The Daily empire. (Dayton, Ohio) 1865-1867, 1866-08-24
The Philadelphia COnventiOn--Mr.
NnllnndiNlnm.

withdrawal from the Philadelphia Conven-
tion. This Is natural. Mr.. V. had as good
right to a scat as any one else Whether he
did well in declining TO take the seat, is an
other question. The Telegraph says that MS
act was IAN error Of Judgment. rendered all
the worse by the gentleman's reputation for
political sagacity.r Not so. lie distinctly
declares thathi withdrawal was against his
own deliberate convictions Of right and
duty" and done in Difference to the "almost
unanimous opinion and desire OF friends"
lie Gid not as the Telegraph says, leave
the Democracy Of the District without
representation. Judge GILMORE, regularly
appointed delegate, sat in the Convention,
along with X. IL. HENDIaoKsoN, ESD of
Bntler county, regularly appointed alter
nate, who took Mr.. VS. place; thus making
the delegation fun. Perhaps the Democ-
racy Of the District would have lost Moth
ing II they had sent no representatives at
all. But no matter. The Convention was
not Democratic Convention, and the
Democratic party is bound by neither its
platform nor its address. AS in reference
to the Presidents acts and policy so as to
these, It accepts what is consistent with its
own time-honorcd creed and what it ap-
proves. and rejects the residue. As 70 the
charge of "vacillation," lift were true Mr.. v.
might well submit to the reproach for the
| first time in his life But is 1t vacillation
to decline setting up ones own opinion or
wishes in opposition TO the wishes and
Opinions of thousands of undoubted friends (?
We think not.
The statement OF the Telegraph that the
card of admission was given to MIR. V. as
''the compromise of withdrawal" is both
ungenerous and untrue. 1t was issued be-
fore Mr.. V.'s most intimate friends knew
that he even hesitated about taking his seat
in the Convention. And he had both spo-
ken and voted in the joint Ohio delegation
the day before without any question being
raised. 1t would have been a very "thin
salve" indeed; and this fact of itself ought
to have rescued Mr.. VALLANDIGHAM from
the insinuation. And besides all this, Mr.
V. had first satisfied himself by a careful
canvass of the several delegations that ne
would be retained in his seat by a large
majority. The subsequent reception BY
the Convention ofhis name and of the res
olution of the Ohio delegation endorsing
him, proved that he was right in his con-
lecture.
And now let us say to our friends of the
True Telegraph, that they do not apply the
censure in the right place. The first capi-
tai mistake was made by the Democratic
Senators and Representatives who Joined
in the call for the Convention, when they
ought to have known, and some of them
did know. that its secret purpose, in spite
of disclaimer, was to break up the Democrat
ic party This very fact made it necessary
for the true Democracy to go into the Con-
vention in order to defeat this secret OBJ
ject. And they did it, compelling its man
ayers before the meeting, to give the as
surance that it was not part of their pur-
pose to form new party, and at the Con
vention, to give up both the new name and
new party for the present
But the danger is not all passed yet and
it behooves the masses of the Democr cy
to see to it that their leaders" so called,
make no more mistakes. Cooperation is
one thing: surrender and fusion are quite
another. The next National Convention
must and ,oiI be Democratic, and assembled
under he auspices Of the Democracy as
party. The ''National Union Committee"
has been permitted to strut and fret its
brief hour on the stage: the mimic mon
archs and tinsel kings have played their
parts, while the Democratic SUI
pernumeraries on the boards and
behind the scenes, and the Dem
ocratic crowds in the auditorium-pit,
dress circle, galleries and all-have lent
themselves to eXalt the swelling scene.
But the Rehearsal" is now over, and rhe
actors who so vastly enjoyed their gor-
geous airs and state, and who for n time seem
ed really to fancy themselves the charac-
ters they personated, are all mere men
again. When the great Drama in real life
begins, other scenes win be enacted and
other men perform.