Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1860-10-20
what do they Mean

The Wide.Awakes arc apparently rid
die to the southern democrats. Not only
are they surprised at the numbers and the
enthusiasm of these young men, but they
stand in The awe of the good order and dis.
cipline always evinced. Surely, they say,
it must Ee a sesret MILITARY organization,
how could they march and wheel with SO
much regularity, and maintain their ranks
under such provocations, unless they were
suWect to military rHle.
4 writer in the Charleston Mercury oI
the lst inst, amid a variety of speculation.
in the matter, sums mp in this wise
The arrangements are decidedly martial,
They have their captains, their l,eutenants
and their sergeants. They are dressed in
uniforms as showy as that Of our regular
militia. They are drilled in the light in
fantry tactics, already march as we'll as
some Of our oldest military companies On
grand demonstrative parades, like that
which startled the town few weeks ago
they are headed by the Z. d. Morgan
Light Artillery with two brass guns. 1t
only requires a substitution of muSkets for
torches, and swords for walking sticks, to
convert these apparently innocent frebear.
ers into a well-drilled and efficient snldery
1t is a noteworthy fact that the Republ-
can leaders are concentrating nearly all
| their campaign funds upon the promotion
of these parades Three objects are plain.
! ly to be Subserved by their torchIight mi
litia First yonng men are drawn into it
for the fun of the thing. and thus become
active Republicans, Second, a powerful
body guard is organized for the fnrtherauce
of Republican interests at the polls, Third,
if Lincoln should be elected President, aud
he should require an army of 100000
drilled volunteers in any conceivable exi.
gcncy, that they would be Immediately
forthcoming, There is no false alarm, nc
pXaggeration, about these surmiSes. o.
course, the possible ultimate use 10 which
such an army may be put gives to the ap
preaching demonstration of the torchIghl
militia in this city an Importance whioI
otherwise would not attach to it, Tht
statements which you see in the Repub
licOn papers about the numbers whc
will attend are not too highly colored AnC
furthermore, it is limited that the show il
October will be numerically insignificant
! compared with the one which viii be made
if Lincoln is elected in the city Of Wash
ington, on the 4th of March next. No
wonder that persons, the coolest and most
familiar with eleetioneerng machinery, are
alarmed when they contemplate the posi-
ble result of these martial preparations
This writer is evidently frightened but
he NAV dismiss bis fears. The Wide Awakes
do not mean to hurt hair of his head.
Ballicose aud terrible as they look, they
aIe 10 reality most pacileally inelined.
The ballot is the weapon with which they
intend to slay their enemies and not the
bayouet. When the month of November
is come and gone. and they have done their
duty like patriotic citizens, they will In al
probability retire into private lie True
as the Mercury suggests they may be need
ed at Washington about the 4lh of Maref
next, but IT will be as quiet lookers-on al
the Inauguration, aud not as defenders o.
public order Let as add, however, thai
II they shonId be compelled, by the insani-
| ty Of southern hot-heads, to appear in the
latter capacity, not one hundred thousand,
bot Eve hundred thousand, win report
themselves fot duty.