The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1861-07-18
THURSDAY, JULY Is, 1851.
Cur Cotemporary in a Rage.


Stood and gave him to understand that 1t
would not be ou: of place for him to define
his position. We knew that he professed to
be in favor Of the Union, but his publishing
secession articles, and some without credItlng,
was rather conclusive evidence to the con-
trary; and therefore our cotemporary was re-
ouested TO state whether he was for the Gov
ernment or not And accordingly last week
he responded to our inquiry in a dreadful
rage in which he goes througha long rigma-
role, making number of groundless asser
tions and silly charges, TO which we feel call
ed upon TO make brief reply.
The Democrat acknowledges that he has
been publishing secession articles, (and that is
just what we accused him off, but he says his
foreman, in his absence, copied from the Mil
ford Herald the last reasonable article that
he published. (We are glad to learn that
the Milford Herald has recently changed
hands, and now supports the Government
and Union.)
The Democrat admits that he is guilty OF
Just what we accused him, but declares that
he has no sympathy with secession, and is
for the Government and Union with all his
might And here the matter might have
ended, but our cotemporary having just re-
turned from fishing excursion and we pre-
sumo laboring under the stimulating effects
of fish bait, proceeds TO call ours an abolition
sheet" To which, Squire, we respond that
your charge is gross secession falsehood,
and we defy you to make it good by facts.
The Democrat proceeds to ask us: "When,
where and at what period in the history of
our country has the Democratic party been
found wanting in their devotion TO the Con-
stitution and Union" And "although they
had no part in bringing about the present
perilous condition of our country they drop
all past differences for the present and enroll
themselves under the Stars and Stripes to
support the legitimate Administration"
Now this is a question which we do not
care TO discuss at this time, but will observe
for our cotemporary's benefit, that for more
than thirty years the leaders of secession
have been making desperate efforts to dis
solve the Union, and in order to accomplish
this they deemed it necessary to get entire
control of the Democratic party. In this
they were finally triuWphantly successful;
and this accounts for the various strong and
decisive Pro-slavery movements made by
that party within the last fifteen years. The
next step for them to take was TO create Sec
tional parties and in this they succeeded by
the repeal of the Missouri Compromise, the
Dred Scott proceedings, the Kansas and Le
compton strife, and the disruption of the
Charleston and Baltimore Conventions. All
these acts were in strict harmony with the
secession scheme. The Southern portion OF
the Democratic party, the leaders of which
are now at the head of this Rebellion, held the
Northern portion Of their party firmly to their
secession policy, even to the slaughtering ofI
Douglas, and to the voting for Breckenridge,
the rebels choice candidate for President
The part after this marked out for the Nor
thern Democracy to play in the traitors Sc
cession programme, was for them TO oppose
The Government in Its attempts to put down
the rebels, and thereby paralyze the efforts of
patriots TO save the country from disruption.
A good portion of the Northern Democratic |
leaders attempted to do as their Southern
brethren desired, and accordingly their State
conventions held in this State, in New York
State and few others, previous to the 10Th
cf April last, passed resolutions strongly op-
posing The Government taking up arms to put
down the traitors. But after that date, the |
tendencies of their resolutions became so gla- |
ringly secession that they were compelled TO
repudIate them, and to give The war for the u
Mon and perpetuity of the Government, an
unqualified support few of their north
ern allies are yet to be heard croaking for a
compromise or peaceful settlement; but these
are growing few and feeble The rebels, 8 6
they now are, have hitherto played their
scheme most dexterously, and many honest
Democrats were caught in the above specious
secession trap; nor did Mr.. Douglas en-
tirely escape it, and he even went so fan as
to say IN reply TO rebels in the last Congress,
that he was willing to have the Federal
troops in forts Pickens and Sumter withdrawn;
and further, that he was opposed to ia king
up arms to put down the traitors, for to at
tempt to do so would, he said, be equal to
dissolution Of the Union. But he soon after
discovered the secession trap that the rebels
had got his feet into, and be quickly repudia-
ted the whole thing, and informed the pres
ent Executive that he was then for thorough
and vigorous prosecution ofthe war, for on
that the safety of the Government and Union
depended When Secession first raised its
monster head, the Democratic party had pos
session of the Government and if it had put
forth its power, il would have crushed rebel
lion in its infancy. But no, Democratic
Administration fostered and permjtted il to