The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1859-07-15
From the Mshoning Register
Judge Ranney--Then and Now.

When public man is found supporting
a sot of principles fatty contradictory to
those which ho had before recorded rs his
own, tho people 10 whom ho appeals for
support have IL / ght to demand nn explain
ntion Of his inconsistency, Sometimes such
AN explanation can be honestly made. An
ddUdHce in principle, II il DO really such, is
an honor to tho brain and tho heart of II
statesman but an nbando nment of tho dc.
tcnso OF tho rights OF men. and n doscrton
of tho cause of tho poorest and most OPP
pressed, cannot 10 apologzed for. 1t is
treason 10 right and truth. 1t is bncksli-
ding from the doctrines Of the Revolution.
It is apostacy from true Democracy and Ro-
publlcunism.
Rufus p. Ranney is tho candidate Of the
Democratic party for tho GovonOrship OF
Ohio. llo hus accepted tho nomination
upon the platform framed by tho party
Convention, md is now before tho people
us tho chosen champion and represc ntativo
of tho party and its profosscd principles.
Wo charge Judge Ranney with abandoning
tho cause of the laboring man, and the doc
trincs of truo Democracy. We charge
him with doserting his own maturcd con
yictions in favor of liberty. and sitting tho
noblest sentiments no ovor tclt, in order to
curry favor with rotten party, and obtain
position aud prefcrment from them. 70
substantato these plain charges, We shall
compare two or three things in Judge Ran
ney's published letter of Sept. 3Oth, lS4S.
to B. +. Hoffman, with the present Domo.
cratic State platform.
Tho frat resolution of tho Democratic
platform declares that any attempt by Com
rress Ito prohibit or abolish The rotation of
master and Stare in Il territory. would bo ii
departure from the original doctrine of our
American Institutions" That resolution
also declares that tho people of u territory
have tho right to tho undislurbcd regula.
ton o: their domestic affairs, in tho sense,
! (ns tho whole tenor of the resolutions plain
! ly shOws,) of having the right to establish
slavery if lhoy choose.
With those two positions OF tho party
creed in this State, compare Judge Ranney
before party drill brought him to seryilo
! remuneration of his own sentiments aud his
own thoughts in regard to freedom and
slavery. In his letter above referred to, he
says:
IL am in favor of maintaining tho FREQ
dom of tho territories of New Mexico md
California in their whole extent, and UTTER,
LY OPPOSED 10 authorizing sidrsry or invoi.
untary srrritude o. amy KIND within them, or
to any compromise Thirh shall doom any part
of them 10 The curse Of human bondage.
1t is conceded
that those territories arc now free. They
must remain SO until changed by positive
law of the sovereign power. No question
is better sottlod in this country than that
slavery exists in country by virtuo OF the
local law. Ii is clcar that it can TO more
exist in II territory without such law, than q
man can breathe without air. Neither Con
gress nor TerritOrIdi Legislature, in my
opinion, possess tho power TO establish it,
IL can only DO dOne by tho people Uhsn dd
mitted as Safe undor tho general priuci
plies of tho Constitution. i haze no dOub
Of the pot0cr Of Congress to erect u Terri
: tOrial GovOrnmoni, and 10 prouide for hI
I prohibition Of siGuery nihtiH tho territories
AND | AM IN FAVOR OF AND WOULD SUPPORT
SUCH PROHIBITION
Here, then, We have deliberate dcclara
ton OF n we'll sottled and carefully formed
= opinion on tho part of Mr.. Ranney, which
, is openly and emphalicalIy in contradiction
>, TO two OF tho most prominent points OF tn,
lately framed Democratic State platform
Tno Convention declared Congress could
s not prohibit slavery in tho Territories
b Judge Ranney declared Congress could an'
ought to do so. Tho Convention declares
that the Territorial Legislature could os
y tablish slavery in a territory Judge Ran
J ney declared that "ncithor Congress nor
: Territorial Legislature" could do so.
! As wo have said, these opinions of tn,
. Judge wore rot hastily adopted. lie was
candidate for Congress. and was addresses
B on tho subject. and replied frankly. Hi
acceptance of the party nomination TO
+: Governor is presupptive iyidence that h
1 now Processes to belloye in accordance wit
Q the party platform. Tho people have
I right to know his reasons for tho change
Q If ho has any, aud il no romans silent, the
Z have the right to conclude--they canno
y fail to concIude--that either his forme
i professions of loving aud believing in lit
o erty wore hypooritiesl, or that he bs
o treacherously abandoned them as two greE
r clogs in his scramble for place aud power
n In that same letter Judge Rsnney decla
cd that "thO duty cfhe cdndiddt9 il 10 tak