Daily national Democrat., 1861-05-24
Beware Of Wolves in Sleeps Clothing.

The California friends and sympathizers with
that audacity is their chief weapon. They
are as destitute of shame as the most aban-
doned criminal, and will not hesitate TO ad
vocate strong Union sentiments now that the
people have told them what is popular The
most dangerous foe is not the open one; him
we know where to find. The man who would
dare to mount platform in California, and
distinctly say that the American Union had
| fulfilled IFS mission, and that all efforts to
preserve il were impracticable, would be
hissed from the stand unless the listeners
were extremely patient Ofthis the traitors
in our midst are fully convinced. They have
accordingly adopted another cry. They pro-
fees devotion to the Union and tell the people
that it can only be preserved by treating jeff
Davis and his fellow traitors as friends and
brothers. Any opposition, like an attempt
by the Government to retake public property
would they say forever debar any settlement.
| They want to preserve the Union peacefully.
They think if the rebels are forcibly prevent
ed from tearing it down. that all is lost The
Union men say that if our Government is TO
be destroyed. it must be while it is straiDing
every power to stay the hand of destruction.
The men who cry "peace peacel when there
is no peace" are the men with whom we are
to contend this fall. Their leaders are known
disunionsts We have heard many of them
say in conversation that the few ought to
govern the many that Democracy is clap
trap; that platforms do not mean anything
that the Union ought TO be dissolved; that
nothing is true which is intended for the pop
uar ear. These would-be arstocrats scof at
and deride the credulity and ignorance which
they believe to prevail among the masses
They exult over the deceptions which they
have contrived to practice. and in converse
tions with political opponents chuckle over
the trckery by which they crept into power
In 1868, the present secessionists pro(essed
great friendship for Stephen A. Douglas; in
1859 they acquiesced in an endorsement of
the strongest kind of squatter sovereignty
platform, as they afterwards derisvely called
it, Thousands of honest men helped bitter
secessionists into power that year, believing
the latter meant all they said. In 1860, the
same false and hypocritical crew led off in
the formation Of Breckenridge party, and
by their repeated protestations of devotion to
the Union, under all possible. circumstances,
they secured the cooperation of thousands
who were still deceived by them.
AS soon as the news reached here last No
vember that South Carolina was in rebellion
against the Government, they took sides
with her. They said that secession was
sovereign State right, and talked about the
matter as though the right had never been
questioned. The progress of the revolution
was watched by them with n delight which
they not only did not conceal, but which
they expressed in public saloons, on the
streets, and even in the legislative halls
They talked in favor of Pacific Republic as
boldly and unreservedly as they would advo-
cate the building of State House, or the ex-
tension of railroad. They did not pretend
to desire the perpetuation of the Union, but
on the contrary, exulted over what they con-
sidered its overthrow. These are facts. Every
man who was at Sacramento during the win
ter, knows that we state them as they were
But Fort Sumter fell, and the people of Cali
fornia, who had not been paying much atten,
ton to the talk of the traitors up to that time,
suddenly changed their passive, quiet demean-
or They filled every theater, school-house,
and barn in the land with their unconditional |
Union meetings, and when q shuflling, sneak
ing hypocrite joined them and bored them
with his intolerable cant about coaxing the |
rebels TO cease hostilities, they made it con-
venient for him to leave. They raised the
flag, and swore to maintain it in every place
where it had right to be displayed. They
took the public question of the day into their
own hands for once, and in blunt terms that
had no double meaning, they gave the enc
mics of the country to understand that they
could not be Lrined with. The result of this
universal and overwhelming demonstration
has been to convert the traitors of last winter
into the pretended Union men of to-day.
The whole pack of secession hounds have
changed their cry and with brazenness that
has no parallel they swear with upliftcd
hands that they are the only real Union men
in the State. True, they do not approve of
all that they think the Administration will
possibly do, but with that simple reserva-
ton, they are as they would have us believe
Union men to the backbone Every scoun-
drel who is Knight of the Golden Circle,
and who plots treason vile and black in the
dead hours of the night, will tell you now
wretches that the brave old jackson said
"Their name is legion; and they are liars from
the beginning" Will any honest men be
again deceived by such set2 Is California
to fall into the hands of such Union men
Are Californians to be alarmed next winter
with "secret sessions" of a Legislature COM
posed of such Union men as have Just, in "sc-
cret session." adopted secession ordinances in
Virginia, Tennessee, Arkansas, and Missouri
Shall we elect a Governor who will send in.
sulting replies to the President when ad-
dressed in his official capacity2 Shall we be
represented by Congressman who will stay in
Congress only SD long as they can preach
treason, and then come back to stir up re-
bellion here p? All these things may happen
I ho lo1, oc