Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1888-09-06
New Series, Vol. 20, No. 56.
ALLEN G. THURMAN'S RECORD.
Columbus Sunday Herald.

-
ocFatic candidate for Vice President.
The head of the ticket seems to have
been lost sight of and is to be ignored
throughout the campaign, while Judge
Thurman endeayOrs to carry the ticket
through. Judge Thurman has started
out making free trade speeches. He
has boldly and unequivOcaIly committed
his party and himself against the prin-
clpies of protective tariff He has
done no hedging in this matter but COM
mitted himself fully and boldly. He de-
clareS the protective tariff to be bur-
den. We will not at this time reply to
Judge Thurman's free trade utterances.
Republican speakers and the advocates
of the protective tariff have already
shown the fallacy of his arguments. We
do, however, desire at this time to com
mend our distinguished fellow-towns-
man for his bold and manly utterances
in favor of free trade. He has not
lodged the issue but has placed his par
ty exactly where it belongs in the ranks
OF the free traders and against the prin-
eiple and policy of protective tariff.
Our cOmmendatiOn, it must be under
stood, extends only to his bOldness in
this regard and not to the position which
he and his party occupy on the tariff
question. Those familiar with Allen G..
Thurman and his record are not sur
prised at this.
We have no sort of personal criticism
of Judge Thurman to offer. This at the
outset must be distinctly understood.
With his views of public policy and his
public record we deal. That is certain
ly proper and pertinent at the outset of
this campaign, in which he is one of
the leading candidates. What is his
record on public matters? What has it
been during the past thirty years, the
most glorious epoch in our cOuntry's his
tory, which has been crowded with mag
nifcent achievements for the good of
mankind? The Republican party came
into power in 1861 and found the gov
ernment on the verge of ruin and in the
thrOes of dissolution. The Southern
States were in rebellion and armed trea-
son stalked abroad in the land. The
treasury was empty and the government
without credit. In these days the Re-
publican party become the party of the
Union and the protector and defender
of the flag
Where was Allen G. Thurman then?
He was opposing the Republican party
and everything it advocated. He stood
in active, bitter opposition to every policy
and principle of the party of the Union.
To speak in the most favorable manner
possible of him, he was at the best an
Indifferent spectator of the strife be-
tween loyalty and armed rebellion. No
one has ever heard that he gave any en-
to the brave Democrats. as
well as Republicans, who enrolled them
selves under the Union flag and went to
the front to preserve this Republic He
was in full sympathy with his national
which publicity proclaimed
the war for the Union failure and de-
clared in favor of peace at any price,
During the war and after it, Allen G.
Thurman was one of the prophets of dis
aster and evil, and to quote from dis
speaker, was the political
Wiggins whose earthquakes never came
While the Republican party and the true
friends of this country were endeavor-
ing to reconstruct, as while they sought
to preserve this nation, he, with others,
every energy to obstruet, en-
barraSS and annoy the Republican party
in this patriotic work
Allen &. Thurman opposed the re-
sumption of specie payment when spe-
Gle payment was not only possible, but
necessary to the protection of the public
credit. Even after specie resumption
had come he bitterly declared it a fail
ure. He was not in sympathy with the
proclamation, nor the
amendment to the Constitu-
ton, which dedicated all our broad land
to liberty forever. He was opposed to
the Fourteenth and Fifteenth COnstitu-
tiOnal amendments, and made one hun
1red speeches in Ohio, in which he viO-
ently opposed the granting Of the cleo
toral franchise to colored citizens. In
Dne of these speeches he declared that
'the blacks were a worthless, useless,
5hriftless set of beings. They were too
lazy and ignorant to work, too
proud to be Taught; and not only that,
f the calendars of the country were ex-
amined it will be found that they were
4 majority of the criminals. Great as
would be the evils of negro suffrage in
Ohio, much as it would tend to bring
nto our State an every way undesirable
yet the question whether we
;hall let negroes vote here is one of itself
compared with that greater
question, whether we shall surrender the
whole South to negro rule, to ruin and
o anarchy, and thereby not only destroy
hat fair section of the Republic, but
bring the North also untold calamities.
part from these considerations, the rea-
IONS for refusing the vote to negroes in
)ur State are abundant and convincing,
)ut when we regard the proposition as
We should regard it, as part of great
scheme of National ruin, the objections
become perfectly overwhelming"
Allen &. Thurman was in favor of the
ssuing of greenbacks in unlimited guam
titles, when, to have followed his advice
n this direction, would have been to
'uin the country and violate every prin-
,iple of financial honor. Throughout
he progress of the latter half of the
nineteenth century, he has been stand
ng with his face to the past, Oblivious
% the future and blind to the changes
aking place about him. He has been
against every measure which has brought
honor, glory and prosperity to this nation
md now with no word of apology for
he past, comes before the country advo-
,ating the destruction Of the protective
ariff and the wiping out of that policy
lnder which the industrial, agricultural
md laboring forces and masses of this
country are gaining prosperity. What
,ver our respect for Judge Thurman per
icnally and socially We do not under
tand how with this sort of record in
l. .,,t ,1I bts NOcifiOp in fha tNraSanf