The Wyandot pioneer. (Upper Sandusky, Ohio) 1853-1868, 1868-02-06

ticle in its issue of January the
Goth:
Col. Barnabas Burns has been bea-
ten for Representative in Congress
from the Eighth District, by ma
iority of S35, u Republican gain since
Octoper Of 59.
This is the first gun of the Presi-
dental campaign Of 1868, and indi
Gates q Republican majority next fall
in Ohio, of from twelve to twenty
thousand. Deploring the causes
which arrested the tide of Democra
tic victory in this State, and trusting
that the day may come some tt re
when politicians will learn that the
people will have their own way
somehow or other in this country !;
and that they demand strong and
honest, and earnest men and meas
ures and that the true secret ofpol-
itical success is direct antagonism,
and not "lighting shy commonly
called ''poiicy' we shall labor zeal
ously to avert the calamity. The re
suit in the Eighth District has, too,
a most important bearing on the
Presidential nomination in the DEM
ocratic party.
In the above several aspects it is
suggestive, and we propose to COM
ment upon it accordingly, in plain
but well considered terms. After
the disastrous policy defeat of
1866, q campaign in which the ex-
clusion Of Vallandigham was to be
the sure pledge of victory-we go
no further back at present-the true
men of the Ohio Democracy, deter
mined to start afresh on the old
Democratic line, and begin by hol-
ding the State Convention on the
time-honored Eighth of January.
The proposition met with bitter hos
tiIity from the ''policy'' men Of that
day, and they came to Columbus on
the 9Th of November, 1866, and into
conference, fully organized and de-
termined to defeat it. Yet after a
long and excited debate, one by one
they retired, leaving the field to the
sound and bold men Of the party +;
only one vote being east against the
Eighth, and that by gentleman who
is now delegate at large to the
Presidential Convention.
Tie State Convention met on the
9Th of January, 1867; perhaps the
soundest Convention ever assembled
in Ohio; out of the three hundred
and odd estate Sovereignty" OF
CORY men, so called, sixty seven
were members Of it. Mr.. Cory was
himself a delegate from Hamilton
county, and Vallandigham, the
"odious" was Chairman of the Com
mittee on Resolutions OF "Cary
men, there were none, that animal
being as yet only ''in posse'' as the
lawyers say, and very few of those
who composed the recent State Con-
1ention were present Many be
licved the Democratic party to be
; "dead'' and were not even willing to
contribute to the expenses of its
funeral, nor to attend it, nor even to
partake of the funeral baked meats.
One Of them, now also q delegate al
large, acted, no doubt, upon his
declaration, made on the 7th of Au-
gust, 1861, during the war, that ''it
was no time to be holding Demo
cratic Conventions" But there
were many who thought that the
party was not dead, but only slept
that cowardice and want of energy
in the s'leaders" so called, had affec
ted it with polite syncope of the
heart; and that all it needed for vi
tality and victory was the energiz-
ing influence Of the honesty and
courage of the Democratic masses
and accordingly upon principle, to g
larger extent than ever before, if in
deed, not fully, the Democratic par
ty went into the campaign. The or
ganization and committees were in
the hands of those who then made
boast that they were among the
''sound men, Of the party and eff
cient work was done accordingly
The Demo cratic masses were stirred
up; and the ssodious'' Vallandigham
went everywhere, with immense au-
diences, largely Republican, to
greet him, and injured the party
, by contributing his full share to the
large Democratic gains wherever he
went, and well understood by all to
be O. candidate for the United States
, Senate. After most enthusiastic.
straight haired, raight-forward
honest, "square- toed'' fight, the Re
publican majority in the "policy''
year 1866, Of 900, was reduced to
1900 on Governor, and a Democra-
tic Legislature elected.
It was emphatically victory OF
the Democratic masses because the
hearts of the people were in it. But
no sooner was the election over,
than fora particular purpose, the Cry
went forth from a certain class OF
men all over the State, eve must
now look to s'policy" we must be
careful to consult the prejudices of
the Republicans and CONSERVATIVES
we must not drive off the new con-
verts; we need more Republican
notes; the election of Vallandigham
as Senator will, ''injure the party p
we must take some less obnoxious
man." Through the machinery of
the State Central and Executive
Committees the work was accord
ingly done. The Democratic mem
bers of the Legislature were indus
triously stuffed with the idea of
s'policy" and that the entire success
of the Democracy in Ohio and else
where, in 1868, depended on the de-
feat of that ''pestiferous' fellow
Vailandigham. The Convention OF
the Sth of January, 1868, was atten-
ded by men, some of whom never
before met in Democratic Conven-
tion and by others who had been