Meigs County telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy [Ohio]) 1848-1859, 1859-09-06


tempted to leave the impression, without
the manhood to assert it boldly, that the
Republicans stole the money OF the State!
He said Gibson stood indicted for the theft,
but was not brought 10 trial, for what rea-
son he did not know, but the Republican
Attorney General could tell! This was
unworthy the lowest pettifogger The
impression attempted to be conveyed was,
that there was corrupt arrangement be-
tween Gibson and the Attorney General
to slave off trial. Now, no one knows
better than Judge Ranney, that Gibson is
indicted, not for stealing the money, but
for misapplying certain State bonds--an
offense bad enough, and for which the Re
piblicans have ever denounced him--and
that the indictment is in the Court Of
Common Pleas of Franklin County, whose
Prosecuting Attorney is Democrat. and
where the Attorney General has no more
to do with the prosecution than Judge
Ranney himself.
He then passed to what he called the
great issues. These, he said, were two:
The power Of Congress to prohibit slavery
in the Territories. and the Fugitive Slave
Law On the frat, the Democracy took
the ground, he said, that Congress had
no Constitutionalright 10 prohibit slavery,
while the Republicans took the opposite
view. This. as one Of the issues, was fairly
enough stated, but the arguments based
upon it were as fallacious asjudicial inge-
nuity could concoct. But we have not
time to follow the Judge through the
winding mazes Of transparent sophistry,
by which he attempted to confuse the
minds of his hearers. He admitted that
he had spoken and written the exact con-
trary : referring to his Free-soil letter of
1843-and without asserting that he had
changed his opinions, went off into long
rhapsody on the Compromises Of 1850,
which he said were indorsed by all the
people of TIE country, except the Aboli
tionists; and then he came down on the
terrible Aboltionists! aud for about An
hour the Abolition phantom seemed to
operate on the Judge much as the sight
of water does on subject of bydrophobia.
He denounced Corwin as an Abolitionist,
and undertook 10 be very funny over the
conversion of Corwin, and the extrayagant
| joy of Giddings, and attempted to be dra
matte in showing how Giddings embraced
Tom. to his heart, and said he was willing
to die, now that he could leave the cause in
such worthy hands. In this, he fatty
contradicted his partner. joe; but as each
had his part to act, they no doubt had a
jolly laugh together. at how nicely they
had "come it, over the groundlings.
He then came to the Fugitive Slave
Law, and asserted that the Democrats
were for its execution, and the Republi-
cans for forcibty resisting IL; and here he
went into heroics, in the spread-eagle
style, over the gloiies of the Union, and
the terrible consequences of its dissou-
ton. Now, no one knows better than
Judge Ranney, that the stale and insulting
threats of dissolution that have been stun
ming the ears of the country ever since the
days of notification, have come from the
leaders of this same Democratic party
He knows, that from the stump and the
press-from the halls of the State Legisla
lures, and Congress, and the Senate Cham
Der from Governors and Democratic
Conventions, this threat Of dissolution has
been reiterated until it has become per-
fectly nauseating; and yet without one
word of rebuke for his own fanatic breth-
rem, he had the cool audacity to charge
the Republicans as oisuniouists! The
only way in which this charge can be sus-
tanned is on the theory that if the people
of the United States, in their sovereign
capacity as free men, in the exercise of
the right of suffrage guaranteed to them
by the Constitution, shall elect Repub-
lican President, then, the Democracy will
dissolve the Union, and the Republicans
will he responsible for the deed, having
provoked them to it by taking the Govern
ment from their hands! And this is sub
stantially the argument. Even the most
bare faced demagogue among them does
not pretend to fear dissolution Of the
Union, if Democrats can retain the control
of the government. Not one of them has
the hardhood to assert that the Republi-
cans will dissolve the Union if they do
not elect their candidate; but assert, with
ranting fanaticism, that if a Republican
President is elected, the Union will be
dissolved. Now, even fool may see that
if the Republicans succeed in electiug
thar Draeidant and rot cnrrfrol If tho