Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1880-09-02
THE CANDIDATES CONTRASTED.
From a Speech by Ex-GOv. j. o. Cox,
at Hamilton.

But 1 should hardly satisfy my own
feelings or my sense of right if l did not
say word more in regard to our Repub-
lican candidate. The staple of the CAM
paign, with large portion of the Demo-
cratic press, consists in personal attacks
upon tie integrity and honesty OF his
public character. The detailed answer
to all such criticism has been put III ea-
silly accessible form for all who choose
to read it, and have neither time nor
| the need to 90 into it. l profess rather
to be personal witness to the character
and abilities of the man, and to speak
| from knowledge given by lifetime OF
personal association and friendship. In
| 1859 we entered the Ohio Senate tOgeth-
er from adjoining counties OF the West
ern Reserve; we occupied adjoining
desks; we lodged at the same house; we
ate at the same table The intimacy of
our youth has continued through our ri
| pening age without jar. If constant
and uninterrupted acquaintance is worth
anything, then have the right to speak
with authority in regard to man whom
l have known thoroughly and long.
Frank, open-hearted, full of exuberant
| life and yigor, he has fulfilled in an ex-
trordinary manner the promise and the
ambition of his boyhood, not only to
play distinguished part in his coun-
try's affairs, but to be worthy to do it by
purity of purpose and honesty of char
acter, as well as by the discipline of
mind and the intellectual furnishing
which could be attained through the
most diligent and systematic use OF his
great strength of body and brain. His
grasp of affairs has always been that OF
statesman, without narrOwness or pet
tiness. A wide knowledge of the histo-
ry of the world and the progress of free
governments in it, has given him a
broad faih in Republican institutions
and solid trust in the self-government
of an intelligent people. Nearly twen-
ty years of leading part in the legisla-
tion of the country has made him thor
oughly familiar with its politics and Its
public men. If personal qualities, &C
quiTed knowledge and great experience
are of any value in rulers, Gen. Garfield
is fitted as few men are to assume the
responsibilities of the Presidency, and to
be something more than the representa-
tive of his party, to be its worthy leader.
of his military career was not so long or
so prominent as that of his opponent, 1t
was abundantly sufficient to prove his
capacity for that sort of service to the
country, and his readiness as volun-
teer soldier to stake his life upon the
principles which as legislator he had
advocated.
The nomination of Hancock by the
Democratic party was the repetition OF
what has made American politics at
once the amusement and amaZement OF
intelligent observers of other countries.
A candidate is selected, not because he
has distinguished himself as states
man, but because he has not; not be-
cause he has helped to form the Opin-
ions of his party, and has led IN the
great debates when public measures are
lost or won, but because he has not; not
because his own convictions are pro-
nounced and known, SO that the people
may judge of his fitness to guide affairs,
but because they are unknown, and may
be declared to be "all things to all men
without danger of exposure. \ profess
SiOnal soldier is nominated in a time OF
peace, not to do the things which he IS
supposed to be expert i'll, but those OF
which he has no experience and for
which he has never prepared himself.
The low political cunning which reckons
this to be availability" in Il candidate
is in itself fraud,'for its only purpose
is to drag net about men of Giscordant
views and conflicting purposes, and
when their votes have been cast let
them find out at their leisure low they
have been made use of to carry out pur-
poses they never intended,