The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1864-10-27
LETTER FROM THURLow wHEDI
The PresidentlaI Question.


DEAR SIR.-On my return homo this
morning | find confirmation of what
you and others told me in Now York,
viz; that q letter upon the Prcsiden-
tial question is expected ffom'me. The
views l entertained on this question,
early in September, will be found in
the following extract Of a letter which
appeared in the Evening Journal:
"Those who desise the preservation
of the Government and the Union, be
they Democrat OF, Republican, will
keep their eyes upon these secession
emissaries; upon their northern SYM
pathizers, and upon tho Chicago Con-
vention. We shall see how far the
views Of Mcssrs Clay, Thompson, San
ders, &C., influence the action of that
Convention. We shall see what sort
OF men are nominated, and what prin-
ciples are avowcd. If statesmen and
soldiers who have, since the outbreak
of the rebellion, given their services to
the country, are placed upon plat
form which demands a vigorous pros
ecution of the war, Oh the basis of
Union and peace-which requires all
in rebellion to return to their allegi-
ance and to- the enjoyment of their
rights under the Constitutional, we
repeat, such men are nominated at
Chicago, shall hail the result with
heartfelt Joy. Such nomination
would leave every /elector to choose
between Mr.. Lincoln and another can
ditate for President, equally patriot
ic. .v a.j ...
"But if the Vallandigham and San
dors influence prevails at Chicago if a
candidate of even suspected loyalty be
nominated, or if the Convention, in its
organization or platform, gives an. "un-
certain sound" or betrays disunion
proclivities, it will not only provoke
the united opposition of Republicans,
but lose the support of War Demo
Gratis. s....
"The loyal Democracy goes to Chi
cago with the odds and chances against
them. Tho condition and circumstan-
cos of the country are inauspicious.- -
These advantages, however, demand
increased zeal, devotion and firmness.
And if, at last, malign influences pre-
vail, the right and the dutyot APPEAL
REMAINS" ....-
My reasons for desiring change of
Administration are known to those
who have read what | have felt con.
strained to say since December 1860,
first as editor of the Journal, and sub
scquc .tly'in occasional letters l pro.
tested, ear y and earnestly. against the
Abolition proclvities of ehe Republi-
can party, of Congress, and of the Ad-
ministratiOn. iorcsaw. moro clearly
than others, the certainty of a forInid-
able rebellon--a rebellion that would
try the strength of our Government
and tax the energies of our whole peo.
pie. In view of such an emergency |
felt that no mere party, and least of all,
an Abolition party, could preserve the
Government and Union; that the pol
icy of tho Administration should tend
to unto the North, and divide the
South. And what / complained OF
was, that just so far rs Abolition coun-
sells prevailed, they reversed this pro-
position, by dividing the North and
uniting the South know, now, what
L believed in 1861 that Mr.. Lincoln
ought to have made.a Union Cabinet.
Such Cabinet and policy would have
carried us through the rebellion with
infinitely less expense of blood and
treasure. 1t is, in my Judgment, a mis-
take to have supposed that he could
not sustain himself without the sup
port OF ultra Abolition. In boldly
prosecuting the war for tho Govern
ment and the Union, he would have
bCen triumphantly sustained blythe
really and nationally patriotic masses.
The influences which he sought to
propitiato have been drag both upon
his Administration and the war, And
after all his concessions to the insati.
ato spirit of radical Abolition, its lead.
ers turned against and endeayored tc
overthrow him Months after his re,
nomination, Abolition leaders We're on.
gagged in conspiracy TO torce hiswith,
drawal Hostile circulars, signed by
editors of the Evening Post" "Tri.
bune, andL Indcpendent were drift
ing about in September; nor was tho
project of another Presidential nomi
nee abandoned until three days previ
ous to the meeting of our State Con
vention. ...t yIrr,- n 41.,,, ..
O. The Democratic party was repre-
sented by Its National Convention =
By its candidates for President ant
Vice President, and in its platform,
we must find reasons for accepting OF
rejecting q Democratic Administration
Two facts are, in my Judgment con
clusively demonstrated by the actor
of that convention. First, that Gen
eral Mcclellan was not tho choice of ;
majority of the Convention and sec
ond, whom forced to take him, th,
"Peaco party" delegates avenged them
selves by, forcing their own nomine,
for Vice President and their owl
oplatformT upon the Convention, Thi
cfqrdcteriSes the Democratic Ticket
The platform" olfends the patriotism
of every loyal elector, 1t offendet
General Mcclellan and all War Demo
Gratis. 1t contains no sentiment, sen
tence, expression or, intimaton, from
which an impartial reader can lcarl