Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1861-09-19
LETTER OF ACCEPTANCE.

l. bNt 'It TO THE PEOPLE OF OHIO.
In responding to my nomination by your rep
resentatiyes in Convention at Columbus on the
5th inst, intelligence of which has this day bee
officially communicated to me, aud in the &c.
ceptance of the same, it is meet should expires.
to you my sense of the obligation which thil
high honor confers- Language fails me in thi.
attempt, as / can conceive of no more distin.
guished mark of your confidence al this critical
juncture, through SO intelligent and patriotic a
convention ofrepresentatlves of assembled from al
parts of the State, rejecting the sentiments of
all political parties, as well as oil the highest in.
terests and most important concerns inv olved in
what may with truth be termed a struggle fol
our national existence.
3elieve me when assure you fully appre-
ciate the vast responsibility attached to the
position of Chief Magistrate of our State at this
critical period IN its affairs, and duly sensible
of my own demerits and were it not that l rely
upon your generous forbearancc should hesi-
tate to accept what your distinguished Impair
tiality with such unparalleled unanimty has
assigned me. s.E
Without going into disc, ss:un Of the circum-
stances and events which have brought about
the present alarming and unhappy condition of
| our natianal affairs.-as these must now he ap-
parent to ALL will content myself by saying
that the sssue presented to us as a people in the
sanguinary struggle forced upon Us BY The am
bilious and designing leaders of the Southern
rebellion, is, that of man capacity for selfgov-
ernmcnt. The whole question to be tried and
setlled-settied in such way that nothing in
human p, w,-r can ever;disturb or change it again
| is then. Whether man is capable of governing
himself" Should it not be shown when every
resource and sacrifice has been made--and I
would exhaust every means in our power first
ere yielding. then IN order that We might have
our rights protected and our liberties preserved
in some degree approaching the perfection of
our hitherto supposed im,Pregnable system OF
free government, l would consent 10 be taken
under the protection ofour once SO called Mother
Country or of any other power capable OF main
tanning for us the respect of the nations of the
globe.
That we shall eventually succeed in settling
this question 10 the satisfaction of all the world
beyond the hitherto expressed doubts and sus
picious of foreign potentates, statesmen and
| presses ] have not the remotest doubt, but that
we shall be required to exercise all Of those
| higher attributes of which man is capable. pa
| tIent and prescvering purpose, infexible will,
mistaken fortitude and unshrnking courage the
already written experience of the past few
| months has indicated. And il is the source of
the heartiest congratulation that we can already
point TO the brave deeds and daring and glorious
actions of our noble volunteers thus early. and
feel within our hearts, that the number of these
invincible soldiers has only to be increased and
| their welfare and comfort considered and cared
for TO the utmost of our resources, TO have abun
dant evidence of the success which though it
may be temporarily interrupted must eventually
| perch upon cur banners.
1t is the duty of every man who can bear
arms at this juncture, imperative necessity alone
prevcntng,-when his efforts should be given
in anotber direction towards Strengthening the
cause and aiding the Governmeni,-to rally 70
the standard of his country and be counted
among The heroes of the greatest as it will be the
most extraordinary revolution since the world
began. The struggle of our ancestors was for
self-government, our struggle is TO maintain it,
and under the blessing of the same God who
smiled upon Washington and his barefooted and
half starved comrades, arc uiH do H.!
Those who cannot aid the cause in the field
may yet do much while pursuing their ardina-
ry avocaiions; the sinews of war are needed and
| those they may helpto contribute, every man as
far as his means will warrant. and there should
scarcely be limit to this, when it is consider
| ed that if our government is destroyed, proper
ty will have lost whatever value free institutions
and enlightened laws conferred. In this view,
the national loan, based upon such security as
underlies the existence of the General Govern
ment and the value ofall property, and to which
no other species of security can at all approxi-
mate in value, should be as literally subscribed
to as so much Of lien on life; for what is life
worth without liberty? And is not liberty to
be purchased and secured at every cost? The
character of the national loan is such that nearly
all classes may participate In its subscription,
and it is better that ten men should subscribe
to thousand dollars of its notes. than that the
honor and profit should fall to one.
Our system of taxation NAV require revision;
NO n M cx,y11a peca "a Ghould ho
found, while others suffer whose burihens should
be lightened. Euuality-that like the dews of
hcayen-each may bear, in proportion. his just
share, is what is required, and what it should
be our aim to secure.
The unprepared state in which the opening
of the war found our State Government, natural
ly created many obstacles. no little confusion,
much delay and many trying and peculiarly
annoying difficulties to both the Executive and
the people. L am Happy TO believe that these
obstacles are now mainly removed. 4
1t shall be my aim to give the utmost support
to the National Government, conceiving the
doctrine cf Secession to be entirely destructive
of our national existence, without which it will
he impossible to govern ourselves, regarding the
original compact of the Federal Union not one
of States. but of the people. and adheriRg to the
never to be shaken belief that they-the people
and by this mean the people of all the
delegated and assembled in National Conven-
tion, have alone the right. after the most liber-
al and enlarged debate. to determine its future
destiny. Believing that the masses of the South
still love the Union, and would, were they left
untnmmeled and unforced, declare tomorrow
their will for its continuance, I utterly repudi-
ale the monstrous and wicked plea and petition
of the ring leaders ofthis conspiracy. and would
argue war eternally until they are brought to
condign punishment, and their misguided fol-
lowers restored to reason and brought back to a
recognition of the true purposes ar intentions
of the Federal Government, from which, by art
ful cunning and gross misrepresentation, they
have been misled and blinded. Ipray the time
may not be long in its approach when our de-
ceived Southern brethren shall be restored to
their allegiance. and the more effectually the
war is prosecuted to this end the speedier the
hour will come, when we shall behold the IN
ion as it was-as 1t was intended to be-as it
must and shall be-not pillar Withdrawn from
its magnificent temple, not star erased from its
glorious constellation.
Irecognize the full spirit and endorse in evary
word, sentence, and as a whole, the platform.
| simple, pure, aad honest as it is, upon which !
am placed, and with the best energies with
which l am endowed. and am capable, shall
aim to carry out its Just and righteous princi-
pies. And that our brethren Of the South may
see in it and in this my1 endorsement, having
hitherto been counted among those who were
their warmest and most devoted friends-the
sincerity and truthfulness of our purpose in our
war for the Union for the sake of the Union,
shall go forward, If elected. of which can have
L r u "A n