Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1861-03-06
CLEARFlELD, "a,
THE EXODUS

to Washington, Is cHrtalnIy Nlthou'
narnlell in the history Of modern perform
ances. We frequently read of nocturnal
flights, but they hOyc usually been
prompted by mere than mere mental Hp-
narition. Joseph, Of old, warned by n
heavenly messenger, "orose and took the
Young child and its mother and departed
into Egypt by night" and Nicodemus,
stung 10y sense Of sin, sought the Savior
between two days lut we are really at n
loss to determine what h0g Abraham and
led him TO give his friends the cold shoulH
der, and sneak disguised at night into
Washington. Some say that Seward told
him to do it +; and, ready to follow rather
than leud, Lincoln obeyed his instructor
This may be so, and yet it seems incon'
.istent with the representations we have
had Of the Presidents back bone" Iron
will" and unhinching firmness; Others,
still more charitable, think it was, because
Uncle Abe having learned that something
was wrong in tic country" got afraid Of
assassnation i'll Baltimore, and therefore
parsed through in bag, without giving
the Plugs, Thugs, "Rawbones," or Rip
Rapa peep at him. This. however, seems
more difficult Of reconciliation than the
first hypothesis, for Baltimore is the city
in which the Opposition have for years
held their bloody reye,s, and where all
lut Democrats are allowed TO vote, with
out being shot. 1t was at Baltimore, too,
that the Republican candidates GOT that
lerEe vote, which our little down town
neishbor, directly after the election, pa.
raded before the people with such poru-
.pos:.y, 10 show the strength OF Black
Republcanism in Southern cities. Why.
hen, did Abraham steal past The Bahimorsans ?
The cue 10 this ridiculous stampede is very
easily unwound, the cause is as natural as
the act was unnecessary, so far as the Pre-
sidenPs personal safety was concerned.
The Republicans have endenycred for
months, by misrepresentation and false.
hood, to inlame the minds Of Northern
men against their Southern brethren; for
this purpose the columns of the New York
Tribune. and other leading Republican
papers, have made startling revelations -;
great armies" bloody conspirators," ,"
"sworr assassins, "cool murderers," y"
knights of the Golden Circle" with
hundreds Of other ghastly things, since
the Presidential election, have been
plenty. Washington wns TO be taken by
fire and birthstone" and the President
elect, and the Republican party, were to
suffer death by pizcn. This was made the
excuse, or rather the justification, for the
gathering of an army at the seat Of Gov
ernment Every Abolition and Repubi-
car Governor rendered men and money
to avert the terrible calamity; 1.-The
streets of Washington were to stream in
blood :" that 4 dreadful battle was there
TO be fought, was n forgone conclusion.
No human sagacty, no patriotism, no act
vf mans, could avert it and the only
alternative was, to send Northern army
TO the national Capital to repel this mur-
derous invason coming NJ from the South,
headed by awful ".fre eaters" Lincoln
twas to be hot at Springfeld;" he was to
tic stabbed at indianapolis" or tho train
in which he and his suite travelled, was 10
be "precipitHted down an cmbankment
and all crushed 10 pieces" expert gar
rioters had been dispatched to strangle
him at Pittsburgh, if by any possibility
he should ever reach that point. His
death by violence was beyond all ques-
tiun internal machines wero at every
railroad station :" and powder plots, ready
PINNED, were waiting to blow Cd Abe
into eternity. In the face OF these repre-
sentations, ITO every one of which hrr.
drc9s Of shivering Republicans were ready
to be qualified Mr.. Lincoln had every
where been received in the kindest man.
ner, the greatest enthusiasm mark Ell hi,
course, all men Of all parties everywhere
met, and welcomed him his journey was
Il perfect evasion, bright faces were all he
saw, pleasant words were all he heard
kind acts were all he received So differ
ent was the reception of the President
from the predictions Of tho .fanotics, that
hf.er getting to within few miles OF
Washington with the most perfect safety,
some grand fEt,lt must be performed,
some terrible pioi must be disco, cred, to
give at least the smblance of truth to
those miserable oTications with which
Northern coercio1'Its, for their own base
purposes, had hocsisd the country. And
then the army stsS, led at Washington,
at an enormous expense. Some necessity
mnst seem to exist for this grand military
display. So the irrepressibles" suddenly
discover mares nest" at Baltimore,
and the President elect Of free people