Ashtabula weekly telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1880-1886, 1880-10-08
Truth Can't Be Tolerated.

When General Wade Hampton, in the
retiracy of the Valley of Virginia, ap-
pealed to the Virginlans to vote solidly,
and to vote for Hancock Just as Lee
and Stonewall jackson would vote if
they we're alive, he overlooked the fact
that his speech might be reported. Sub
sequently, when that speech was pub
lished, TO the CONSERVATION of the
Northern Democracy, Hampton, with
the superciliousness peculiar to the
Southern nabOb, expected the country
to accept his declaration that he had
never spoken what was published. But
the country has long since passed the
point of accepting statements from
Southern gentlemen rs final, and in
this case the evidence has been over
whelming that Mr.. Hampton grossly
violated the truth when he denied hav-
ing used the language attributed to
him.
So with Mr.. BeltzhoOver, the Demo-
cratic member of Congress from York,
ia. During the last session this gem
tleman wrote to constituent who had
inquired of him concerning some pen
sion cases that this Congress Demo
NAobAAl "An ~ bdh OLt lOI DtlhlOllb W
Union soldiers, and that "the Rebel
General ut the head of the Senate
Committee on Pensions was averse to
passing pension bills to aid Union sol
diers. This letter ought to have been
considered honorable and most credit
able to MIR. Beltzhoover among his con-
stituents. 1t told the truth; it told
that the whole machinery OF legislation
was in the handsOf the Rebel Generals,
and that even Democrats from the
North were not treated fairly. But
MIR. Beltzhoover, in moment OF weak
ness, threw away the best chance he
ever had to do himself and his party a
great good; instead of frankly avowing
the fact that he had written the letter,
and instead of asserting the facts stated
therein to be true, he basely faltered
in the presence of the Southern masters
OF the Democratic party and de-
clared the letter to be forgery and its
publication conspiracy. OF course
the prooIof the authorship of the letter
has been furnished, and the contempt
for Mr.. Beltzhoover is now universal;
his own party denOunce him for writing
such letter, and all parties denounce
the weakness and cowardice which have
led him into denial of the letter and
into declaration that II was forgery.
Another case is that OF Mr. ID. Wyatt
Aiken, q member of Congress from
South Carolina, and of course a Demo-
crat. In the Charleston Is. CO. Ne0s
he is referred to as "a Congressman
who owes it to the party to leave 1t or
be silent;" he is accused of many
idiosynorasies, but the latest Is thus
stated.
But his most remarkable performance was
az Townyille, Anderson County, hast week,
dienoe, he arra gued the Northern Democrats
Tor "lnsinGerW aud p eludice towards the
south, tic declared that they did not make
afgif division of the appropriations that tley
h I'd refused 70 restore the old Mexican soldiers
from the South q the pensinn-llsts; tn it they
main, aimed high tar.n and that the SOUTH
en Democratic O majority sh lul not any long
er consent TO be governed by the NOrthe N
Democratic minority. He also said that the
better class OF people in tho North are geneT~
ally Republicans, and that they possess the
brains, the money, and the culture OF that SEQ
uon of the country.
The complaints against Aiken are not
that these statements are false, but
that he, Democrat living upon q Of
iice given to him by the Democratic
party, should be stating these facts in
the presence and hearing Of Southern
Democrats at time when the utmost
harmony and union are needed in the
party. The fact that Aiken statements
as TO the character of the Northern people
are true is not accepted by the Charles.
ton paper as an apology for making
them. The NeI0S says;
Such sentiments as those, we are sure, will
not meet with the approval Of thinking mon
who hope for the success OF the National Dem
Ocratlo ticket at the approaching election.
Even II they were true to the letter this Is