Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1871-09-01
Letter From Col. COnneII TO
Senator Thmrmaml
The Democratic Party in False Po-
sition n-COnnelps Attempt 10 Extri-
cate (!) II from the PeriIOus Position
LANCASTER, o., Aug. 2, 1871.


lar letter, signed by you as Chairman of the |
Democratic State Executive committee, invi
ting me 10 enter the pending State canvass as a |
speaker, 10 assistin the full discussion Of the
questions at issue between the two parties
and after mature and careful deliberation, am
impelled To answer that cannot give an honest
consent To do so, and desire TO express my rea
sons for declining.
No one has greater desire than for the over
throw Of the dangerous and powerful party now
contrulling the Government, and | had hoped
that such wise counsels would have pre- vailed at
our State Convention. as to have almost insured
our success in which event, would have Civ
en- all 0flabor. influence and strength have IN
noble cause for which have heretofore la
bored
But 'in the house Of its friends" at that Com
venton, were dealt the deadliest blows to the
Democracy ID has yet received.
The action there, the blunders or worse in the
nomination for Governor, the witchery which
stale away the reason of delegates, and in some
mysterious way caused them to forswear their
faith, aud by public recantaton confess that the
mission and the creed 0f the party since the war
were tai e, heretica aud wrong, have sckened
the hearts OF the honest, quiet, thinking voters
of our parry to nm extent not yet fully recogni
zed bv our leaders, who then voluntarily walked
up and sat On the "cutty-stool."
The voters Of our party are not uniformed
Of the false position the party is placed in
They know we are going before the people this
fall with at least two untruths glaiinglv CON
spicuous on our front. First they know that
Colonel McCouk was not nominated Governor,
and that hts principal competitor led him on the
first ballot, when the unaccountable mistake or
fraud occurred in the announcement Of tie vote
which scores of delegates know to be false, and
| they will soon learn how shocked were the
friends OF our dc ftcto candidate for Governor
who believed him to be'tOo high.toned and sen.
| sitve to stand in his present disapreable posi-
| tvba ul "A b.,t 1
immediate partsans to simply say in regard to
the fraud oil mistake IN the nomination, that they
| could only "hope that u would not get out"
| This, however, is a small matter compared to
! the falsehoods expressed in the party platform.
When the cony, ntion tiok upon itself to declare
| that the Democracy of this State recngniz,d II as
accomplished fscts the two latest 81 called)
amendments tn the Constuti. n and regarded
| them as no longer political issues before the
! country, it stated an untruth. Nothing IN the
| politics, then or now, has more affected the
hearts and minis Of Democratic voters Than
these, their denom'natcd dead issues And
when, in the second resolution, the Convention
undertook In say that 'the Democratic party
pledges itself tu the full, faithful and absolute
execution and enforcement of the Constitution.
| Os hnOW is, so as tn secure equal rights to all
persons under it, without distinction of race,
cnIor or condition." it exceeded its authnrl V
and simply asserted what was known t. be u
falseh00d.
Frank lIurd represented on the floor Of the
convention the true sentiments Of the Dem1cra-
cy OF Ohio They were expressed frs in his
resolution Gftstructinns THAT the committee
on Resolutions be m,tructedt 10 make no allu.
Sims in their report to the su-ca!ed Fourteenth
and Fifteenth Amendments To the Constitution
of the United States" And at1erward in his
minority report stating THAT IT was inexped
eut TO make any expression oi opinion as 10 the
Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments Yet il
I | px hn .,al d
following be adopted as a substitute to the frs
and second resolutions proposed to this Conven
tiun
f "Resolced, That the fourteenth AMI Fifteenth
Amendments have been m lde parts OF the Fed
eral Constitution by fraud aud violence, AMI ar,
revolutionary and void"
, II the Democratic party is m )ribund then il.
, political priests may be allowed 10 dictate b, i
confessions uf sins Of their defining. Bui thel
have certainly made the partv to appear Ike til,
: dying African, who. when asked bv his preach
er il he was ready 10 die, and whether he ha,
forgiven his enemies and especially his cnlOreC
neighbor between whom and himself there la,
/. long been feui, answered "Ifi'se gwine L
die, forgive him, but il gets WE'LL dat dark
had better lonk out for hissef."
