Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-02-20

I
to the Taylor campaign of 1s4s. This
tested my manhood. Gen. Taylor accept
ed the nomination of the Wing National
Convention, but in doing so he declared
that he ''was not the candidate of the par
ty or the exponent of its principles. -
Hon. L. D. Campbell was the delegate
from the Warren District, and was in
structed to support Henry Clay, Thomas
Corwin, Winfield Scott, John Mclean, or
any other man than Zachary Taylor. The
objection to him was, that he was the
owner of 800 slaves that most of his sup
porters were in the South; that he was
identified in interest and policy with that
section; that he had no civil experience;
that he had merely been a successful sol
dier in an aggressive war, waged for the
extension of slavery; that he would not
pledge himself to maintain the Wilmot
Proviso or sustain the restriction of slave
ry on the basis of the Missouri Compro-
mise. Prior to the nomination, Gov.
Morrow, Gen. r. G. Sehenck, Thos. Cor
win. John Woods, L. D. Campbell, VIM.
Bebb, r. G.. Corwin and myself, and a
few others, met in Lebanon, in caucus,
and resolved, that under no circum-
stances, would we support Gen. Taylor
unless he agreed to sustain the principles
ofthe Wings of the North but, although
a determined effort was made TO defeat his
nomination by the friends of Mr.. Clay
and Gen. Scott, he was successful. had
committed myself against him, in strong
and vigorous language, and the question
then was: ''Can Denny be e0hipped in ?''
Notwithstanding fattering promises and
numerous threats, I maintained my in
tegrity in the contest, and assailed all the
candidates in the field, viz: Zachary
Taylor, Lewis Cass and Martin Van Bu-
rem. Coercion was thelgreat weapon re-
sorted to by the very men who had pre-
Yiously held the position I had taken.-
Some two or three hundred Wings with
drew their subscriptions to the Star. The
more subscribers lost the more fiercely
I assailed Gen. Taylor. So infatuated
were some of my brethren, on account of
what they called my Abolitionism, that
I received notes, through the post Office,
warning me that if did not desist, that
my printing material would be forcibly
seized and pitched into the reservoir. All
this occurred in the ancient town of Le-
banon, which is generally, but untruth-
fully, supposed to have been an ultra
anti-slavery town. The fact is, was
hated by certain pro-slavery Wings be-
cause I was opposed to the compromise
measures, the Mexican war, and the ex-
tension of slavery into free territory. An
o@r IL cl.,A<
citement, to establish another paper, but
this failed for want of funds and fool
reckless enough to shoulder the respon-
sibility.
Instead of appalling me, the attempt tc
break me down, by discontinuances
aroused me, and, in the end, replenished
my Golfers. My subscribers paid me more
promptly than ever before. had my
pockets full of money. The masses are
generally disposed to see fair play. AL
admitted that [ was right on principle
and hence, while I lost on one side
gained on the other. The Free Sellers
then pretty large party, came to my re
lief with scores of subscribers. So die
the Democrats. The consequence was,
the Star had the largest subscription Of
paid up patrons it ever had before OF
since. never condescended to ask man
to continue his subscription. My rule
was, whenever a person came into the
Office and asked the state of his account
to make out the bill and erase his name
before he had the satisfaction of request
ing it. In almost every instance, how
ever, within less than six months, they
were all back on the list. They could moi
stand it, to do without the 'told paper
It had been a household treasure, and
what is still better, it had advocated ma
tional measures of paramount Importance
It had supported, in its day, Jefferson
Madison, Monroe, Adams, Clay and Har.
rison. 1t was the particular friend of
Thomas Corwin, who, to a considerable
extent, influenced its policy. But, al
though Mr.. Corwin did not agree will
me in my opposition to Taylor, he was no
one of my prosecutors. He commendet
me for my manliness and independence
and labOred to prevent schims in the par
ty. In this regard also, 1 mention m!
respected friends, A. A. Dunlevy and R
G. Corwin.
Of all the papers I ever published, tn
Star was my favorite. It's columns dis
played great industry. The editorial
were often elaborate, and, 1 think, res
pectable, particularly during the Taylo
and Fremont campaigns. 1 was largel.
indebted to Gov. Corwin for ideas on ma
: tional questions, which I obtained fror
i him, in conversation. He never wrot
but one article while I was connected
Z with the Star, ,and that was in favor ola ms
u tional bankrupt law. He did not like tn
{ drudgery of composition, but liked
u talk ,and so fascinating was he in this rel
Z pect, that everybody was content to 1iste
Il to him. Many an article of mine was il
spired .by information gained in unr
" stricted par1or or Office talk. I nevt
u knew but one man, beside Mr.. Corwil
u who had the capacity to engross all tt
% conversation, and that was Charles Han
ie mond. In this characteristic, he had e1
o traordinary traits He was exceeding
u fluent and gifted; and, in point of ia
"a ents as lawyer, IAN editor and statesma
IS he was behind no man of his day. 1 W
{, present one evening, at the Leblanc
ol House, when he and Mr.. Corwin met.
d Hammond was the only talker. Mr.. Co
y win scarcely moved his lips during tI
l entire evening, and, ION leaving the hot,
= r. remarked to me, IF'What an extraordinaI
rs man!" He discussed all the great que
n tions of the times, and was particular
nc discriminating in his analysis of the cha
o0 acter of the leading politicians of tn
," time. 1 remember, that he said, of Ge
Harrison: 'tHe was a greatly underrat
, man; that he was man of educatio
~ sound judgment and sterling integrit
OF and that he would make safer and b
sat ter President than either Clay or We