Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1861-09-13
Spiked His own Gun.


The Cincinnati Enquirer has most eff
/ fectually spiked its whole battery of big
guns. In an article on the Union State
Convention, and its nominees, for the
purpose, as it would seem, of abusing
I Chase, it assets, in the most positive
manner, and reiterates in all possible
forms, that "Abolitionism and radical
: isra" was utterly and unanimously re-
pudiated, IN all it's phases. 1t asserts
that not one Of the candidates is, or ever
was, tainted in the least degree-that the
! platform has not the remotest smell of
the heresy-that the Central Committee
is equally free from The dreadful con-
! tamination. In short, it makes out, to
its own great qualification, apparently,
that there was never, in any party, or
any movement, so utter and absolute an
absence Of all ''Abolitionism" as is in
the great Union movement that has just
+, been inauguratel.
Now it is not our purpose to inquire
into the truth of this singular artic le of
the Enquirer. Bat we place it on rec
ord for the curiosity of the thing, and
to contrast it with the future course of
that paper. 1t is inconceiYable how the
Enquirer can conduct the campaign with
out taking back all it has said in this
article. For half lifetime its only po-
litical arguments have been to shout
"Abolitionistl' and d"Abolitionism!" at its
political opponents. So strong had this
habit become, that during the last elec-
ton it actually charged the Louisville
Cowier, and other Southern pro-slavery
Breckinridge papers, with open and un
disguised Abolitionism. We copied sew
eral of these articles at the time for the
amusement of our readers, attributing
them wholly to the force of habit. Be-
ing expected d to oppose everything and
everybody but the DEGREES Of the caucus
of its own party. and havingso long re-
lied upon the slang of 'Abolitionism, y
it flung out the old cry without think
ing Of the supreme absurdity.
Perhaps the Enquirer, having been
beaten year after year, in Ohio, in spite
of these stale old cpithets, has come to
the conclusion that the other tack will
pay better. But we don't see how it
can work in the new harness. Old hab-
its are hard to throw off, And we shall
really expect the Enquirer, after an eff
fort or two at the new tactics, to go back
to it's old system of warfare. 1t would
be so strange to see an article in its col
umns which was not spiced with the
charge of ''Abolitionism" that its life
long readers would not know their old
organ. But it will find difficulty in
going back to its old forts and batteries
1t has spiked aU its o.cn guns! Here
stands the record! In its own deliber-
ate, premcditated, and oft-repeated assev-
Grafton, there is not the slightest taint,
tincture, or "admixture," ''visible" or
invisible, of either Abolitionism," or
''radicalism," in either the platform,
candidates, committee, or purposes of
the great Union movement
Now, what will the Enquircr do about
it? Its statement is either true OF false!
IF true why does it oppose movement
Of the people, for the sake of the Union,
which it proclaims is totally free from
what it has heretofore charged upon the
Republican party? I And if it is false,
does it hope to win the "ABOLITION-
ISTS and RADICALS" to its party
by the falsehood? The position of the
Enquirer needs defining.