! Worse than the misrepresentation of the par
ty in its views OF the right and validity of tn
Fourteenth and Fifteenth Am m.ndments, Is th
c'nfessinn of previous errors and false opinIans
implied ia the language OF the first and secopt
rssalntinns.
acouiescing in the validity Of ts n
and force laws Of the Radical Congress; an
thus are m tde tn admit that Congress could TAX
away the life Of ten free States. deny their exis
n tence, nnuul their constitutions and reduC
them to the condition 0t territories, withnu
3 sovereignty and without government, aud tha
+ by an act or resolution cr Congress- they cau
be declared out OF the Union and without an
e but such governments as Congress might oTde
9 over them.
Q They make us acknowledge the right OF Con
: gress TO deprive native white men OF rull age q
p the right vote, at its will and to compel tie
e disfrahchised white native citizens, without ~
4 presentation in their Government, to obey law
f and submit to authorities imposed upon ther
,t agains. their Wills either by Congress or BY H.
a votes Ut crowds of dumb, Ignorant negroes, bru
f talzed By their former condition in slavery
l. knowing none of the duties of the citizen an
Ubeying the single instinct to vote as their me-
r masters, the Radical leaders, may dictate.
In recog gnizing the validity of these amend
!, mems, and in pledging our party to the execr
tion aua emf rec nent ofthem, We acknowiedg Z
!, Congressional recn,, Strucrou fully, again,
: which we have couteudeu with brave and hops
ful hearts, as party, for five ,@ars. we CIV
II up the old Constitution, the reserTea rights
| the States, the dearest right OF tho native whl
n man-his suffrage -and surrender absniu
$ power TO Congress, To destroy States, TO tan
l. tinns, to deny to them aud their people til
right of self government, to put pver them foi
70 eign rulers, to control them by swlrms ofnewly
made barbarian voters, tn abolish their court
e and annul their laws, substituting therefor ii
e arbitrary will Of Congress aud CT its mitar
,e satraps,
10 Resistance to all Of these laws during their AZ
= cumpiishment, which are now acknowledged
y be right or remediiess, in party platform
= brought into the Democratic party, or in full az
II cord with it, such men as Gruesbeek, Ewn
i. Campbell, Ward and hos: of others, who ma
well excluim. "Where now shall we 90
in Why use the cant, senseess phrase, "dead poll
,t ical issues p No convention of men ever wei
CT able by words t0 bury a political question
long as it tuched the hearts of the people,
i aRilatcd tn minds of men. An institution lii
in slavery might cease To exist, but principle
=" government or political action never ceases
,e be OF interest to a free penple-and to day, a
ir though slavery the institution, is dead, one
its consequences, rebellion, is as much the rgl
g. of an oppres sci people as when Moses rebellt
Mt against Pharaoh or our fathers against Il
80 British crown.
ID lit be true thar the Fourteenth anil Fifteen
n Amendments were made parts Of the Consiitl
n tiol by frau and violence, and are, therefor
ID revolutionary and void, as the great body of Il
Of Democratic party believe, is not certain that
st that party came inio power so as to control lei
nd islative bodies uf the State aud nati0n il wOu
y. | choose no man ~ a legislative Office who wuu
IN not be trne to this idea and in exercising h
right to Judge of the election and qualification
es of members of the body he belonged To, won
e. he not be bound to exclude any claiming ele
- ton or qualification ander these void amen
ments
O. Equally unpopular is the rhetorical expire
,h sion of our eloquent leader. Mr.. Groesbeck, tn
ed "war egislates" in the sense that shallow po
er tcans have given it. War the Mtimd rato
r. tyrantS, "legislates' generally as the desT
rs does II is the law of brute force, and is its 0y
We execuIive,and he who in quoting this expressi
~ thinks 1t means that free people are bound
by acquiesce in and approve the despotic "legisl
no tion' or forced results of war, forgels the thT
IT. OF Joy aud hope that lshed through this count
de when our supreme judiciary wiped out wal
fearful crime in Legislation" which filled t
r. prisons Of the land with offenseless and
n fenseless citizens, arrested and confined und
to war orders. War is ever savage and cruel, a