618 



OHIO. 



expressing full confidence in his patriotism, 

 honor, and honesty. A joint resolution was 

 adopted, April 24th, asserting " that common 

 honesty to the tax-payer, the letter and 

 spirit of the contract under which the great 

 body of its indebtedness was assumed by the 

 United States, and true financial wisdom, each 

 and all demand the restoration of the silver 

 dollar to its former rank as lawful money." 



During the session, an election for United 

 States Senator was held, to fill the vacancy in 

 the unexpired term of Senator Sherman, who 

 had accepted a seat in the Cabinet of President 

 Hayes, as Secretary of the Treasury. Hon. 

 Stanley Matthews was elected by the unani- 

 mous vote of the Republican members, the 

 Democrats voting blank. 



The political events of the year commenced 

 with a Democratic State Convention, held at 

 Columbus, January 8th, for the purpose of in- 

 fluencing the action of Congress on the pend- 

 ing question as to the result of the Presidential 

 election. The Convention was presided over, 

 at its assembling, by General H. A. "Warner, of 

 Marietta, and the permanent president subse- 

 quently chosen was General Durbin Ward. 

 Speeches were made by both, and also by 

 Hons. G. H. Pendleton and Thomas Ewing and 

 General G. A. Morgan. The following resolu- 

 tions were adopted : 



Resolved, 1. That the Government of the United 

 States i republican in spirit as well as in form ; it 

 is a Government of law, not of arbitrary force ; it is 

 founded on universal suffrage, lawfully exercised, 

 and its existence depends on good faith and sincere 

 obedience to the laws. 



2. That the votes cast on the 7th of November, and 

 duly certified at the close of the election on that day 

 by the officers authorized to receive and record them, 

 alone, determine the result of the election held in any 

 precinct, county, or State, and that whatever may be 

 the returns then duly and properly certified, they 

 cannot lawfully be changed by any officer authorized 

 to canvass them and announce the result. 



3. That while clear in the conviction that Samuel 

 J. Tilden and Thomas A. Hendricks have received 

 not only a large majority of the popular vote, but a 

 majority of the electoral vote, and are therefore 

 elected President and Vice-President, we yet de- 

 clare that any decision made by the Senate and 

 House of Representatives will be cheerfully ac- 

 quiesced in by the whole people, and that any at- 

 tempt to inaugurate a President simply upon the 

 proclamation of the President of the Senate will be 

 an act of usurpation that will be resisted by the peo- 

 ple to the last extremity, even should that extremity 

 be an appeal to arms. 



4. That the impudent and unfounded charge that 

 those who protest against the exercise of illegal and 

 arbitrary power desire to foment strife and incite 

 civil war, is made by conspirators to withdraw the 

 public mind from their own evil design to frustrate 

 the sovereign will of the people as expressed through 

 the ballot box on the 7th of November last. 



5. That we denounce the action of President Grant 

 in following the example of the military chieftains 

 of Mexico, in interfering by armed force in the elec- 

 tions of the people, in preventing the lawful organi- 

 zatiin of State Legislatures, and in massing troops 

 at Washington, with the apparent purpose of pre- 

 venting the free action of Congress respecting the 

 Presidential election. It evinces a purpose to render 

 the military independent of, and superior to, the 



civil power ? and calls for outspoken condemnation 

 by every friend of republican government. 



6. That the inauguration as President of a candi- 

 date rejected by the people and counted in by fraud, 

 is revolution, and, ii acquiesced in, fatal to repub- 

 lican government. 



7. That the National Democratic committee be re- 

 quested to call a National Democratic Convention to 

 meet at Washington City, February 12, 1877. 



The first political party in the field with a 

 State ticket was the Prohibition, which met at 

 Columbus, February 22d, and nominated the 

 following ticket : 



For Governor, Henry A. Thompson, of 

 Franklin County. For Lieutenant-Governor, 

 George K. Jenkins, of Jefferson County. For 

 Treasurer of State, Arza Alderman, of Morgan 

 County. For Attorney-General, David W. 

 Gage, of Cuyahoga County. For Supreme 

 Judge, David C. Montgomery, of Knox County. 

 For School Commissioner, Joseph W. Lindsey, 

 of Delaware County. For Clerk of Supreme 

 Court, George Dodds, of Greene County. For 

 Member of Board of Public Works, Amos Mil- 

 ler, of Logan County. The following resolu- 

 tions were adopted : 



1. The protection of life, property, and home by 

 the legal prohibition of the liquor traffic of the State, 

 is the most important duty of the law-making 

 power. 



2. That no government should contravene the pur- 

 pose of its formation, by taking into public service 

 those who are connected with the liquor traffic, or 

 addicted to the dangerous vice of drinking. 



3. That since the work of legislation is political, 

 and all other parties fail to advocate or promise pro- 

 hibitory action, a special prohibition party is de- 

 manded. 



4. That the right of suffrage rests on no mere cir- 

 cumstance of color, race, former social condition, 

 sex, or nationality ; but inheres in the nature of man, 

 and when from any cause it has been withheld from 

 citizens of our country who are of suitable age und 

 mentally and morally qualified for the discharge of 

 its duties, it should be speedily restored by the peo- 

 ple in their sovereign capacity. 



5. Since virtue, education, and intelligence are ne- 

 cessary to the well-being of republican institutions, 

 we would foster the free school system, denying to 

 all religious sects and other associations control or 

 management of the funds for its maintenance, and 

 enforcing by proper legislation the education of all 

 the children of the State. 



6. We favor the free use of the Bible, not as a 

 ground of religious creeds, but as a text-book of the 

 purest morality, the best liberty, and the noblest 

 literature in our public schools, that our children 

 may grow up in its light, and that its spirit and prin- 

 ciples may pervade our nation. 



7. The Christian Sabbath, moreover, was ordained 

 for the good of man, and Christians in a Christian 

 country should not be deprived of its peaceful enjoy- 

 ment by the carousals of liquor-drinking and liquor- 

 selling transgressors. 



The Democratic Convention was held at 

 Columbus, July 25th. The ticket placed in 

 nomination was as follows : 



For Governor, Wm. M. Bishop, of Hamilton. 

 For Lieutenant-Governor, Jabez W. Fitch, of 

 Cuyahoga. For Supreme Judge, John W. Okey, 

 of Franklin. For Clerk of Supreme Court, R. 

 J. Fanning, of Franklin. For Attorney-Gen- 

 eral, Isiah Pillars, of Allen. For Treasurer of 



