Rensselaer Union, Volume 2, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 June 1870 — The Congressional Situation. [ARTICLE]

The Congressional Situation.

Brforv ancMur Vjsuc df (be TV Win rMH'lw'-' o’ttr rv.itivi N, the rvpub- J NcanWof tire ttlh district A-ill Imre iim'J hi eonvrution to noinfaatc a cafidiilnte for congress.— The eanipaitfii has been oennhiouwi with a warmth heretofore unknown to the party here. Many titter words Jiave l«ei» spoken and many rankling sentences have been written and published by the partisans cng in the contest. How this, struggle will terminate in not clear to l»c seen, but we earnestly hope wise counsels may prevail and that the uoiuinatkni will fall upon a man w horn all can 3<»ucicnciously support and heartily labor to elect.— However we may not si ut our eyes to the prospect of discord which will require all the care that prudence can suggest to ma ert, that we tnay wot witness the unfortunate rwticlusion now distracting ihelmh district. In that district the Winamac DepMicun says “(lie opposition to .Major Williams springs from the same cause as the opposition to Packard does in this district.'' We understand the opposition io Hen. Packard tv be based upon these charges: Ist. Ill’s notoriintrs Jack of ability as a statesman a.ud ignorance of great national questions of political economy. 2d. His di'houc.' ty in nppropriatting to his private use money entrusted to him by the State central committee fur campaign purposes two years ago. 3d. His weakness as a party leader manifested in the dissention_ mid strife created by him among his party constthtvnts throughout the district. 4th. Because Ire vote*! against the expulsion from congress of Mr. Butler of Tennessee, who had been convicted of silling cadetships. sth. Because lie has systematically used the public patronage at his disposal for the purpose of, personal aggrandisement and to influciice in his favor the republican press of the district. Mk 1 lecausc he has prostituted his frankiug privilege to die base use- of cirvnLirrng slander upon the integrity o-f men who are his peers in party fealty. Tlicfc charges, although of serious nature, have never been denied by either Gen. Packard or his friends and there are many who believe they are founded in fact mid this silence on the part of those interested, is construed as strong presumptive evidence of their truth. Besides these charges against their leader there arc no less serious ones preferred against his par? lisans. In Laporte eounty it is asserted that instead of holding the convention tu appoint delegates to the A\ anatah convention at 1 o'clock in the afternoon as the proper authority had published it would be held, they assembled at JO o’clock in the morning, without giving public notice of their intentions and voted to go down there ch masse instead of selecting delegates as had been arranged by the proper authority. In Pulaski county, as w e are informed, they met during a recess of the Common Pleas court, in packed assembly and instructed for their favorite without consulting the wishes of tho people in the matter. In the face of these undenied charges ami high-handed proceedings, we are of the opinion General Packard's renomiuation will prove exceedingly hazardous to the success of the party. .

Our opposition to tliiß candidate is not much from any personal foeling we may entertain against tJn> individual, (although weprofess no grewt love for the man, or appreciation of his ability,) ms from a desire to see the party triumph next fall. We fear that his nomination will be an incubus too great for us at a time when there are no questions of national importance before the public binding men to political organizations. Of course we exjwet to hear sonic say that it is not wise so to speak about possible nominations, but we believe it is much better policy to meet such inatteca fairly, canvass them freely jn all bearings, and then decid< as sound judgment may dicthan- so shut our eyes to facts ■ud bhndly court dcJcat. Wc-have mo fault to fold with men who differ with us on this or any other subject. We have no word of condemnation for those newspapers enjoying the cmolujnents of the petty office* at their patron’s disposal for <k , .-iring his

rc-chrtion and working honorably and fairly to aecuruit—their editors are poof Ine* who need all the nssistance they obtain—bnt at the J rnme time it appears to us they should not permit thcuuelves to lie blinded, By the glitter of » few’ ■ nlckles, tu the true interest of the party of which they arc members. There is much dissnti'faction to tho course of Gen. Packard since I j he became the representative of I this disu icl iu cougrews, and lux, [candidacy for re-nomination has developed an opposition that -his partisans no longer ignore. The opposition has grown from one, or more, or all of the reasons above mentioned and whether true or not many voters believe the charges alleged, mid feel that the moral effect will be better in its Influence upon the future of their .favorite principles that a man be elected from the opposition than if they should assist in electing a weak and dishonest man to represent them, for the reason that they would not be so greatly responsible for the nets of the former ns they would be for those of the latter.— They reason that principles had better go unrepresented than misrepresented. This is the strong argument so often effectively used to defeat unpopular nominations.