Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1860-09-01
ny HORACE GREELEY.


10y coalition, or series Of coalitions, among
their triple-headed adversaries. Were the
election to be held tomorrow, and every
voter to cast his ballot for the man of his
choice, no one doubts that the Republican
candidates wonld he chosen by the People.
This Ito them) most uuwelcome truth
suggests TO the various outi-Republcan par
ties the necessity Of coalition. They mav
be beaten it combined but they must be
beaten II at variance so part of them
are deeply intent on coalescing TO beat Lin
| coin.
So far, all is unotjcctionable. Politics
! involve a frequent If not constant accent
ance OF the attainable better to the saCri-
fee Of the impracticable best. No man
can acknowledgement to have his personal
choice fully and steadily gratifed where
Two Millions Of other Wills are entitled to
equal respect with his. Any voter NAV
reasonably and honestly say, Il prefer A of
all men for President; he most faithfully
embodies my convictions, aud enjoys NV
absolute confidence but since it is plain
that he cannot be choseu, will support c.
who can be, aud whois every way prefer.
able to b who is likely TO succeed if aud
those who thiuk as j do vote for A.. 1t is
easy to eamor against such Il course, as
time-seYingr or at war with principle; but
the only practical choice, in a majority of
cases, is between acting on this principle
or (virtuaty) not acting at all. We say
most distinctly, therefore, that, if the voters
hostile to Mr. Lincoln deem bis defeat of
paramount Importance, and arc willing to
forego their several preferences to achieve
it,-they may jastifably combine to- defeat.
ljms Ehe principle which unites .taem-r
the coumon ground on which they staud,
may be utterly ipdeiensjble, and they may
be culpahle for holding it, but not for con-
biuug to maintain it. Coalitions are ait
to be uopopuIat, but they are not nccesspli-
ly wrong. They are prima facie odions
because usually accompanied 10y jHggIc
I cOneeaIment, and preyarication. ...
If any voter is impe led by his cOnvic.
tions to say, "Though my first choice. for
President is Bell yet, in order to defeat
LiucOln, | must.und will vote for Douglas"
or 'for Breckinlidge," lie has perfect
right to act on those convictions. But,
were he 10 say to his ucighJorS and friends,
II desire you, as Bell men, to vote the
Electoral Ticket nominated by the friends
Of Douglas, because pqE If The Eiect0rs
ahmed thereon are fer Bell, and loiH cate for
him IF chosen" aud the fact should be other
wise than as be represents it, then he would.
be guilty Of gross dishonesty and false pre-
tense, aud deserving Of the pillory aud pen
iteutiary. The touchstone Of integrity in
Politics is Frankness in the proclamation
Of Truth. Already have three full Elector-
al Tickets been formed in this state in OBJ
position to Mr.. Lincoln They are made
up and presented by the friends of Maj
breckenridge, Judge Douglas, aud Gen.
Houston, respectively. So far all is well.
Ii, now, the supporters Of these rival can
didates see ft to select common ticket
from these rivals combining names from
each in any imaginable proportions, it is
their perfect right to do so, prOrided they
let it be distinctly understood how the can
didates so preferred are unitedly or sever
ally, to vote. Whether they see fit to di-
vide equally as nearly as possible, or to give
seven.eights to one candidate and divide
the residue among his two or three rivals,
is their own business, with which others
have no right to medde. Open dealing,
truthful speaking, are all that the general
public have right TO demand
But the Douglas State Convention saw
fit to nominate ten candidates for Electors
tout of tbirtyive) who have not hither-
to been publicly identified with the Demo
cratic party-who are known on the con
trary, as its lifelong antagonists. Most
of them have been conspicuously identified
! th bo A in
state some are known rather as "Old Line
Wings )" one (William Kent) is currently
reported to have voted in $50 Cor Fremont.
| One or two of the ten have acted Of late
with the Democratic party, but (it was un-
stood) rather from the hatred of the Re
publicans than love of the Democracy.
These men have perfect legal right to
support Douglas or Bell, and to be Electors
| for either they have no moral right to
/ Obtain votes on the understanding that they
are for either when they are really and ef-
fectiyely for the other Yet this is the
/ precise attitude in which they now stand
before the public--that Of Janusfaced sup
plcants for support from voters which they
caunot but disppoint and betray. The E1-
Drsss paradesl their names in a special list,
asserting that they are devoted adherehLs
of Bell aud Everett the Stqats- Zeitpng,
on the other hand (whose Editor is on the
ticket with them, says they are for Douglas
and johnson, will vote for these candidates
/ if elected, aud could not have been nomi-
mated without a distinct understanding to
this effect. Aud his statement stands un-
contradcted, uncballenged. 1s
Here is u clear case of political bigamy.
Messrs. De Peyster Ogden, William Kent,
Lorenzo Burrows, etc, have hitherto borne
4 the character of honest men. They have
heen Judged incapable Of seeking place by
deception and fraud. Each purposes, il
/ chosen Elector, 10 vote for some one Of the
candidates for President now betple the
country Can he honorably keep. silence
while some are soliciting votes for him .on
the assumption that he will vote for Doug
las, Others on that of his devotion 10 Bell!
Suppose these gentlemen elected, anc
assembled TO cast the Electoral Vote
of the State, and the voters who had cho
senthem crowdmg in thousands aronnd.
doubtful and anxions as TO the result
'Eote for Bell !" shout an anxious crowd;
"we supported you on the express under
Il standing that you would do so.T fFNo,