The Highland weekly news. [volume] (Hillsborough [Hillsboro], Highland County, Ohio) 1853-1886, 1875-07-15
From the Ohio State Journ
THE Best Man."

We cannot too strongly urge up
on the Republican press of Ohio the
duty of insisting upon the nomina-
ton of the best man for each and ev-
cry office to be filled at the ensuing
State election. All personal consid-
erations should give way, before the
supreme necessity of strengthening
our position by presenting 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 bare margin
of a majority to win. 1t is always a
good thing for the public service
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 exigent or not-but the public is
the gamer when party exigencies will
permit no ''fooling" in this business.
Such case is before US. Bad NOM
nations by either party may-we
may almost say, qoiU-lose the State
to the party that is weak or wicked
enough to make them.
Republican County Conventions
everywhere should strengthen every
point of attack by patterning after
the State Convention. 1t migh
have made nominations that were
unexceptionable in point of capacity,
faithfulness and ability; it chose to
insist that its candidates should be
not only able, faithful and capable,
but also arailable;. it chose to insist
upon the candidates the people de-
manded by common voice, and it
nominated them and demanded the
sacrifice of their service, to the Peo-
pie, whether they desired Office or de-
manded 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
common to represent that the can
vass in hand is "crisis," and that
the Nation is now if ever to be saved
from ruin. The very commonness of
this representation may lead the un-
thinking to suppose without refec-
ton that the present canvass is only
a repetition of the same old cry of
''Wolfl WolfI'' when there is no wolf
But, you will remember, in the fable,
the wolf came at last, and the shep-
herds paid no attention to the cry.
Let us not initiate their neglect.
There is not 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
Nation, or whether the Rebellion shall
gain by political guile what it lost
by appeal to arms. There is not a
doubt among thinking men, that the
National contest of 1876 is to be
practically decided at the State cleo
ton of Ohio in 1875. The Demo
cratic leaders, at least, are fully
alive to this fact. Already the ''sin-
ews of war" are furnished to the Dem
ocratic party for the contest. The
end and aim of their efforts is, to Sc
cure the control of the National Gov
ernment, and countervail all the blood
and sacrifices for the preservation of
the Nation by victory at the polls
in favor OF the Democratic party and
its Southern allies.
In order to accomplish this victo-
ry they appeal to every disaffection
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 over his own signature
preserved a relation midway between
traitor and spy" in that contest. 1t
is for the Union Republicans of Ohio
to say whether they shall be success
full. Every man who fought or vot-
ed against the Democratic party,
North and South, during the REBEL
ion, should forget his personal griev-
ances, if he has any, in order that he
may cast one more vote against the
doctrine that the States are severe
ign over the Union, and that any
State may break up the Union at its
sweet will by the simple process of
passing an ordinance of secession.
Does this seem an impossible
thing? Remember that there are al
ready over sixty ex-Confederates in
the lower House of Congress, rein
forced by their undertaking allies of
the North, waiting hopefully for the
result of our next State contest.
Let no old friend of the Republi-
can party have it to say that its NOM
nations are such that he cannot sup