Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1858-11-27
A LETTER FROM GERRIT SMITH.

To THE MEN PUT NE IN NOMINATIONS Now
hat Election is past. and my labors connected witt
it are at an end: owe few words to those VIII,
did me the honor to name me for tAe office of Gov
ernOr.
AS soon os l accepted the nomination I entered
upon the work of holding Meetings in all parts o
the State. They numbered fifty three, and con
sumed an average time of about two and hal
hours. They were generally large. and frequently
there not room for the crowd To attend then
has cost some four thousand miles Of travel and
two aud u half IN ,uths' time.
The novel character uf the Meetings. was enough
TO make them interesting. They were filled IL with
questions and answers and occasional discussions IL
between my questiuners and myself They were
omphatically school for acquiring knew ledge of
the province and duties of civil guvernmcnt-s
school in which we were all pupils, and in whic1
we all at liberty to be teachers. Should suct
u school be opened 10y all the candidates for higi
executive Office and legislative Office. the mssse
uld not fail to grow rapidly in political wisdom
| hope that tho good accomplished by thes,
Meetings will not be estimated hy the smnllness
Of my vote, They have perhaps had the effect 10
reduce rather than increase it. Very unpopular
answers were drawn from me by those "ho ques.
toned me in regard to the c, mn.un School The
Poor Ii the Rights If Women, the Legislation
of Sabbath. Tariff, 81, e.. ManlCe,tly the
penpe are not vet prepared tn receive the thor
nughly democratic theuries, which have spent +,
much of many years in inculc.t .tug, M.nfe-tly
must live and die Unpopular politician. Su
may not have lived in vain and the words, whist
have spoken aud written, may not all die with
me.
| cannot doubt that my Meetings haze exerted
considerable influence against the Caucus system
that bad system which has robbed the people U
the right OF suffrage. and left 1t 10 handiuS OF
demagogues u dicta,e the chOoe of ru,ors. That
the voters degraded to the one work Of regis
rering the DEGREES ol the Caucus need but he said
to be elievcd. Happily, the Irartice Of interro,
eating the candida.e in tho presence "f the popu
lar assembly cannot obtain without subvertiug tie
Caucus System Is there anything else that can
subyert il?
You, who put me in nomination. are abnlituni'ts
auI prohbtionsts. Indeed. it was promote the
shutting up Of the dramshops in our State and the
shutting out of the kidnaPpers from it, that you
desired my election. trust that my Meetings
have done something toward reviving Temperance
and Freedom. l found them we'll nigh dead
wherever l went: and, confess, that they still
show .ut few aud fain, signs Of life. What folly
to connect such great sacred causes with Vulgar
political party How msny of the sadly partyized
old friends Of Freedom and Temperance have with
in the last three mon:hsItU me that was running
the Republican party So stone-blind were they
to the obvious fact that the Republican party was
running them
That there are but few abalitionists and prohihi.
tohists in this State is evident from ing small
vote few, mean, who are earnest enough to
place their abolition and prohibition above the
claims of party. There are. il is true, many who
praie against slavery. Surely it can he no moIe
than pratihg, 50 long as they vote tor candita'es
who admit slavery to be law, and Candidates VIII"
are willing that our State should suffer the kid.
nappsr to prowl through it in quest of his prey.
There are many too who prate for prohibition.
But that this also s mere prating is manifest from
the fact that only very small proportion of the
professed prohibtionists were willing 70 break out
from their parties in the recent Election. and vote
for the only prohibition candidate for Governor.
I know it will be said that many prohibitonists
voted for Mr.. Morgan because they were duped
into the belief that he is a probibitionist. Alas,
they were willing to be duped So Transparent n
falsehood could carry away none but such as were
willing to be carried away by it. Let what will
be said to the contrary. they, who have now voted
with the Republican and Democratic and Ameri.
can Parties have voted in effect that the dramshop
shall contnne its horrid work Of multiply ny
drunkards and pests ond blaspbemers and muir
derers. II any of them we're cheated by msrep
rsSsn ,ations. they were for the most part those,
whose political relations and state of mind we're
such. a. made them glad to be cheated,