Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1860-07-20

THE sTATEsMAN's FALsEHooD.
We thank the Columbus Statesman for
one of its fs1sehoods, for it has called out
letter from Mr.. Lincoln's fellow rail mauler,
John Hanks
EDITOR OF THE DECATUR CARoNcLE-
DEAR SIR:-The following item appeared
IN the Columbus Statesman, few days
ago, which | take from the Coles County
Ledger:
THANKS AGAINST LINcoN."
1--WE were Informed day or two ago. BY delegate to
John Hanks the who assisted Abe lincoln to make
those rails about which the Republicans making
terrible hubbub has announced himself opposed to the
election of Lincoln. Hanks who has been Demo-
crat Is against the Republican nominee because he knows
Lincoln to be humbug, and nothing else. Hurrah for
Hanksl"
To this article 1 desire briefly to reply.
If my choice for President, or how shall
vote as between the two candidates for that
office, is worth considering at all, claim it
as a simple right to be correctly represent
ed. | am but farmer, and regret to say
not an educated one. have never been
candidate for any Office, nor do expect ev-
er to be-whilst can truthfully say this,
yet | have never been negative man in
politics. From my boyhood, l have been
a constant voter with the Democratic party
In all essential elections; l have thought
that party to be upright nd straightforward
in all the principles it has really adopted
So late as 1853 l voted for Mr.. Douglas
and against my old friend Lincoln For
forty years 1 have looked upon the party
with pride and hailed its success with pleas
ure; but as Mr.. Douglas mado a speech in
Decatur in 1858, aud in my hearing spoke
so pleasantly and so bonorably of the old
Whig party, and of Mr. Clay its leader,
after having for fifteen years, in discussing
general politics-when l used to love to lis
ten to him so well-spoke so complainingly
and so abusively of that party and of Mr..
Clay, charging upon it and him many bad
and mean things, until by listening to him
learned to look upon both as dangerous
and full of evil, the thought struck me that
for the future would never judge of par
ty or its leaders by what an opponent might
say; and this conclusion | mean to follow
the balance of my life. How foolish it is
to abuse party because my friend may do
so and so, and then praise the same party
because that friend may change and do So
be may be designing, and l would in all
probability be dupe. Ever since Mr..
Douglas made that speech in 1858, he has
been abusing the Republicans just like he
used to abuse the old Wings. am tired
of this kind of warfare; think it is not
right to do so, and as Mr.. Douglas further
said in that speech that he was in the habit
of sometimes changing his politics, 1 did
not know but that it was about time for him
to begin to excuse and cease to abuse the
Republicans, and made up my mind to let
him 90 10 time. Now, as to entirely
changing my politics l cannot say that 1
have done this, but for the life of me can
see nothing in the Republican party that
any honest Democrat can seriously oppose.
1t is true, that were they such party as
Mr.. Douglas used to say they were, could
see Objectionable features about it; but
then is it wise to believe everything Mr..
Douglas has said, when he tells US he some
times changes, and when we have near US
honest men, known to be purely 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 l think not. Besides this,
when we have for years been opposed, in
politics, to man who has again and again
and again seen his party defeated, and has
himself sometimes failed, and still seen that
man trne to his colors, re-arming and re-en-
tering the field to try to uphold and sue
cessfully plant his colors upon the side Of
victory, when all the time we knew he had
but TO change once to win, and yet has new
er changed; think l may say never fall
tered; how are we TO respect him9 Such
man have known Mr.. Lincoln for thirty
years to be. In boyhood days we toiled
together; many are the days we have
lugged the heavy oar on the Ohio, the Hin
ois and the Missouri rivers together; many
are the long cold days that we have jour
neyed over the wild prairies and through
the forest with gun and ak, and though tits
not pleasant to refer back to il, well do |
remember when VIC set out together in the
cold winter, to cut and maui rails on the
Saugamou river in Macon county, thirty
gears ago, to enclose his fathers little home,
aud from day to day kept at work until tho
whole was flushed and the homestead
fenced ia; we often snapped work in this
way, aud yet during the many years we
were connected together as laborers, some
times flat boating, sometimes hog-driving,
sometimes rai-making, aud, too, when i
was nearly impossible to get books he was
a constant reader; was listener. He
settled all disputes Of the young men in the
and his decisions were al
ways abided by. I never knew man so
honest under all circumstances, during his
whole life.
Thus, associated with Mr.. Lincoln, |
learned to love him, and when in 1858 he
was candidate, for the first time within
my reach, against my feelings, and may
say against my convictions, my old party
ties induced me TO vote for Mr. Douglas: