The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1860-07-20

partner in the rail-splitting businoss--ii
the Decatur ChroRic'e Hanks II nr
honest old Jackson Democratic farmer
who shared with the next President the
privations and hardships OF pioneer no,
in Illinois, before the days Of railroads
and canals, His letter is plain, unyar
nishcd statement, that will find orcsponss
in the breasts Of hundreds OF old Demo.
cratic farmers Of the pioneer tincs'
Editor Of ne Decatur CAroaiclc
DEAR Stp ;-Tho following item np
pearcd in the Columbus Statesman, few
days ago, which / take from. the Coles
County Ledger:
"UANKs AGAINST LINCOLN.
"Wc were informed day or two ugo
by delegate TO the Baltimore Convcn-
ton, who called at our office, that John
Hanks, the man who assisted Aho Lin
coin TO make those Fails about which the
Republicans nrc making such terrible
hubbub, has announced himself opposed
to the election Of Lincoln, Hanks, who
has never bocn Democrat is against
the Republican nominee because he
knows Lincoln 10 be a humbug, and
nothing else. Hurro for Hanksw
To this article desire briefly to rcply.
lf my choice for President, or how | shall
vote as between the candidates for that
office, is worth considering at all, claim
il a. a simple right to be correctly repre-
sentcd. | am but farmer, aud regret to
say not an educated one. have never
been a candidate for any office, nor do |
expect ever to be; whilst / car with all
truthnlncss say this, yet ! have never
been a negative man in politics From
my boyhood ! have been a constant voter
with the Democratic party In all essen
tial elections; | have thought that party
to be upright and straightforward in all
the principles il has adopted. SO late as
1868 voted for Mr., Douglas and against
my old friend Lincoln. For forty years
have looked upon the party with pride,
and hailed its success with pleasure; but
as Mr., Douglas made a speech In Dcca-
tur in 1853, and in my hearing spoke so
pleasantly and 10 honorobly Of the old
Wing party aud of DIr. Clay, its leader,
after having for fifteen years, In discuss
ing general politics, when | used 10 love
to listen to him so well, spoke 30 COM
plainingly and 80 Ebusively Of that party
and Of Mr.. Clay, charging upon Il aud
him many bad and mean things, until lis
tcning to him learned TO look upon both
as dangerous and full ofcvil-ihc thought
struck me that for the future would new
er judge Of party or its leaders by what
an opponent might say, and this conclu-
sion mean to follow the balance of my
life.
How foolish II is to abuse party be-
cause my friend may do so, and then
praise the same party because that friend
may change and do SO; he may be de-
sgning-l would, in ull probability, be a
dupe. Ever since MIR. Douglas made that
speech in 1865, he has been abusing the
Republicans just like he used TO abuse
the Wings. am tired of this Kind OF
warfare; think il is not right to do so;
and Mr. Douglas further said in that
speech that he was in the habit Of some
times changing his politics. I did not
know but that IL was about time for him
to begin 20 excuse aud cease to abuse tho
Republicans, and made up my mind to
let him 60 in time. Now, as TO entirely
changing my politics, cannot say have
done this; but for the life Of me | can
see nothing in the Republican party that
any honest Democrat can seriously OPP
pose. II is true, were they such a purity
as Mr.. Douglns used to say they were, I
could see Objectionable features about IL;
but then Is il wise to believe everything
Mr.. Douglas has said, when he tolls us
he sometimes chunges and when we
have near us honett men known to be
honest for more than thirty years, who
deny all this, and propose to tell US the
true state Of the case, and TO give US the
true principles Of that partyl ! think
not.
Besides this, when we have for years
been opposed, in politics, to. man who
has again and again seen his party de-
featod, and has himself sometimes failed,
and still seen that man true to his colors,
re-urming and re-ento7ing the field TO try
touphold and successfully plant his colors
upon the side Of victory, when all the time
he knew he had but TO change once to
win, and yet has never changed, | think
| may say never faltered, how aro we TO
respect himl Such man have known
Mr.. Lincoln for thirty years 10 be. In
boyhOod days we toilcd together, many
are the days we have lugged the heavy
oar on the Ohio, the Illinois and the
Mississippi rivers together; many are the
long cold days we have iourneyed over
the wild prairies and through the forest
with gun and axe, and though il is not
pleasant 10 refer back TO il, well do | re-
member when we set out together in the
cold winter to cut and maui rails on the
Sangamon river, in Macon county, thirty
years ago, 60 inoiose his fathers little
home, and from day TO day kept at work
until the whole was finished, and the
homestead fenced in; we often swappod
work Ia this way, ard yet during the
many years we were connected together
as laborors, sometimes Aat6oating, somo-
times hog-drying, sometimes rail-mak-
ing, and too, when il was nearly impos-
sible TO get books, he was a constant
reader; was a listeneri he settled all
disputes Of all the young men in the
neighborhood, and his decisions were al
ways abided by. / never knew a man
so honest und'r all circumstances, for
his whole life. Thus associated with Mr..
Lincoln, learned 70 love him, and when
in 1858 he was a candidate for the FIRST
time within my reach, against my feel
ings, and ! may say against my convic-
tions, my old party ties induced me 70
vote fer Mr.. Douglas; my Democratic
friends all declared Lincoln was an Abo-
litionist; heard him make speech in
Decatur, just before the election, and I
could see nothing bad in Il; but was
told by the party he was wrongi ] could
not see how be eoald be, but they said
80, and ] was a Democrat and went L..
My wife used 70 say to me that some day
Abe would come out and be something;
/ thought so too, but could not exactly
see how a man in tho lower walks Of
life, day laborar and hopelessly poor,