The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-08-26
gottase Co. gelllofrat.
'.55i s1 = RAvENNA. OHIO.
.,..-Augnst ee, 1863
THE GREAT ISSUE!
Prosecuting theyVar for the Union

The GREAE ISSUE!
ne Prosecuting theyVar for the Uniol
,r IA oaza7 or (ta
ae 1 . AABASE1NENT BEFORE Traitors
$ Another Speech of Senator SheT
10 man. aa ref;g ...
1t =ttv 1sr - - Aaa7 Il
The following speech by Hon. JOHN SHEF
MAN, was delivered at Chillicothe, Aug. 12tl
!. 1t is one of the most manly utterances of tn
: campaign. Its candor, its clearness, its fair
ness, and its earnestness commends it to al
men. 1t presents the.real issue which til
18th of October will decide, whether Obi
Eproves to be true and loyal to the Union Of TIL
I 1 States of the United States, or whether w
surrender all to traitors Senator Sherman,
remarks upon this occasion commenced tbuss''
In the beginning of every political coptes
1t is important to the people to ascertain, i
they can. what is the great question at issue
In every contest of this kind there is ALWAYS
some prominent issue, although it may be
disturbed, sometimes by collateral matters
Cleared OF all collateral considerations. in nv
Judgment the people of Ohio, this fall. are
about to decide the question of Union or dis
union. Every man who votes for John
brough will vote for him because he is in IA
vor of prosecuting the war for the mainten-
ance of The Union, and for no other reason =
Every man who votes for Vallandigha,n. if
ne is an Intelligent man, will vote for him
knowing that he is in favor of the abandon
ment of the war, and the Acknowledgement
subsequently, of the independence of the
southern Confederacy. This is the real is
sue. so far as Ohio is concerned.
The issue might have been presented in
different form, if the men who control the,
democratic party-for can not with any re-
gard to justice call them Democrats-had
chosen to select another man to represent
them at the head of their ticket Supnose
they had nominated Hon. Mr.. Jewett of
GAINESVILLE, war Democrat; ard suppose that
we Union people had nominated your own
.teoswnsman, DR.. Trimble; both would have
soeen IN favor OF Prosecuting the war for the
maintenance of the Union. The oplv diffar-
ence between the two would have been as TO
the mode of prosecuting it. Mr.. Trimble
would have advocated certain measures that
Mr. Jewett would have opposed: and Mr.
Jewett would have advocated measures that
Trimble would have opposed; and this differ.
ence enc IN the mode of prosecuting the war
would have constituted the issue in the can
vass Democrats, by such nomin alton. rniobt
have presented different issue to the neenI.
OF Ohio. But, my friends, the leaders of the |
Democratic party have chosen to make a dis
tlnct 'ie issue, by the nomination of Mr.. Vallan-
algham. He has been firmly opposed to the
prosecution of the war, from the time the
contest began until this hour. will give
him the credit to say, that his Democracy
has been consistent throughout sHa hos ,no
TED and acted, in all respects, as JEFF. Davis or
any other known rebel would have done. on
every measure before Congress. Therefore
Inc democratic party have presented the
question 4tlfi before you of Union or dislnion,
Just as distinctly as if any of the Southern
leaders had been nominated for Governor of
Ohio. A voice, That's so."l s
1t war Democrat had been nominated. the
issue as to the origin and causes of the war war
would not have been inquired into. They
would have been a part of the history of the
past; for there was time when we were all
standing on the same platform, and gprosecut-
ns TINS war as one man. But the leaders of
his party have gone behind all this, and NOM
mated man who believes the war was cause-
less, and should not be further prosecuted,-f
L. therefore, becomes necessary to discuss the
'risin OF the war, and though 1 may not be
'ole to say anything new on the subject, it is
necessary to take a glance at the chief points
N order to appreciate their bearing on the
present aspect of affairs. ysts a-ss.1
THE REBELLION CONDEMNED BY REREL.
1t Is true that when the South rebelled
they had no sufficient cause for rebellion
Ihey did not rebel for the purpose of secur-
ng to themselves existing constitutional
lights. They did not inaugurate war for the
'ame reason that our forefathers did it was
not for the purpose of maintaining rights
guaranteed to them by the Constitution or the
avs a OF the country. Rather they sought to
'abvert the Constitution and overthrow the
't' It under which they had long
ived and prospered. At the time the war
commenced, there had been no act commit
ed by the Northern people, or by the Gov
'fnmem at Washington, hostile to the people
# the Southern States.
ask you, Democrats, the question, wheth-
n any act had ever been done by the North
o justify them inattempting to break up the
government Pause and think. Did you
'ysr Y hear any man say that he thought these
men who have arrayed themselves against us
aad any good cause for rebellion : / am in
earnest IN asking the question, and wherever
address the people, shall be glad to have
hem speak out, and answer such questions. !,
they wish to have them answered. What h
lad we done in the North to affect their E;
lights? Nothing at all. And this fact +
hall establish by no less reliable authority +,
han Hon. Alexander H. Stephens, of Geor. h
ga, thesVice- President of the Gonfederacyt
limseifs Heis much more able and elo- T,
luept man than myself, and you will there j
ore allow me to read from his speech. Il
fause, | entreat you, and consider for
moment what reasons you can give that will /
atlsiy aus yourselves in calmer rnoments-what
easons yon can give to your fellow sufferers
n t ne calamity that it will bring upon us