The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1903-09-27

| ted to canvass for the Democratic ma
tional ticket. BY this time the South
was exhausted and the war was practical
| ly over.
In 1867 the Democrats nominated Allen
G. Thurman for Governor of Ohio, and
| his Republican competitor was Rutherford
B. Hayes. II was Valandigham's fight.
| He had his eye on Ben Wade's seat in
the United States Senate, end he managed
| the campaign. Sometimes pohtics-and
| especially Ohio politics-cuts some strange
capers and shines. Since the creation OF
| the Republican party, Ohio had never
gone Democratic. True, George e. Pugh
was a Senator from 1856 to 1861, but the
| legislature that chose him was elected in
| 1858. Ohio had been Wing State IN
| Presidential years, and the Republican
party had been greatly re-enforeed by a
| large body of war Democrats. Nobody
dreamed that anything extraordinary was
going to happen in a political way IN Ohio
| in 1867 but something extraordinary, and
very extraordinary, did happen. The first
news was that Thurman was elected, and
| for many years it was the duty OF every
| good Chic Democrat to claim that he was
elected. If there was a doubt about the
race for Governor, there was no doubt
about the political complexion of the leg
| islature-it was Democratic. the first
Democratic legislature for many years.
Vallandgham had earned the Senator
ship, but the politicians were against him.
He went to Columbus thoroughly angered
and made some plain talk. 1t was on thai
occasion that he was reported as turning
on John G. Thompson and exclaiming.
"D-n you, I'll put knife IN your vitalsi"
and time came when he drove that gen
tleman from the Craftsmanship of the
State committee. Thurman had made q
splendid race and his popularity was
great No one ever blamed him for ac.
cepting the Senatorship. He was in that
body twelve years, and probably it is not
too much to say that he made more repu-
tation in the Senate than any other man
Ohio ever sent to that body, not even ex-
cepting John Sherman, who was there
nearly three times as long, but the Demo-
cratic party of those days needed a lead
er in the Senate-needed a Vallandigham
there.
The double decade Immediately sue
ceeding the war developed four strong
leaders of the Democratic party--Samuel
j. Tilden, Samuel j. Randall, William r.
Morrison, and Clement l.. Vallandigham.
Tilden was the greatest of these, but he
had no health, though he was elected
President. Randall would have been
President had he lived in New York.
Morrison would have been President had
he been nominated Perhaps Vallandig
ham would have been President had he
lived ten years longer. He was not only
virile and splendid leader, but he was a
big minded man. He very nearly noml-
mated Chase in 1868, and had he sue
ceeded, it might have been the death Of
the Republican party-certain it would,
had success come with it, have been the
death of radical Republicans. The
Dantons and the Marats would have been
replaced by Vergniaud and Dumouriez.
The South would not have quaffed such
a bitter cup. And when Vallandigham died
he was the life of new departure, y
big with promise and with history.
He died in his prime, when little over
fifty. His death was a shock to the
whole country The Republicans had come
to respect him and to admire him. They
had ceased to hate him. and yet con-
tinued to fear him. The Democrats were
be ginning to see in him captain. He
did not live to see William Allen come
from retirement to lead the Ohio Demo
cracy to victory. He did not see the re-
s;stless Democratic tidal wave of 1874.
He did not live to see the rape of the
Presidency in 1851 Had he lived he
would have been in the full maturity OF
his powers when Cleveland was lnaugur-
ated in 1885. Had he lived he might have
been the man from Ohio who came to the
Presidency in 1881. Could the excellencies
of James A. Garfield and Clement l..
yallandgham have been fused in single
personality. what mighty man he would
| hove I,aaT,s