas, and by its venaliiy and imbecilil
brought the country to an intestine wa
l find all the Representatives in Col
gress, with three individual exceptions, Il
boring in earnest zeal, by speech and vot
to cover up the iniquities of this admins
tration and the Border Rufians of Nilsson
ri, and to suppress fair investigation
outrages which shock both humanity an
republicanism, and defy the Constitute
and the laws.
| find these same representatives, aft
the truth was elected in spite of their e
forts, still refusing to relieve the peop
from code of laws imposed upon the
:, by a foreign army, and still refusing to a
NIT them into the Union, only for reaso
which, in the cases Of nine existing State
s. had been declared untenable and of no a
count.
l find them disregarding Free Cons
a tuition adopted in legal, constitutions
and time sanctioned manner, (and whi
no man can doubt to have reflected the W
s. of the people, and supporting law.
S. produce substitute, which it is easy
show would have perpetuated in the Sts
Government, the usurpation which had
= force already seized upon the Governme
4 of the Territory. -t ..,
find them refusing to make appropr
tons for the army, unless that army is
be used to enforce code Of laws violati
on their face, of the Constitution, enact
by Legislature in violation of the laws
the United States, and imposed by forei
force upon conquered and subjugat
American citizens.
j 1 find them, in word, steadily add
by all their Congressional action to ma
Slave State in northern latitudes, a
that, too, against the will of its inhabitan
find that one member, who more ii
= any other stood out against the enslavem,
&C. of his white fellow citizens, is refused
yer denomination by the Democratic party
49, his district. stl ~
find in the canvass now going on t
p the whole tone of their party press is
he the same direction. When the first sta
IL ling intelligence of the outrages tn Kan
.I reached the States, their editors denoun,
the foul wrong in terms of fitting indig
ton. 1t was but spasmodic effort, he
ever, and in Difference to the South and
'h- prevailing sentiment of the party, Il
ION have dropped off, one after the ot(
ur- until now, so far as l have been able to
on certain, there is not Democratic pa
L l. L r.. 4