Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-09-22
SEPTEMBER q, 1866,

Northern, and they operated, as counter
irritants. The repeal Ofthe Missouri Com,
promise produced the Kansas and anti
Nebraska moYement.by which Judge Swan
carried Ohio by over eighty thousand
majority. when the year previous, Govern
or Medill, in the Democratic party, was
elected by over. sixty thousand majority.
Chase and other extreme leaders were not
slow to sink temporarily their radicalism,
and endeavor to obtain control Of the surg
ing mass of opposition, which was mar
shaling for the overthrow OF the Democrat
ic party. Seward stood forth as the prom
inent leader of the Radical Wings, and
Judge Bates, Of Missouri, was being trained
by Greeley to catch the conservative ele-
ment. Chase, then Governor of Ohio,
thought he perceived an admirable chance
OF underwriting Seward with the Radicals
by his State rights notification movement
in the Oberlin Fugitive Slave cases; but
when Judge Swan was elected from the
Bench, at his (Chase's) bidding, at the Re-
publican State Convention, for delivering,
May %, 1862 an honest judicial opinion,
the public mind was shocked, especially
the bar, and the solemn resolve was made
that Governor Chase should not receive
the support of Ohio for the Presidency,
and that the damning deed should, like the
| time. '.. ',.' u. "''f '1lt
| 1 had attentively read the Lincoln and
Douglas debates, published In the Chicago
| Tribune, edited by Joseph Medill. a friend
of mine, and early in June '59, rejecting on
/ the subject the thought occurred to me, that
Abraham Lincoln would make the most
! available candidate for the Presidency, on
| the basis of those debates, and Immediate
ly communicated my ideas to the Hon.
| Samuel Galloway, a warm opponent of
both Chase and Seward, who was asinclined
to support Judge Bates; but | soon conyinc-
ed him that the R1uicals would never touch
Bates, and Seward was In the same position
In reference to the conservatives. Iadvised
him to write and suggest the subject to Mr..
Lincoln, as he had better acquaintance
with him than had. On the last Wednes-
day Of June, 1859, | attended Commence
ment at Kenyon College, in company with
Governors Chase and Dennisou, and on the
cars returning home; became acquainted
| with Mr.. Marshall, afterwards private
| Secretary of Governor Yates, and a son
| OF Colonel Marshall. q then prominent
Republican State Senator of Illinois.
Young Marshall had just graduated, and
| our conversation turning upon the Pres
| idency, he remarked, that he supposed that
| Ohio was for Chase. replied by asking
him how was Illinois He answered, the
Northern part of the State is for Seward
and the Southern for Bates; when eX-
pressed surprize that they uid not unite and
take up Lincoln, on the basis of his debates
with Senator Douglas. He said they never
| thought of it. advised him on his return
| home to post his father and other promin-
ent Republican politicians in Illinois, thaJif
they would take up Lincoln as candidate
for the Presidency, a powerful ele-
ment in Ohio, opposed to Chase,
| and especially for his course towards
| Judge Swan, would cooperate in
the movement, and L believed eventually
would secure Lincoln the Republican nom
inatiOn, as a compromise candidate. Mr..
Marshall afterwards informed me, that he
had followed my advice, and stirred up the
matter in his State. then wrote Joseph
Medill, of the Chicago Tribune, who by the
way was Conservative at that time, and
much opposed to Seward, that if Lincoln
waste be the candidate, it was necessary
to republish his debates with Douglas in
tull, in order to make him known in other
States. Medill wrote that the debates in
full would be too cumbersome document,
and suggested a compilation by extracts, to
which l objected. on the ground that it
would make the whole publication liable to
the charge of being garbled, and Informed
him that at the proper time a, movement
would be made in Ohio to bring out the
] whole of the debates under proper auspi-
ces. In the meantime Mr.. Lincoln had re-
piled to Mr.. Galloway, as fOllows,r g..,I
| -i SPRINGFIELD. ILL.,, July 2s, 1850.
| HON. SAMUEL GALLowAY--A(y Dear. Sir our
very compliment not 70 saw hatterng, letter Of
the % inst. is received. DR.. REYNOLDS had infueed
me to eSpect you here, and was disappointed not a
Il IN nd ~ 70. Hu...
have formed an estimate OF me which can scarcely
Snss dons by e Two
plank" for q repeal of the Fugi i've Siav, law. /
| very much Regretted. These two things are Of a
pIeSei and tnSy "a are viewed oy many goot men sin;
IN disregard Of the Constitution itselff And n /,
the very thing that vii! greatly endanger our cause
| if 1t be not kept out Of our National Convention
There is another thing our friends are doing which
gives me some uneasness. 1t is their leaning to-
4 wards Popular Sooereigqty.' There are three
substantial objections to this: First no party can
command respect which sustains this year what II
opp sed last. Secondly, Douglas (wh0,is tho. most
dangerous enemy OF liberty, because the most ihsd-
and b. consequence, no capital to trade on in the
South, ifitWere not for friends thus
him and bis hgmbug; but lastly, and ,cheay, Doug.
las Popular Sovereignty, accepted by the public
mind as q great principle, DationaiEes slavery and
\ Teyives the Africa slave trade inevitably. Taking
slaves to newterrtories and buyines Africa
torougs, and the argument which establishes one
| will establish the other yTrv Thousand wears for
sound reason why Congress shall not hinder the
have found it, it will be an equally good one why
Congress should not hinder the people of Georgia
from importing slaves from Africa. 1T .E 1'79'T
| As to Coy, Chase, have kind side Tor him.. lie
was one of the few distinguished men of the nation
who gave us their symoathy last year. never saw
| him, suppose him TO be able and right mioded: but
still he may not be the most suitable candidate
must say that do not think mysor fit for the Pres
idency, Al. you propose corrospondence with me.
l shall lOokfor your letters anxiously.
have not metDr. Reynolds since receiving your
letter. put when shall will present your respects,
i2ih 'aG' ~ Yours very truly. gti.!y lo r,d
IJ.t ..--..in3s .... t.... ..... A, LINCOLN.
| This very modest letter, convinced the
| friends of the movement, that Abraham
Lincoln was the very man for the times ;
that while firmly, opposed TO slavery extern
sion he would stand by the Constitution of
the United States, against the "higher'
law fanaticism. Tie canvass for the Gov
ernorship had opened vigorously, between
Mr.. Denhison and Judge Ranney, and the
Democracy earlyin August invited Senator
Douglas to help them In the contest. This
| furnished good reason for the friends of
Lincoln to get the Republican State Cen
tral committee to invite him to follow his
old antagonist. On that committee was a
majority of Judge Swans friends; and one
reason Lincoln was brought to Ohio was,
in order to become betteriacquainted with
him, in view of his being q candidate for
the Presidency, and to ascertain il his
| speeches, as. spoken, came up to the stand
ard of those published. The Republican
State Central Executive lcOmmittee Mt that