Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1875-07-01
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"O SohuOs wv ohOusiy uieO uPOA
the Republican press of Ohio tine duty
of insisting upon the domination of the
best man for each and every Office to be
filled at the ensuing State election. All
personal considerations should give
way, before the supreme necessity OF
Strengthening our position by present
ing the most unexceptionable man for
each place on the ticket, whether he
may have a large majority to 'fall
back on" or whether he may have q
bare margin of a majority to win. II is
always a good thing for the public ser
vice when parties are compelled by an
evenly balanced majority to select their
best men for office. No doubt they
should do so, whether the case is ext
gent or not-but the public is the gain
er when party exigencies will permit
no "fooling" in this business. Such q
case is before us. Bad nominations by
either party may-we may almost say,
acIt-lose the State to the party that is
weak or wicked enough to make them.
Republican County Conventions every
where should strengthen every point
of attack by patterning after the State
Convention. 1t might have made NOM
nations that were uneXceptionable in
point of capacity, faithfulness and abil-
ity 4; it chose to insist that its candidates
should be not only able, faithful and
capable, but also available; it chose to
insist upon the candidates the people
demanded by common voice, and it
nominated them and demanded the
sacrifice of their service to the People,
whether they desired Office or demand.
ed repose from the cares of the public
service.
And that is precisely what our
County Conventions should do.
Let Us look at this thing squarely in
the face: We all know that it is COM
mon to represent that the canvass in
hand is a 'crisis,' and that the Nation
is now if ever to be saved from ruin.
The Very commOnness of this repre-
sentation may lead the unthinking to
suppose without reflection that the
present canvass is only repetition of
the same old cry of wolf! Wolf =
when there is no wolf. But, you will
remember, in the fable, the wolf came
at last, and the shepherds paid no at
tention to the cry. Let US not initiate
their neglect. There is not a thinking
man in the Union who does not know
that the Ohio Election of 1875 decides
the question, practically, whether the
Union shall be preserved to us as Ma
ton, or whether the Rebellion shall
gain by political guile what it lost by
appeal to arms. There is not doubt
among thinking men, that the Nation
al contest of 1876 is to be practically de-
cided at the State election of Ohio in
1875. The Democratic leaders, at least,
are fully alive to this fact. Already
the 'sinews of war; are furnished to the
Democratic party for the contest. The
end and aim of their effort is, to secure
the control of the National Govern
ment, and countervail all the blood and
sacrifices for the preservation of the
Nation by victory at the polls in ia
vor of the Democratic party and its
Southern allies. In order to accom-
plish this victory they appeal to every
disafection which diversity of policy
or personal preference has created in
the great party which preserved the
Nation, against the supreme efforts of
the rebels in arms and their allies in
the North who-as Thomas Ewing said
in letter ovor his own signature
preserved relation midway between
traitor and spy in that contest. 1t is
for the Union Republicans of Ohio to
say whether they shall be successful.
Every man who fought or voted
against the Democratic party, North
and South, during the rebellion, should
forget his personal grievances, if he has
any, in order that he may cast one
more vote against the doctrine that the
States are sovereign over the Union,
and that any State may break up the
Union at its sweet will by the simple
process of passing an ordinance ofseces-
sion. Does this seem an impossible
thing? Remember that there are al
ready over sixty ex-Confederates in the
lower House of Congress, reinforced by
their undertaking allies of the North,
waiting hopefully for the result of our
next State contest. Let no old friend
of the Republican party have it to say
that its nominations are such that he
cannot support them. Give US only
yo,r best man, for every place on the
ticket. Then we may confidently hope
for such a rout of the rebel hosts and
their allies as shall settle the question
for our gene ration, whether we shall
have an indivisible Union, or a mere
confederacy of petty sovereignties, to
be broken. and ended by any disaffect-
ed member.-O. s. Journal.