Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1867-02-21
coNNECTIcUT POLITICS. Il !;


Unions the COnstitution and the
Rights of the States-Ehat sincere
p Republicans ThimksOf the Bastard
bzatf0n Of tn cir Farty-A New Era
Opening for the States9I sfiI ~ l52 huI
EOn'the Hawley ticket in, Connecticut.
which solemnly proclaimed its agreement
with the patriotic policy of President john,
son in 1866, the Hon. o. F. Winchester was
chosen Lieutenant Governor, and the
Hon. Leveretts E. Pease, Secretary of State. !
These gentleman simply were honest in
their intentions to support the President;l
Governor Hawley and Company were SIM
ply dishonest. In view of their fealty to;
their honor and their able administration,
Hons. James F. Babcock, II. s. Hayden and,
Horace Sabin, of the Connecticut State
ECOmmittee at the Philadel lphia Convention,
recently wrote the gentlemen soliciting
their candidacy for second election. To
these gentlemen Messrs. Winchester and
Pease sent thefollowing letters, which are
too able and nd4c0nvincing to need other mem i.
tion than their presentations g-Er1s nj
5GoyERNoR wINCHEsTER,s REPLY. u
isVO NEW H4vRN Februaty 4, 1857. y
lGENTLEMEN Your kind favor of Janua-
ry 81, addressed to nae by you as asub-c0m-
mittee of the State cOmmittee appointed
by the Philadelphia Convention of August :
4, 1866 asking 3 the privilege of using my
name as candidate for reelection to the
+Ofice now hold as Lieutenant, Governor"
ETC., was duly received In reply, permit
me to say it is true that very soon after my
election last spring, determined (for rea-
sons which then frankly stately not to be
3 candidate for re- election. This deterTnf-
EnRtion have since seen no cause to change;
and. in addition, my business relations have
assumed such asfOrm as to require nv nm
limited attention, and may, at any moment,
call me out of the States, and keep me
away most of fsthesensuinq YEAR, For these
reasons, l feel constrained to decline your
fatrering invitation.
+ You are correct IN your understanding of
the fact that II was not compffmented sbxs
the late Republican Convention with an
invitation to- accept q RECONCILIATION, and l.
presume that yeu truly saFmise the Fea--
sons. You do me but simple justice when
you assume that '.adhere to the consti-
tutional doctrines which maintained dur
ing the late civil war, and that am un-
willing to exchange them for the expert 4
ments Of the leaders of the now dominant
party." have still full faith in the sound
ness and eficiehcy of the eonserVatiRe pol
icy laid down by the Baltimore Convention
of June, 1854, which was so prudently and
wisely carried out under the administration
Eof Abraham Tihcoln, under which the late
civil war was brought to triumphant con-
Iclusiun, and so clearly restated and sus--
tanned by impregnable arguments in the
proceedings of the Philadelphia Conven-
ton of August 1865. Further, these senti-.
ments are precisely those we entertained in !
tcommon with the great body of the moder-
ate men of the Union party, when we met
with thedState Convention of 1885, and
which at that conventions were not only
recognized as honest differences to be toll
Grated, but as opinions entitled to- re-
| spectful consideration and representa-r
ton upon the State ticket, L regard with
great apprehension the total abandonment
| Of all these great principles by the leaders
l. of the now dominant CpHrtyin this State
and in Congress. The au0acity with which
/ they press upon Congress and the country
the most revolutionary doctrines and dis
| organizing measures, is truly alarming.
The dpimus of all this, as developed in the
speeches and acts of the leaders in Con-,
gress, appears to be contempt of the Su-l
preme Court and personal yindictive hatred
of the President of the United States. The
only excuse offered for this abandonment
| of principle is progress. It is a fearfullY.
tacclining progress, which, if NOT soon ar
rested, threatens us with political anarchy
and financial and social ruin. Believing
this, cannot but feel that there is no evil
or danger so great as this downward pro-
gress; and that it is my duty to join with
all good and true men IN arresting it, and
aid in restoring the Government, to men
| who will fegisfate wisely for the best in
terests OF the country, and in accordance
| with fheFE stitution as tits" ,ee
I am, very respectfully, yours,
! x3ao1gsT- -eTo @O5Fs WINoHEsTER.
! Hon. James = Babcock, New Haven
county; 81 5; Hayden, Esq, Hartford
county; Hcrece Sabin, ESQ., Windham
| The same committee addressed the Hon..
/ l.. E. Peases a letter in almost precisely
| similar terms to that addressed to Mr.. VIM
chester, to which he made the following
| patriotic and manly reply:
| LETTER OF HON! T.. E. PE4sE, SECRETARY OF
: = SsS g soMERs, February 4, 1867. .
GENTLEMEN = Y our favor of the 1st in
| stant has been received. thank you for
| your kind expressions ofeonfidence in my
| political principles and opinions. You are
| correct in your understanding that / wasF
4 not invited to accept a denomination by the
4 late Republican Convention at New Haven.
1 If / had been could not have accepted it
upon any platform that indorses the action
of the present Congress: I am in favor of
rigid adherence to the Constitution, in all
its clauses and requirements. as the sheet
anchor of our society in the North as wei
as in the South. am decidedly in favor
] of the Lineoln-J JOhnson policy of the res.
toratiOn Of the Union-and regard the
action of the present Congress on this SUBJ
! ject as prejudicialto the best interests Of
1 the nation. We might, indeed, allow en-
! terprise of all kinds to 1anguish, bus
!. mess to become stagnant, industry to, be
4 paralyZed, If there was any necessity. But
1 regard all such evils of little Importance
compared with the danger which threatens
the very existence of our Government by,
i leaders of the dominant party, in their dis
i regard of the Consititution-in their i'm
4 perious defiance of and contempt for, the
4 decisions of the Supreme COurt-in their
i Threatened impeachment of the President
4 in their Capitalization of power inthe Leg
IS@IA I<s,z ,,-k~~.
When political party resort to such meas
ures for the purpose, and the only purpose
!, in my Judgment, of perpetuating party
j power, is it no time that every thoughtful
man and patriot should pause and reflect
upon the present and future consequences
of such measures? Need refer to the
l bitter and revengeful feelings manifested
1 by the leaders of the dominant party, not
only towards the late rebellious States, but
4 towards large class of our felloW-citizens
at the North, whom they stigmatize with
4 lOpprobrious epithets? Indeed. the idea
seems to prevail among these leaders that
4 every man who has been in the rebellion,
and all who held to opinions differing
from their own standards, in regard to the
n causes or effects of the war, are not hereaf-
ter to be permitted to participate in con-
q ducting the affairs of the Governmentl--
Now, i ask, isait wise craftsmanship to i'm
pose taxes and other burdens upon whole
4 Glasses and communities of our fellow-c;ti-r
zens, and yet deny them. any participation
lin Legislation which affects their dearest
lrights and interests? Those connected with
the rebellion have acknowledged the errors
of the past, have accepted the results of the
war, and have showna Willingness to COM
ply with every just demand of the Govern
Iment. Is it. wisdom for powerful and,
what should be, a magnanimous people, to
impose degrading conditions upon our kin
dred, our neighbors, our fellow-citizens,