Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1866-09-29
The Conneaut Reporter.

| ED. IELEGRAP:
Why does not the Reporter publish
the address of the Committee to the peo-
| pie of this Judicial District? Is he afraid
| to give his readers a chance 70 read the
document for themselves and draw their
own differences therefrom? / am inclin-
ed to that opinion, and | know that a
very large number of his patrons and
readers take the same view of the matter.
Is his the press that the address alludes to
as being Subsidized 2" I'll bet that sheet
sold out to Judge Chaffee's interest some
time ago, when he went around, or sent
around to see how cheap all the presses
of the county and district could be pur-
chased.
Now then, is it not thing a candidate
ought to be proud of to buy up the press,
and avenues of intelligence to the peo-
pie, pack the primary meetings in his
own behalf, go into District Convention
under this kind of influence; get NOM
ination, and then tell every body that
they, as honorable men, are bound by
| the action of the convention I? The Re
porter and Sentinel in their advocacy of
Judge Chatfee, are in just this predica-
ment exactly.
How consistent these gentlemen are, a
slight allusion to history will show. Last
year the Reporter bolted the nomination
of one of the candidates for county
office; and years ago, when Judge Cha
flee wanted to be Judge, and was nomi-
mated in the same way that he is now,
Mr.. Reporter supported Horace Wilder,
who was the independent candidate.
The Sentinel man, few years ago,
was seized with the insane idea that his
services were needed in the House of Re
representatives. of the State of Ohio. He
went into convention, and the people of
this county took fancy to nominate for
that position another gentleman. Mr.. How
ellis took exceptions to the action of the
Convention, and swung out on his
own hook for the Legislature of the great
State of Ohio, and if have not forgot
ten, he actually carried one township of
our twenty-eight, as an independent can
didate A pretty man he, to talk about
the obligations of men to stand by the
action of conventions. ..
But notice the Reporter publishes an
address to the gentlemen who make up
the Executive Committee, and tells its
readers in a short squib, that the review
gives the conclusive" idea of the ad-
dress. have read the "review" SO far
as published, and it cannot be regarded
as anything but a purile attempt to get
rid of the effect of the address it reviews.
The reviewer makes but two points.
One, to show that Judge Chaffee had
right to conclude that the lawyers were
for him for re-election-and the other,
that the alternative forced upon the peo-
pie was all moonshine.
On the first point, that Judge Chaffee
had a right to infer that the lawyers
were for him. The reviewer says that
he had right to infer this, because they
had never found fault with him.
Now, how many men are there in the
world of known defects of qualification,
Of character, ETC., with whom we have
never quarelled, to whom we have never
expressed an opinion derogatory to their
character to the persons themselves or
any one else. Qualification and charac-
ter are sacred things in the eyes of intel
ligent, honorable men, and they never
attack them only when the necessity is
forced upon them, in the vindication of
the rights and interests of the people at
large. Had Mr. Chaffee been willing to
go into retirement and not push himself
with such pertinacity into place he was
disqualified for, he would undoubtedly
have been permitted. to hold the idea that
his seat upon the Bench had not been alto
gether wanting in the substantial ele-
ments Of popularity and right.
The reviewer of the Reporter makes
silence ON these matters of crime. The
converse of the proposition is true. 1t il
greatly to the credit Of the attorneys OF
this district, that they held their place
sdiscreetly" in regard to the mealfeas-
anee of Mr.. Chaffee in office. He shonld
hold them in high esteem that they were
| willing to let him close his Judicial
.aonrsa militant axcitin1r tho fnelinns I'd