Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1863-03-04
Ohio 9tatesmam
Letter from DIR. Edison Ii. OIds--Gover-
nor Tod's Speech at the Opera House,
Cincinnati.

DR.. oLDs has just published the following
letter:
To His ErceIleney Governor Tod;
sTR-A friend has called my attention to You
speecn IN the Union mass meeting at Pike
opera House, in Cincinnati, on the evening o
the 23d Inst, os reported ia the Cinclnn ,t
Daily Commercial Of the 24lh Inst.
Had this been the speech of citizen Tod. In
stead OF His ExcelleDCy Governor Tod Ishoult
not have folt called upon to notice il: but wber
the GOVERNOR Tod, forgetful Of the dienity
OF biB exalted position, stoops to groas misrep
RESERVATIONS in reference TO q matter which h
soon TO be made the subject Of judicial inves.
tigation, whether it be for the purpose of fore.
stalling public opinion or 10 intensity the tnalio
nifty and hatred Of his new political ASSOCIATE
toward On humble citizen Of the State, whom
GOVERNOR Tod has made the victim of his per.
secutlon aud deepotism, hope and trust that
thero 10 still enough Of tho "freedom of speech I
left 10 this country to permit the citizen, with.
out being made tho subject OF atill greater per.
secution and more fearful despOtlsm, to ex6ose
and refute your Excellcncy' . prevarioatons and
Misrepresentation
The Governor Tod say8: "On tho same dsy
that presented Dr.. Olds'H case to the Seore.
taTy OF War, askiDg him for Gods sake to put
him gently out OF the way till could raiae tho
quota of troops called for from Ohio, invited
Mr.. Ranney, MIR. Jewett and others to take tho
stand for the war and volunteers"
| Again the Commercial reports your Excellen.
cy az saying: "The Governor referred IN Tho
condition or the border, and the threatened in
yaslon oil Ohio at the time he was advised that
Df. Olda was making speeches denouucinp the
Administration and the war, dscouraeipg en-
| llstments, and threatening that any gitsmnt IN
draft In hls county would be resisted. looked
into the Constitution, eaid the Governor. ana
found there written 10 letters as bright "A rnld
'Ihls Government can protec. it,e,f' re
could not cite tho exact article or asetion In
which u was to be found, but il WA there ami.
stantally; and go lelegrsphed To the Sscee-
tAry OF War to remove DR.. Olds temnorsrjl1
until We could drive back Kirby Smith and tbc
other scoundreis from the border, and raiao
ohio'5 contingent; and like q faithful and nat
riotic officer he did it. [Great cheering ana
hisses for 'he Doctor When tho border was
clear aud the people felt safe, then | ordered
that Dr. O!ds should be set Mt ibesty. ana
he was"
ln these extracts from your Exceilercy's re-.
mafka, you have fixed ihe precise period az
when you asked the Secretary of War TO order
in5 arrest, VIZ: on the same day that you 'tin-
Wteu Mr' hanney, Mr. JeWet!, and others to
lake the STAND Tor the war aud volunteers"
fouf invitation to Mr.. Rsnney to tske the
STAND LOT the war vas on the llth OF July ast,
40 your Excellency Vill see By locking into the
Okfo State Journal of the l7th of that rnonth
which contains Mr.. Ranney's reDly 10 your 10.
vitation. In order to save your ExcsIleney the
trcnble Of hunting il up, viii copy is for Won (:
"CHARDoN, July lj 1862.
"GCuTnOr ID. Tod, Columbus, Ohio;
"DEAR Sin: Your telegraph Of yesterday has
just been forwarded to me at this place came
here t6o days ago to try several important rail
road cases which have been a long ii mo pend
ingi and for the trial OF which special term
OF the Court has been convened. | am now In
the midst OF them, and can not leave until a
part OF them, at least, ara disposed of. The
United States Circuit Court has commenced its
session at Cleveland, where | am relied upon
in several matters very important to the parties
II, under these circumstances, you can desg
| nate some one else to make the tour with
messrs Ewing and Galloway, it would greatly
accommodate me, without, think, sny public
detFimont. If, however, you should think diff.
forently, | would use my utmost endelvors, az
soon as | can get to Cleveland, to have the
| Court postpone my business there, aud comply
with your request. / feel as strongly as Ia Y one
can the necessity for giving the President oil
the force that ne deems necessary, aud of del 9
| it promptly.
Very truly yours,
r. P, RANNEY."
This letter of Mr.. Rsnuey is dated the l5.h
OF July. ln 1t he Gays: "YOur telegraph OF
yesterday has just been forwarded to me at this
place Your telegraph then was dated tbe
l4th OF July, and you say, "On the same day,
you asked the Secretary of War to remove me
gently out OF the way" On the 14,h of Jnlv
then, your Excellsnoy procured the order for
my crrest.
| 1t ia very strange that, with all the stntisti
cal information in your possession Won oould
have possibly desired, your Excellency should
have involved yourself in such gross inconsis-
teDcies; for you then remarked that you "was
advised that DR.. Olds was diecouraging eplist-
ments, and threatened that any attempt 10 drsfl
in his county would be resisted" You repre.
sent this discouraging enlistments and resisting
the draft to be the crime or offense for Ehich
was gently removed out of the way
Nov, your Excelenoy must know that either
the one or the other of these statements must
be untrue. For, at the time when you invited
Mr.. RanreY "to take the stump for the war
and volunteers" to wit: on the 18th Of July, |
had made no epeechcs in which | had made al
lusion to either enlisting or drafting, for the
very best reaeon in the world, viz: that, be.
tween the I'd Of July and the 26h of the same
month, bad made no political speeches OF any
kind. During the latter part OF June had
spoken at County Convention In nv own
county, and also at County Convention in
ricRaway' These Conventions were called for
the purpose of electing delegates to the Demo
cratic State Convention, which was to be held
in Columbus on the 4th OF July | had alao
spoken at the indignation meeting held in Cir.
cleville on the ID OF July, over the arrest Of
John w Keee. At the time Of holding these
meetings, 10 order for draft wasin existence
and, II l rightly remember, the order for thI
first three hundred thousand of the ak hundred
thOusaHd volunteers called for. was dated il
Washington City, on the I'd of July, and pro
mugaied to the people of Ohio In Order No
2O OF tho Adjutant General of Ohio, on the 9tl
OF July Consequently, your Excelency will
perceive that could not, in The speeches mad
in Jcne, and even In the one made on the 9
Of July, at the Kees indignation meeting, hav,
discouraged volunteering, as at that time Their
was no order in existence calling for such vol
uuteeIs. Neither could have known that
draft would take place, as the call for tho sec
ond three hundred thousand soldiers, upon whic
the draft was ordered, was not issued in Wash
, iDgtOn City until the 4th of August, and tn
draft not ordered until the llth OF August :
Consequently, on the 18th of July, when 70
ordered my arrest, could not have threatene
resistance 10 draft not in existence Tor nearl