Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1861-06-27
The slanderers of our Brave volun-
teerS.

teerS.
The Ohio Statesman calls the "New York
Ellsworth Iouavcs. " "rascals collected from
the sinks Of vice in that city, and Wilson 4
Regiment "a still lower grade Of pickpockets
from the same locality" The Southern Sc.
cession papers are filled with the same
charges against all our troops, which they
use to excite the horror Of those who are
still hoping for the Union, and to raise the
ieroclty OF their troops Every Southern
effort in the secession cause Is aided BY similar
policy in the North, modified only 50 much
as Is necessary TO avoid furnishing direct
point for the popular Indignation. This is a
specimen, and our city neighbor, the En-
qulrer, Is constantly doing something Of the
same sort.
The Ellsworth Zouaves were enlisted from
the New York firemen. We never heard
before that to be fireman implies rascality,
Or residence in the sinks Of vice. We doubt
II 1t will not be news to the fremen gener-
ally. Nor do we suppose that promptness
In Offering life to the service of the country
makes out a priDn focie case of rascality.
although this is probably the head and front
of their offending to the veteran editor Of
the Statesman.
Col. Wilson regiment has undoubtedly
been injured in public estimation by many
purely Munchausen stories Of their exploits
which were told by way of joke. Since they
enlisted they have observed discipline and
behaved well The Statesman SAYS they
have been disbanded. On the contrary they
embarked last week on the Vanderbilt
Still they may have led irregular, and may
be some Of them bad lives Some of them
may have been in States Prison. We know
nothing OF them except one noble act--the
enlistment to serve their country, which will
cover multitude of sins; and we think
that IT the veteran editor of the Statesman
could be converted to the same patriotism
by the probation of even the worst of them,
he would be better man.
When men offer their lives to their coun-
try in its peril, its friends do not make this
act an OCCASION to slaIidrr VI even To accusc
the previous character of the volunteers
Death is regarded as expiation for even the
worst crimes. Then, a voluntary tender of
life should be at least sufficient to wipe out
any offenses which have satisfied the law, or
to justify those against whom the law makes
no charge
To be put in the penitentiary is bad. But
philosophers have uniformly remarked that
but few of the rogues are in the prisons, and
that the distinction between those who are
in and those who are out, is rather arbitrary
than moral. A veteran Democratic manager
in Ohio, and an incumbent of the office of
State House Commissioner while that grand
mausoleum of the public money was build
ing, and with finishing course as accoucher
Of new States, which were to be born into
the Union and the Democratic party stimuli
taneously, by means of the votes of wild
Indians civilized by Government whisky and
one pair of .pantaloons to the whole tribe,
has had rather too extensive an experience
to set up any virtue over Col. Wilson s men,
even if they arc as bad as the veteran editor
paints them.
There is one crime more Infamous, more
atrocious, than any other that is rebellion,
or giving aid and comfort to rebellion; for
it includes all the crimes known to humanity
1t has let loose upon the land, violence,
thieying, robbery, arson, mutilation, rape,
murder, and every conceivable crime. There
is also one act the most noble that is open
to mankind: 1t is to enlist in the service of
their country. 1t will wipe ont all previous
offenses against society, and faithful and
brave service will ennoble any man. The
veteran editor probably knows where he
stands in this matter, and We leave it to him,
confident that his own case is as much as he
can attend to. in the moral line. at present.
Il Cincinnati Gazette.