Gallipolis journal. [volume] (Gallipolis, Ohio) 1837-1919, 1867-08-29
From the oineinas / ea1etts.I
The Ohio Canvass NThe Trium-
virate and their Doctrines.

NIL his engagements4here would bt
a quartette. We Rppose to give
these gentlemen an ing as they &c
along, and notorisfY to their doc
trines, which, perhans they do not
desire In discussing critically the
merits of a drama, there are three
things to be considered-the actors,
the scene, and the action. We,
therefore, begin with the actors
Who are they? In the present case,
this is probably the most important
question, for in the drama it is the
character of the actors which give
character to the action Who are
theyl Vallandlgham, Rsnney and
Thurman. Is there an intelligent
voter in Ohio who does not know
exactly who and what these persons
are? Have they hid their light under
a bushel so that no man could see it?
No. We will give them credit for
that. There was no tory in the
days of the revolution, no rebel in
the war, no copperhead in politics,
whose character was better proven
than that of this triumvlrate; and,
Cor aught we see, they mean to stand
up to their characters. And what
was that2 Vallandigham was three
times virtually tried and convicted
for disloyalty to the Government of
his country; once by court martial,
once by the District Court and once
by the Supreme Court. That he
should stand up now and face the
men who went to war, or paid for the
war, or lost their friends in battle,
with impunity, is proof not only of
consummate audacity, but of very
forgiving people. He is the princi-
pal man in the triumvirate, and the
true position of Thurman may be
measured exactly by the character of
Vallandigham. Ranney is of eX-
actly the same quality, only more
narrow minded. He is in calibre in
ferior to the others, and it is ques-
tionable whether he ever saw
steamboat, although he has evidently
heard of the Pacific Railroad, and
manifests the same hostility to 1t
that the Indians do, who are shoot
ing the engineers. He don't know
any more than the Indians how to
defeat the locomotive, but as they
shoot the workmen, he wants to take
away their pay. His ideas are those
of a Connecticut village politician,
in which school he probably learned
them. These are the triumvirate.-
Vallandigham. three times tried and
convicted, Thurman, who sympa-
thizes with him and holds the same
principles, and Ranney, who is only
less bold because he is less brave. =
All OF them have been tried by the
people of Ohio, and not only found
wanting, but consigned to obscurity
till a new election gives them anoth
er chance to spout again their re
jected addresses. These being the
actors, what are their doctrines?-
We would not do them the slightest
injustice, and we rate them personal
ly too high to suppose they desire
to hide or deny their sentiments
We ask them to deny these ques
tions if they can. Are they not in
favor of the celebrated resolution of
1898, which is secession? Did they |
not sympathize with the secession,
which was q consequence of that
doctrine? Did they not deny the
power of the National Government
to coerce the secession States? Did
they not oppose Mr. Lincoln's Ad-
ministration, in carrying on the war;
Did they not belong to the peace
party, in war? Did they not advise
and support the Chicago resolutions,
which declared the war failure?-
Did they not, in this, give their NOR
al support to the rebellion? Did
they not, in all this, morally give
that aid and comfort to the rebellion,
which the Constitution calls tfeason?
If not, in what particular did they
fail? When did they do any acts
which loyal men recognized as an
honest defense of their country
These questions are suggestive of
something more th<n q difference of
political opinions They are sug
gestive of anything rather than a
manly patriotism, or an honest de-
fense of a betrayed and lnsulted
country. If these questions can be
possibly answered in the negative.
we shall be ready to acknowledge
great mistake. If not, what is the
character and principle Of this tri-
umvirate who appeal to the people
of Ohio for political support? Mr..
Ranney, a. Mansfield, says: "Lethe
dead bury their dead;;" and Mr. Val
landigham, at New Middletown, says
the same. If they refer to them
selves, it shows proper idea of
their. condition. LET the Democratic
PARTY ry its dead, but with no hon
ors o. lar No soldier will fire
funeral salute, or waive flag over
then their doctrines had pre-
vailed, no flag would be here 70
waive, triumphant secession would
have governed the land, and some new
dag like the "Stars and Bars waived
over large part Of this unhappy
country. Such were the doctrines
which Thurman, Vallandigham and
Ranney carried through the war;
" hen the war closed they were, for
! time, shocked into an apparent |
nodesty They did not then set up J
'or. Governors and Presidents OF a '
patriotic people. But an accident l
set them in motion. The 6ssassina
ion of Lincoln brought them out of {
heir dens as aheavy thunder shower |
brings out the toads They hoped ]
-ound, not quite sure into whose l
.ands they would fall. But they
soon found leader quite fit for their !
purpose. Andrew johnson was an
original Democrat, and during the
war loyal one. Much stronger in I
intellect than any of the Copperhead |
eaders-he was morally too weak to |
carry out his own convictions. If .
ne had been man of moral strength I
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