Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1871-08-24

at the head Of his columns. The De
mocracy are painting for breath and
are eager to know the reason why, and
will undoubtedly demand an expIana-
ton Of Brother Gould
Letter from Col. COnneu to Sena-
tor ThUrman--The Party in a
False Position, and COnnen Re
fuses to Speak.
LANCASTER, o., Aug. 2, 1871.
Hon A. Thurman, Chairman Democratic
State Executive Committee.
| have received what appears to be
circular letter, signed by you as
| Chairman of the Democratic State Exc
cutlYe committee, inviting me to enter
the pending State canvass as a speak
er, to assist in the discussion of the
| questions at issue between the two par
| ties-and after mature and careful de
| liberation, am impelled to answer that
cannot give an honest consent to do
so, and l desire to express my reasons
for declining.
No one has a greater desire than /
for the overthrow of the dangerous
and powerful party now controlling the
Government, and | had hoped that
such wise counsels would have pre-
vailed at such State Convention, as to
have almost insured our success-in
which event. l would have given all of
labor influence and strength, have to
a noble cause for which l have hereto
fore labored.
But sin the house of its friends,'' at
that Convention, were dealt the dead
liest blows to the Democracy it has yet
received.
The action there, the blunders or
worse in the nomination for Governor,
the witchery which stole away the
reason of delegates, and in some mys
terious way caused them to foreswear
their faith, and by public recantation
confess that the mission and the creed
Of the party since the war were false,
heretical and wrong, have sickened the
hearts of the honest, quiet thinking
voters of our party to an extent not
yet fully recognized by our leaders,
who then voluntarily walked up and
sat on the ''cuttystool."
The voters of our party are not nn
informed of the false position the party
is placed in. They know we are going
before the people this fall with at least
two untruths glaringly conspicuous on
our front. First, they know that
COlGnel McCook was not nominated
Governor, and that his principal com
petitOr led him on the first ballot. when
the nnaccountable mistake or fraud
occurred in the announcement of the
vote which scores of delegates knew
to be false; and they will soon learn
how shocked were the friends of oul
de ,1acto candidate for Governor; who
t believed him to be too high toned anC
\ sensitive to stand in his present disa
. greeable position, when they discov
cred that he permitted his immediat,
partisans to simply say in regard tc
Y the fraud or mistake in the nomination
t that they could only ''hope that i
\ would not get out"
This, however, is a small matte
compared to the falsehoods expressed
a in the party platform. When the con
e vention took uron itse';if to declare tha
n the Democracy of this State recognized
: as accomplished facts the two latcs
so calied) amendments TO the Con
stitution, and regarded them as II,
IL longer political issues before the coun
d try, it stated all untruth. Nothing i
d the politics, then or now, has NOR
affected the hearts and minds of Demo
cratic voters than these, their demon
IS mated dead issues. And when, in til
IS second resolution, the Convention ur
lie dertook to say that E.the Denocrati
a. party pledges itself to the full, faithfU
IF and absolute execution and enforce
mant of the Constitution, as it now i:
- so as to secure equal rights to all pei
~ sons under it, without distinction {
IL race, color or condition." it exceede
Is its authority and simply asserted whs
was known to be falsehood
Frank Hurd represented on the foo
D. of the Convention the true sentimen
ad of the Democracy of Ohio. They wei
it expressed first in his resolution of il
oo structions: That the committee c
Resolutions be instructed to make 1
allusions in their report to the so callt
Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendmen
to the Constitution of the Unite
n States" And afterward in his minol
Of ty report, stating ''that it was inexp
dient to make any expression of opi
10 ion as to the Fourteenth and Fifteen
We Amendments. Yet If any cxpressic
Its be deemed necessary that the folio
le- ing be adopted as a substitute to t
N. first and second resolutions propos
er- to this Convention:
ResolUed, That the Fourteenth a
Fifteenth Amendments have be
70 made parts of the Federal CONSTITUTE
his by fraud and violence, and are rev
= untioparU and Wild -
~ If the Democratic party is moribur
: - then its political priests may be allo
he ed to dictate to ii confessions of 81
he of their defining. But they have c
few tainly made the party to appear i
the dying African, who, when ask
by his preacher if he was ready to {
an and whether he had forgiven his eI
sct- mics, and especially his colored neil
hor between whom and himself til
han had long been feud, answered:
any Ise gwina 10 aIe, + forgive him, bu
gets gel, dat darkic had better 10