Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1859-08-11

Per Puoisuei III HIS owh congressional 0ls-
,rict. and the authenticity of the letter quo.
Ted will not be denied By him, and we pre-
sune not BY the &aIesmas:-
From the Mahonin. Register.
Judge Ranney-Then and Now.
When public man is found supporting q
set of principles fatty contradicted to those
which be had before recorded as his own,
the people to whom he appeals for support
sage Alright to demand an explanation of
his inconsistency. Sometimes such an ex-
plsnation can be honestly made. An od-
DGnce in principle. if il be really such, is an
honor to the brain and the heart OF a states
= man; but an abandonment of the defense
of the rights of men, ard a dcsertior of the
cause of the poorest and most oppressed,
cannotbe apofogized for. 1t is treason to
right and truth. 1t is biscksl;ding from the
doctrines Of the Revolution. 1t is apos,
lacy from true Democracy aud Republican
;sm
Rufus P. Ranny is the candidate of the
Democratic party for the Govern. orship Of
Ohio. He has accepted the nomination
upon the platform framed by the party Con-
vention, and is now before the people as
the chosen champion and representative of
the party and its rrofessed principles. We
charge Judge Ranny with abandoning the
cause of the laboring man, and the doctrines
of a true Democracy. We charge him
with deserting his own matured convictions
in favor of liberty, and Sitting the noblest
sentiments he ever felt, in order to carry
favor with rotten party, and obtain posi-
.ion and preferment from them.-Tn suh-
staniia;e thu Sc plain tharges, we shall COM
pare two or three things in Judge Ranney's
published letter Of Sept. 3oth. ls48, to B. F.
Hoffman, with the present Democratic State
platform.
The frst resolution of the Democratic
platform declares that any attempt by Con.
.3ress "to prohibit or abolish the relation of
master and sLaue in territory, would be a
departure from the original doctrine of our
American Institutions" That resolution
also declares that the people of a territory
have the right to "the undisturbed regula-
lion of their domestic affairs" ;" in the ense,
Gas the whole teRSr of the resolutions plain
ly shows,) of having the right to establish
slavery if they choose.
With these two positions of the party
creed in this State, compare Judge Ranney
before party drill brought him to a servile
remuneration OF his own thoughts in regard
to freedom and slavery. In his letter above
referred to, he says:
81 am in favor of maintaining the freedom
of the territories of New Mexico an1 Cali
fornia in their whole extent, and UTTERLY
oPPosED to authorizing slavery or inuolunta-
,y servitude of any kind i0ithin them, or to
any compromise uhich shall doom any part
of them to the curse of human bondage. =
1t is conceded
thas-these territories are now free. They
must remain SO until changed by positive
law of the sovereign power. No question
is better settled in this country than that
slavery exists in country by virtue of the
local law 1t is clear that it can no more
exist in territory without such law, Than
a man can breathe without air. Neither
Congress nor Territorial Legislature, in
my opinion, possess the power to establish
it. 1t can only be done by the people phen
admitted as State under the general prin-
ciples of the Constitution. haze no doubt
Of the po,cer Of Congress to erect Terrific
rial Government, and TO prouide for the pro-
hibition of slavery mithin the territories, AND
| AN IN FAVOR OF AND WOULD SUPPORT
SUCH PROHIBITION"
Here, then, we have deliberate declara.
ton of we'll settled and carefully formed
opinion on the part of Mr.. Ranney, which is
openly and emphatically in contradiction to
two of the most prominent points of the
lately framed Democrstic State PLATFORM
The Convention declared Congress could
not prohibit slavery in the Territories:
Judge Rauny declared Congress could and
ought to do SO. The Convention declared
that the Territorial Legislature could estab-
lish slavery in territory: Judge Ranney de-
clared that"nei,her Congress nor Terrific
rial Legislature could do 80.
As we have said, these opinions of the
Judge were not hastily adopted. He was
candidate for Congress, and WAS addressed
on the subject, and replied frankly. His &C.
cPtohSO Va thC parry lOE outCf.
nor is presumptve evidence that he now
Processes to believe in accordance with the
party platform. The people have right
to know his reasons for the change, il he
has any, and if he remains silent, they have
the right TO conclade-they cannot fail to
conclude-:hat either his former professions
OF loving and believing in liberty were by.
pocritical, orr that he has treacherously
abandoned them - two great clogs in his
scramble FOR place and power.
In that same letter Judge Ranney declar-
ed that .'the duty Of the candidate is to take
his positions honestly, and to maintain them
openly" and that he "would scorn to receive
a vote obtained through any misrepresenta-
tion." If he retains the belief in honesty
which be then had. he will be likely to feel
tho same "scorn" of getting votes sy mis-
apprehension, and we feel therefore that
we have the right to demand of him, in the
meme of portion Of the people, that he
fairly and openly declare his position, and
bis reasons foi now being the champion
and chief representative of principles
which he SO utterly secuted so short a time
since.