True American. [volume] (Steubenville [Ohio]) 1855-1861, 1858-09-08
Gen. Eckley an Independent Candidate
for Congress.


tits with feelings ofregret, mingled with
surprise and deep modification, that we
learn, from the Carroll Free Press, that
Gen. Eckley has been announced as an In
dependent candidate for Congress. We
are not one of those who hold the doctrine
that under ALI circumstances, candidate
going into convention, is bound to submit
to the decision of said convention. Con-
tingencies may arise which would exoner-
ute any high-minded man fom the obliga-
tion of tame submission. did any such
contingency arise at the late Congression-
al Convention! We think, most certainly
not.
Il is not alleged thatany fraud was prac-
tised by Mr.. Bingham, or by his friends,
in securing his nomination. The only
ground of complaint seems to be, that, the
Convention refused to say that Mr.. Bing-
ham should not be re-nominated in 1861
What right had the Convention to make
such declaration! Such an expression
would have been beneath contempt. The
right to say who shallnot, implies the right
to say who shall7-and therefore upon such
an assumption, the convention might have
nominated succession of candidatesfor 10
or 20 years 10 come, and thus saved the
District the expense and trouble of subse-
quent conventions. Such an idea is too
preposterous to be worthy of further notice.
1t is well known that WE were opposed to
the denomination of Mr.. Bingham simply
upon the principle of rotation" but the
party by fair expression, having placed
him in nomination, we should feel like de-
spising ourself if we were to refuse him q
hearty support. We are glad to find that
the Carroll Free Press condemns the dis
organising move, and that its editor has
written an able article on the subject in
which he shows clearly the bad faith of
those who are encouraging such suicidal
course of action. In this county. it will
only tend to unite the elements opposed to
the Administration party, and to increase
the majority of Mr.. Bingham over all op-
position. In Jefferson county it is claimed
that this is not a question of mere favorit-
ism, but that there are vast and important
principles involved in the issue. In view
of the harmony of the Republican party in
Carroll county, and Of the interest of Gen,
Eckley-for WHOM we entertain the warm
est feelingsof ofpersonal friendshp-we hope
he may Reconsider this matter, and reverse
his course.
The Free Press truthfully says:
The four counties composing the Dis
trict. have term after term nominated as
they have done at this time. If, as true,
there was no written agreement binding
each county to abide the decision of the
District Convention, there was al least q
clear, mutual and unequivocal understand
ing that this should be the case. Every
candidate was to do the very best he could
prior to the assembling Of the Convention,
but when that body met its duty was to
decide between the disputants, and to say
to the District upon whom the choice fell.
Each county was then expected to be sat-
isfied with the result, expected to 20 into
the contest, and expectedto battle as stea-
dily and as vigorously as though the nom-
nee had been taken from their own number.
Let Us try how the reverse of this would
operote. Suppose Cen Eckley had been
the nominee, and Harrison county, after
submitting her claims and candidate to the
people, would have eretired from the Con-
vention, gore home, and refused to support
the Carroll county candidate. What then
We.would have held that she hadyiolated
nptn written, but what was equally as
binding, an implied pledge. We could have
no faitli III her in District Conventions
hereafter. She deceived US once, she shall
p6tdo 50 sgaln.R That would be the nutu-