The Findlay Jeffersonian. [volume] (Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio) 1870-1881, 1873-08-22
VOICE FROM THE TOMB.
From the Cleveland Leader.l

Having resurrected the body an
galvanized it into q semblance OF life
the dumb lips have been opened and
an utterance has gone forth. We
have read Munchsusen stories of
parties in the Arctic regions freezing
stiff in the midst of speech, and, on
being thaWed years afterEard, COM
pleting tie unfinished utterance as
though no time Lad interviewed, and
OF the frozen horn which gave forth q
blast on being hung before the fire
after long years OF silence. We do
not find it difficult to believe these
stories when we hear that Hon. Will
liam Allen has spoken. Twenty-four
years of silence, during the most try
ing period in the nations history,
with he exception of faint cry for
peace, when there was no peace, was
broken at Chillicothe on Friday night.
A few hundred neighbors and politi-
cal friends of Mr. Allen assembled to
serensde the Democratic standard
bearer and the dumb orator broke
ground and staked out the battle field
OF the campaign. The speech was
evidently an of-hand effort and does
not bear the marks Of careful pr0pa-
ration. But such as it is we must
take it. The Democratic candidate
has placed his party in its position,
and the Republicans must meet it
accordingly. We have said from the
first that this was an old fashioned
fight on the old issues. Mr.. Aliens
utterances verify our assertion. He
does not go back into the past as far
as we anticipated. The Mexican war
and the Fremont campaign he passes
over and draws up his shattered col
umns in hostility to the great Ameri-
can civil war, which closed Ammo
Domini, 1865. Mr.. Allen undertakes
the task of defending the coEardly
attitude of his party during the war.
We will give an extr,ct to show the
kind of honesty which the much
talked Of "honest Bill Allen'' pro-
fesses:
1t has been said that the Demo.
cratic organization, to certain ex.
tent, acted unWisely In attempting to
restrain the uDbridled fury of the
opposition in the late great struggle
in this country. That Is q grave
mistake. The passions Of the other
party carried them far beyond what
their sober prudence would have die
tated in their conduct OF the late war,
and it was necessary that while the
Union should be preserved intact,
and the supremacy and dignity of the
Federal Government vindicated, the
matter should not be allowed to run
into the channels OF bloody revenge;
it became necessary that
the Democratic party should enter
protest, and that northern feeling
should intercede when these ends had
been accomplished; and had it not
heen tor this protest on the part OF
the Democracy, let me ask you where
would the war have ended?
This in the face Of the Vallaudio-
ham peace campaign of 1863, in open
and direct sympathy with the rebel
lion, and the solemn declaration of
the National Democratic platform OF
1854, taat the attempt 70 snbdue the
rebellion by war was failure But
the "Honest Bill Allen continues:
''rhe destructive feeling found its
check in the North, and mainly in
the Democratic organization. The
Democracy said 20 their friends in
the other party, prosecute the war to
that point that is necessary to insure
the salvation of the Union, and then
stop the shedding Of blood. In that
case the sentiment 50 expressed was
the salvation Of the country. The
Democracy of the North sent forth
large numbers of their young men to
aid in fighting the battles for the
preservation OF the government, but
when that end was accomplished, and
the Southern people checked in their
headlong career involving the disrup-
tion of the country, the Democratic
party believed that il was time TO
stop. and implored the Federal gov
eminent not TO devsstste the whole
country"
So the honest old gentleman nom
Ross county wss an earnest symPs-
tb;zer with Vallandighsm, who, in
snr,harance of what Mr.. Allen says
tbe Democracy wished to do-'pros-
scute the war to that point that is
nocesssrv TO insure the salvation OF
tha TTnionT-declsred that he had
votsd against every measure to de-
Tend the Union, and who went about
talking bIstant treason and urging
soldiers TO desert the army!
We have no desire TO follow the
Democratic candidate through his
sneeeb. We could have wished to
ignore the past for the sake OF dis
cussing the questions Of the present
and future. But Mr.. Allen attempts
to show that his party is entitled to
and power because Of its
past record. We are not unwilling
to let that be the issue. We csn well
afford to compare records. For
twelve years the Republicans Of Ohio
have fought the Democracy ON this
issue. They can do 1t for 8 century
to come with the same unvsiying re-
suit. The verdict OF ''guilty" against
the accused will never be reversed
before the tribunal OF the people.