Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1863-10-01

address you briefly but plainly and truthful
ly upofi tho n,0n,entous questions OF tho day,
aud If possible stay the mad and furious
torrent of Flndticisn,, which seems to be
sweeping with almost irresistible toecc over
the face Of our once happy country. Wei
have indeed fallen upon ''troublesome
times" Passion and prejudice seems to
rule the hour. Reason and Judgment have
fed the throne aud fanaticism and ultraism
swsys the sceptre uudisturbed over the pub
lie mind. Our country, that blessed inlier
itance descended to us from our forefathcrs,
is to all, but the hopeful, in the very last
throes OF expiring nature. In whatever di'
:. reclioii.tle eye is turned tho horizon Of our
national existence is overcast with portent.
Gus clouds which human sagacity seems
totally Inadequate to pcDetrato or brush
away. --.- ....
! We are not .hc a2ologists for the mis-
takes aud errors OF the Administration in
the prosecution of the war, nor do We APP
prove of or sanction the tactioas opposition
which is being brought to bear against the
lcntin,dte as well as the doubtful power OF
, the government to put down the rebellioD,
suppress the insurrection," and entorcc
, obedience to the Constitution and the laws
, of the land. and we are asked to sanction
and approve, by the exercise ola most SOL
emn and important privilege, the elective
franchise, that .ji,ctiotls, aud as we think and
believe, to use no harslIer term, p,tsgu'tlef
: opposition, which from the very beginning
/, has studously and persistently opposed
, every EFFORT put forth to save the life OF the
] naton;-we do most earnestly, yet calmly
e and deliberately, enter our solemn protest
t against it, and call upon and earnestly en-
treat all candid men to reflect, before voting
y l.. 4 hsl -
Z You, Us we'll as we, are called upon by the
d "imperatiye" voice of Convention to vote
q for g. L. Valaudigham for Governor ofthe
n State oi Ohio. We admit the full force
}, and effect OF this call; it comes to US clothed
/ with the power and prestige of party ties
i and party tealty; it comes to US ladened With
e the associations of former years, but oil
r these cannot be made to avail feather {
y weight, when our country, our kindred and
t. the future of this Republic are at stake. :
1. Believing as we do, that the action Of the
e Convention in nominating Mr. Vallandig
ham was great mistake, and one which, il
- approved and sanctioned by the people at tht
= polls, will seriously endanger the perpetuit,
. of our Government; we have felt aud now
Z feel it our duty, to withhold from him oul
W support, and thus clear our skirts Of all com
: plicity with the agency by which il is brough
n about.
III And in so doing, we stand by the doc
p trines advocated by Douglas, by every Dem
le ocratic member of Congress from Ohio, ant
n by the entire Democracy of the North, ex
!. cept Mr.. Vallandigham and small faction
70 prior to Mr.. Yallandigham's nomination a
te Governor, and iu no wise affiliate with, o
v approve Of the doctriue Of Abolition or Fs
III naticism Of any kind
:. But self respect as we'll a. duty 10 you
:" require that we should state briefly, On,
candidly, the reasons why we are thus CON
!" PEELED to withhold our vote from MIR. Val
IN landigham, AID which, perhaps, in ordinar
m times we might PISS by in silence even
y q unable to approve, for the reason that suc
OF views although entertained by the cand
st date, would never tiHd an opportunity to b
ee made effective, and could not influence tn
!, people of other States, not then, as now, j
/. rebellion.
lie FIRST, We cannot support Mr.. Vallandil
m ham, because in his speech in Congress
Feb. ~, 1861, he said:
"A "lt is vain to tell Inc that States cannt
ha secede. Seven States hare seeded. In thre
M M,r.l months their agents and commissioners wi
ha return from Europe with the recognition I
- Great Britain and France, and Of the oth'
~, powers ofthe ContinenS," Record, p. 76
<,el <tQNM, DcCoSotOu ubJ bScl tItcu uuu VI
W. w. proved speedy and terrible success. II
,GI,' practicabilIty Of doing it and the way to
,.s ,.s it have been established" (Rscord, p. 81.
La IL, Agoia, If any one or more Of the Stat,
~. =" OF this Union should secede forreasons
ho tho sutiiciency Of which, before God al
-, the great tribunal OF history, they alone ma
.ua judge-much as should deplore it, new
ii, would as Representative in the Cnngre
=" Of the United States, vote one dollar
money whereby unS drop OF American blot
should be shed in civil war;" (Recor
- p. 9l.
Again, "There is not man in this hou
IA fit to be representative here who does IL
,x- know that the South cannot be forced
'ut yield obedience to your laws and authorl
h again.
"' AGAIN, Accordingly have not vote
es- for any army or navy bill, nor any army
ing navy appropriation bill since the meeting
ion Congress on the 4th Of July, 1851. tRecor
I.s Is Again, stop fighting, make an arm
he mics from th seceled States Recall yo
ion fleets, break up your blockades. 60
ko page 200.) ltl ~
Nc. TO these and kindred sentiments held a
OF uttered by Mr. Vallandigham from the
- ginning of our troubles, and now promiaes
sh, ~ thrust forward by him, We cannot su
:, scribe, believing them to be anti-D Deinocrs
W 10 aud subversive Of the government and
50 the best interests of the people. We.pref
rather to adhere to the ancient landmar
so truthtully pointed out, and firmly mai
ts. tanned by Andrew jackson, in his conte
n, with South Carolina in 1882, as evinoed
the following declaration OF principles fouI
o, in his Proclamation Of d. oember lth, lsa
OF and his Message OF january l7th, 1888.
- consider" says General jackson, ''the po
re- er to annul law Of the United States, to
incompatible with the existence OF d
Union, contradic,ed expressly by the Ga
ted stitution, unauthorized by It's spirit, inco
sistont with every p inciple on which It
founded and des ructive of the first obje
for which il was framed"
20 The right to secede is deduced from d
nature OF the Constitution, which they s
is compact between sovereign States VI
have preserved their whole soverei9nt
and therefore are subjects to no superic
ton that, because they made the compact, tn
on. can break it when, in their opinion, it
,aft been departed from by other States. Fal
plo cious as this course Of reasoning is, il Z