The Jackson standard. [volume] (Jackson C.H., Ohio) 1847-1888, 1880-07-15
GENaminer and Chronicle.l
The Democratic Candidates

The Democratic Candidates.
The Democrats have put in nomi-
nation for President General Winfield
Scott Hancock, of Pennsylvania. and
for Vice President William H. Eng
lish, of Indiana General Hancock is
a soldier by education and profession.
The record by which he is known to
an honorable fame is purely militia
ry record. The Republicans decided
against the candidacy Of an army man
IN the person Of General Grant, who
had added civic experience to that of
the camp and field. The Democrats
have chosen one who was a fellow
student Of his at West Point, and
whose fortunes have been inseparably
Joined with those of the army. Gen
eral Hancock was born in Montgom-
cry County, Pennsylvania, February
IA, 1924, of Revolutionary stock. At
sixteen he entered West Point, and
graduated in the class of "A. In the
war with Mexico he served with gal
lantry, and won his first promotion ON
the field Of Cherubusco. Between
1648 and the breaking out of the civil
war he saw some service on the from
tier, but did little of Importance. In
1861 President Lincoln summoned
him to duty in what was to prove the
most important field of our deadly civ
il strife, and commissioned him a Brig
adier-General Of volunteers. Then he
entered upon the military career which
has given him repute next to the three
great Generals of the army, Grant,
Sherman and Sheridan. General
Hancock's first battle of the rebellion
was at Williamsburg, May 5, 1862,
when by skilful maneuvering he
turned retreat into great victory.
Brave, cool, trained, quick to seize the
point of vantage, his record was from
that time on brilliant and successful
one. At Antietam he won Major
Generals rank. After the battle Of
Charlottesville he was placed in COM
mand of the Second Corps, Army of
the Potomac, and was under General
Meade in the movement into Penn
sylvania in pursuit of Lee. At Get
tysburg he gained fresh laurels, and
was wounded severely in the thigh.
When his wound was healed, he re-
turned to his command in the Army
Of the Potomac, and took active part
in the battle Of the Wilderness in
May, 1864. He was the man chosen
by General Grant to strike the heavy
blow upon the rebel right centre in
the great victory Of Spottsylvania
Court House. The commander-in-
chief had no more gallant and deter
mined general under him, and recog-
nized his services to the full. In the
fall of 1864 General Hancock was Or
dered to Washington to command an
army corps of veterans, and thus end
ed his long and active participation in
the great conflict.
In his political views General Han
cock was a Democrat faom boyhood.
While there was no taint of Seces-
sionism in him, and while he fought
with ardor for the preservation of the
Union, he was yet thorough believer
in the doctrine of State Rights. He
was opposed to the Reconstruction
Acts of Congress, and President John
son substituted him for General Sher-
idan as commander of the Fifth Mill
tary District, comprising Texas and
Louisiana He at once pursued pol
icy essentially different from that of
General Sheridan, and declared in
effect that the courts and Legislatures,
or the civil authority, were superior to
the military jurisdiction, and should
only be interfered with in case of
armed insurrection or forcible resist
ance to the law. By taking this po-
sition, which was that of the Presi-
dent, he gained the favor Of the
Southerners Immediately; and the
Southern influence, exerted for him at
Cincinnati as a consequence of his
course thirteen years previously, was
no doubt largely instrumental in Sc
curing his nomination. Since 1872
General Hancock has been in COM
mand Of the Military Division of the
Atlantic, with headquarters in New
York. He is a handsome man, of
commanding figure, and extremely
popular among his associates both in
and out Of the army.
Mr.. English is native of Indiana
where he was born in 1922 He
studied law and was admitted to the
bar in 1916, but practiced little. In
1851 he was elected to the Indiana
Legislature, and in the next year was
sent to Congress. He has not held
office since 1861, but has been promi-
nent, nevertheless, in Indiana politics
and as a financier. For many years
he was president of the First National
Bank of Indianapolis He is wealthy
and well liked in the West, and will
doubtless add strength to the ticket
there, though he will scarcely receive
the hearty cooperation of Mr.. Hen
bricks and his disappointed friends.
. SO much for the candidates What
issue do they represent? The Fraud
claim is certainly and fortunately
{ eliminated from the canvass, since the
: only man who could legitimately
stand for that was thrown aside. A
l plank was given to it in the platform
} but there is little strength in it. No
e will the platform be commended tx