The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1877-07-17
GIVE Us THEIR NAMES !
Much Ado About NothIns. !.

D.
The Democrat of the 18th inst. makes
statement OF its case and rests. 1t
contains what the editor evidently re.
CARDS as his chief points made in the
controversy. This article which is meant
to give the essence OF the l. or % col
nmns is, we say in all kindness, the
weakest mess Of pal,ry rigmarole, frivo
lous clubbing, ann feebest trash that
we have ever seen occupying that much
space in a newspaper. Now ii Bro
Goopn1cH had the shadow OF q case he
could contend for his cause with some
force. We therefore detract nothing
from his merits as writer, when with
an utterly groundless cause he has made
most ludicrous failure.
Affecting the pompous style OF pre-
tending to bring WEST and WEDDLE and
WILLIAMS and RUGsEGaER into court
consisting Of himself, he proceeds to ask
each of them questions and then to fab.
ricate answers. He next presents sum
mary of his cause:
"The plaintiff now claims that he has
proved by Mr.. Williams himself that
there has been general notoriety or
general report that there is Ring here.
liz there was none how could the howl
abou. it be Changing in the peoples ears
for years; one circumstance was that let.
,ers were written which we proved by
Mr. West; another that the Ring bolted
SIR. Weddle the regular nominee for Au-
ditor. as we proved by that gentleman's
msjority.
"Mr Rugsegger testifies thatthe Ring
gave him away and that he would stay
out of it when he was candidate again;
and furthermore large number OF the
citizens OF the County have testified to
the rumor that there was Woods6eld
Ring was matter of general notoriety,
and now claiming that the Plaintiffs have
made prima facia case, they now rest.
and await any evidence that the defend
ants may now offer
Bro. GooDRIcH INDUCES In q little
"Heathen Chinee" practice when he says
| in another part Of bis paper that we lad
mitted'' and in the above quotation that
he has "proven by Mr. WILLIAMS him
self' that s'there has been general no
toriety or general report that there is a
Ring here ~
Now mark the arttul use of the words
l"proven by" and .admitted,," as if he
| had drawn the confession out OF us like
pulling a cat out of an ash hole by the
tail. We "admitted'' nothing about it,
but in our first paragraph on the subject
boldly proclaimed then that the word
Ring shad been talked and howled and
brayed during the campaign" and "had
been changing like an old cracked cow
bell for years" We repeat that procla-
nation, and for the very reason that
demagogues employ it to get an office
which they could not hope for it run
ming on their merits. #
Now the only circumstance" in this
is, that it has been "talked about" DC,
for years. This Mr.. GooDRlcH considers
proof that there is Ring.
Well spiritualism has been "tslked
about by probably every grown person
in Ohio, and believed by some. Does
that prove 1t true9
/ Ghosts have been "talked about" by
every man, woman and child able to talk
for centuries past, and believed in by
some. Does that prove that there are
ghosts
This is the main pillar of his case and
proves nothing but that Ring had been
"talked about"
But Mr.. GOODRICH says he got reports
from the country. How did these re-
ports get out in the county? Was il
not by men here who expected to prof
by circulating such reports2 Why ther
, depend on second or tenth hand ''report:
!, from the county ?" Why not trace the
, reports to the man who can furnish evi
dence of their TRUTH If A tells B tha
! he, A, had certain knowledge of trans
action why not go to A instead of B fol
the proof2 If there is such Ring herr
! as Bro GOODRICH pretends to believe, i
) and its proceedings are right here unde
his nose. Then why depend on "re
, ports" heard by somebody at distance
His second circumstance is, that let
ters were written by WEST. Well it ba
been proved, not by him but by US, tha
: WEST wrote letter In the letter writ
ten by Mr. GOODRICH, which we publish
4 ed, there is evidence that he wrote let
ters on the subject Of candidates. Nov
g IL VESTS one letter makes him Ring
then what kind of q "what is IL" d.