The Fremont weekly journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County, Ohio) 1867-1877, 1871-04-07
Defeat of Judge Fitch

The result of Mondays election
in this Judicial Sub-District was the
choice of the Democratic candidate,
J. R. Seney. In a district so strong
b Republican, the result would seem
strange, were it not that when the
Toledo delegation left the Clyde con-
vention, every man Of them had re-
solved to make it his personal bust
ness to defeat the nominee, simply
because they were not allowed to
rule the convention, and perforce
dictate to it their choice. To that
end they labored, and combining
with the Democracy succeeded in
administering a defeat to their own
party.
The effort of the Commercial to
throw the blame upon the Republi-
cans of Erie and Sandusky Counties,
under the circumstances, is, to say
the least, drawing it strong" In
relation to this matter it says:
"There were several causes contributing to
the election of Mr.. Seney, chief among which
was the fact that, contrary to all precedent,
the wishes of the Toledo Bar and Lucas dele
CATION in the Republican Judicial Convention,
were entirely ignored-and, worse than that,
insolently rejected, with insUlt-snd a candi-
date taken from their own county in defiance
of their unanimously and psrsistently ex-
pressed will. This was done under circum-
stances making the act specially offensive"
The above is only in keeping with
the spirit of overweaning dictation
which characterized the Toledo del
egation at the Convention. The
legislature had conferred franchise
upon this sub-district, which they
chose to interpret for the benefit of
Lucas county alone, and acting upon
that presumption, they proposed to
dictate the choice of the Convention,
and demanded that the other coun-
ties should simply ratify their
choice. This the Convention did
not see Fit to do, but believing the
rest of the sub-district had a right to
the franchise as well as Lucas, acted
accordingly. But even then, "the
wishes of the Toledo Bar, and Lu-
cas- delegation, made up for the
occasion-were not "insolently re-
jected with insult" though properly
might have been, but they were fair
ly beaten by Out-voting, and estop-
ped, when they sought to undo the
action of the Convention, by the in
terposition of a parliamentary rule
which they tried to ignore.
The presumption and dictatorial
spirit of the "ToIedo Bar and Lucas
Delegation" is evinced in an un-
guarded sentence of the above
extract, where the editor says "con-
trary to aUprscedeat, the wishes Of
the Toledo Bar and Lucas Delega-
ton IN the Republican Convention.
t0ere entirely ignored" OF course
no other delegation had a right to a
voice, or a choice, but it was-"wben
Toledo speaks, let all the earth koan
silence P' and as Sumner when no
found his desire to have Ashley re-
tanned ignored, It planted its feet
set forward its ears, and by an eleva-
tion of its hind quarters to an angle
of forty-iive degrees, manifested its
assinine characteristics, in a manner
worthy of itself
But the Commercial says again:
"The consequence was, that, in this County.
80 far as the Republicans were concerned, the
election Of Judge was allowed to take its own
course; and while the Republicans thus vir-
tually ignored the matter, the Democrats were
inspired with unwonted zeal and activity"
The way they ignored Che mat
ter," was to vote for Seney, with the
exception Of 93S who had princinle
enough to stand by their candidate.
The intent Of the Commercial to
convey the idea that the Republi-
cans let the matter go by, and that