The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1868-10-08


our tive great oceans willing 10
vote for General Grant and not. for
Schuyler CoifnxDor on the other
hand, willing 70 vote for Schuyler
Colfax and not for General Grant.
all | can cay is, that the individual
has not yet made his appearance
in public, Nevertheless, case
might be imagined, where the elec
tors would refuse TO vote eitherfor
General Grant or Schuyler Colfax
if connected on the ticket With a
candidate whose election would.be
plainly dangerous TO the country.
1Suppese. for instance. that the Chi
cagolConventiop, fallipgjntoo Of
tlloso fits political OF imbecility or
madness which sometimes ovcrtakc
party asscmblages, and searching
for candidate supposed TO be 10.
,cally "available' in q particular
section Of the country had .soen fit
to connect with the namc Of the
patriotic and. victorious Chieftain,
whose skill and perseverance, saw
ed ourUniop, that Of Jefferson:D :Da-
vie, who exerted al his efforts TO
destroy it. Is,it possible that such
q mongrel ticket could have secur-
ed the votes Or q majority Of The
American people? :r..,..
1t is this view Of the subject
which simplities the issue in the
pending struggle, rendering it
comparatively needless to compare
the respective qualifications OF
General Grant and Governor Sey.
mo1r. What | mean to say and
to press upon your consideration
is, that it is absolutely necessary in
considering the claims of eithor,
also to weigh the merits and the
dcmerits OF the candidate for Vice
President, thus tied to tho ticket,
and fully TO estimate the conse.
quences of his contingent election
to the high office of President. We
arc fully admopiShed by past ex-
perience that such u contingency
is not too remote to be disregarded.
OF our six last Presidents, being
Harrison, Polk, Pierce, Buchanan
and Lincoln, three have died With
in the terms for which they were
elected, leaving three Vice Presi-
dents 10 fill their places. aga P
The question then, is brought to
a single point: Is it or is it not
safe and prudent to elect General
Blair as the next Vice President Of
the United States? And here
again, | shall abstain from any at
tempt, as l feel no wish TO dispar.
age the personal characteristics Of
tGenoral Blair. He is, to the best
of my belief, from some personal
acquaintance, gentleman Of cour-
age, frankness and of very deter.
mined will, fully meaning what he
says, and fully saying what he
means. What then does hc say to
the American people, and especial
ly in relation 10 his duties as Pres
ident, which may contiugenuy de-
volve upon him, through the com
ing election? 1t surely can only
be necessary to refer TO bis clear
and emphatic letter to Col, Brod-
head, and adopted with approba'
ton by the Convention which put
him in nomination, to ascertain
his views beyond the possibility ol
doubt. In that letter-now in the
hands of all the .people-Gcnera'
Blair distinctly proposes, not in
deedlto destroy tho Union, but tc
Subrcrt its GOrernment, by subject
ing Congress, or at least one OF its
branches, to the President. In
that letter Gen. Blair declares il
to be the duty of the President,
1st. "To compel the armg to an
do ITS usurpdticnS an the South,
leaving it of course to tho PresidOnt
singly to decide how far the army
} has usurped unlawful authority, OIL
has merely obeyed laws of Con
gress conslitutionally passed.
I'd. TO disperse the carpet b0!
governmentS,' denoting by tho
slang phrase the State government
put in operation un der the laws o
Congress for restoring them to theii
place in the Union.
Sd. "To compel the Senate t.
submit once more to the Obligation
ofthe Constitution" thereby claim
ing singly to decide that tho who'll
course OF legislation in the Senate
has been in violation Of the Consti
J tuition.
lie closes his letter by the ex
. plicit allegation that tho PROPOSE
, lions above stated present the "tru
issue" in the coming election, an,
, should be "put plainly to the coa"
ty."
For ono, I fully concur wit
} Gen. Blair, that this is tho true Is
4 sue before the country, and shoul'
bo plainly put. 1t surely can nee
. no extended argument 10 show tha
. his propositions, if adopted, mus
t subvert the government. The le
g. gitimate action of each of th
branches OF the FREQ governmen
f established by the Constitution,
@ and necessarily must be co'ordl
q nate an voluntary, and cannot b
I rendered subordinate and compu
o sorry, without destroying the struS
n ture. The moment that one branc
|. can bo compelled by another, de-
s potism takes the place OF libert
/. precisely to that extent. In trntl
!. no free government OF modern day
J. can be destroyed in any other mod
}. than the compulsory action OF tn
< Executive in compelling or disper'
n ina the legislative body, or the il
a stitutions of it's creation. CroW