The Hancock Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Ohio) 1857-1870, 1869-08-27
Vallandigham Interviewed.

The New York Sun, who moved upon
the works of Mr. Pendleton at Cliff
ton in SO gentlemanly way that the
''favorite SOM of this "noble State'
could not resist him, but defined his
position and smiled repeatedly at
the penetrating questiOns-this en-
terprising interviewer visited Dayton
and proposed to enjoy the hospital
tiles of the amiable Vallandigham.-
He found the great moral hero OF the
late war who was indulged by the
chivalric Burnside in a period OF
profitable martyrdom, arguing case
in the Court -house-which looks like
business A note to the busy lawyer
brought him out, and a highly
refreshing but painfully brief con-
versation followed. In the first
place, it was ascertained that Val
landigham was pretty much out oil
politics. He even chad not read the
newspapers much!' Your much is
sometimes a good word. The prob
ability is that our martyred hero does
not read more than q dozen or 30
newspapers every day, and ny that
means he manages to know very little
of what is going on. The interview
cr did not seem satisfied. He want
ed to know about the late Democrat
| ic State Convention. Val. couldn't
DENY that he had been there, or that
he wanted Pendleton nominated
He merely happened to be in Colum-
bus on the day of the Convention
on private business, no dOubt--and,
not having read much in the news
papers, perhaps did not know there
was a Convention going on. Seeing
there was such a thing, and not being
much of a reader of newspapers, he
TODD advantage of the coincidence
of his presence and the meeting OF
the Convention, and went upon the
floor to pick up such information as
was lying or flying around loose
He wanted PendletOn nominated, and
considered him "a very able man. F"
At this juncture he began walking
down the street. The enterprising
interviewer followed him, and it must
be said that during the walk he asked
a leading question. This was no less
than whether Pendleton's defeat wO'd
hurt his prospects. Val. thought
Pendleton would not be hurt bit,
but he did not mention exactly why.
He was going to support Pendleton,
"Of course,' but his support would
he merely sol a private nature.
The idea that Vallsndigham will give
Pendleton support of a private
nature is quite refIeshing-cool
enough to be u comfort in this heat
ed term.
The enterprising interviewer did
not inquire whether the intention
was to give his support with butch,
eT-knife under the ribs. Val. said he
might make speech the night before
the election; but his private business
was quite pressing. The more lie
was questioned the more important
this private business became and by
the time the door of his Office was
reached, he could not attend to any
thing else. He was dependent for 9
livelihood upon this private business
of his. The Unsuitable interviewer,
however, got in one question that
was q strike. When he asked Val.
landigham whether he intended to
retire permanently from public life,
he struck a chord that, as the novel
lists say, vibrated in the manly bosom
of Mr.. Vallandigham, whose reply
with the question itself, is well worth
repeating;
"Reporter-Do you propose retir
ing from political life altOgether2
"Mr. Vallandigham-No, not per.
manently; certainly not. Butt think
we are experiencing a transition in
politics, when it is better to keep
quiet and look on. That Is the safest
course to pursUs nova days"
Mr., Vallsndigham's private bust
ness is therefore not of permanent
character. When the "transition in
politics'-which we infer is TO bring
in that ''Great Hereafter" of which
we have heard so much--has done
its work, MIR. Vallandigham will put
on his harness. What sort of trans
ition it is that we are going through,
in which the part of wisdom is
silence, we DO not make out clearly
as would be agreeable There was
no intimation given that Mr.. Vallan-
digham expects the millennium to
arrive during Grants administration,
or that he is putting himself in
training for a grand Chase movement
in 1879. He does not think the old
leaders of the Democratic party
should be excluded from their share
in the Government, and throws in an
observation about the "Lincoln des-
potism, that reminds us of old times.
Mr., Vallandigham's "transition'' is,
perhaps, related to MIR. Pugh's un-
soundness. Perhaps it may be on
the same question. We observe that
he did not say that negro suffrage
was not to be accepted along with the
rest of the situation. The sold
Bourbon" leaders are not to be dis
carded under any circumstances
They are to pass through the transi-
ton state. In political purgatory
now, they are to come out better
than new, How they are to come
out is the point of Mr.. Vallsndig-
hams reserve. In other days, he
fore Mr.. Vallandigham took to pri-
vate business and public modesty, he
mentioned few times that he had
old Virginia blood in his veins, or,
perhaps, arteries. No doubt it is a
very old and particularly pure arti-
Gle of that famous blood.
Virginia, the mother Of statesmen,
has gwen the Democratic party q
new lesson in craftsmanship. 1t has
been the habit of Democratic leaders
in the North to look to Virginia for
counsel. II may have seemed to
Mr.. V allandigham that this habit may
be continued with advantase--that
the time is approaching when the
Democracy of Ohio should, like the
Democracy Of Virginia, take man
hood suffrage for their basis of op-
erations. Plainly, the next geo.
graphically and truly national party
must go for the broad doctrine, am
nssty, freedom, and suffrage for all
Then, if we can not get rid of all the
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