The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1861-08-16
From the Cleveland Leader.
The Attack on Hon. A. G. Riddlo.

lican party of tho city, (for am happy tn
say that il docs not extend TO tho cnuntry)
growing out Of tho contost for tho nnmna.
tion of our Representative for this ID $ rict
has not boen healed, but has RI hur during
this warm weather, put on symptoms of
more violent and iutismmatJry characto-.
have boon greatly panied during tho pro
gross OF this party QlarrOl-as every irun
Republican has who has not aee. engaged
in it--that such serious, damaging and
persistent strife should continue among vuu
in tho city, when all tho adyoisJ political
elemunts of tho country SOON harmon y ng
and union is the watch word of tho North
that thuro should he any disposition, iml.
tativo OF our Southern jrethron." to Qhar.
rel about n fair nomination and election. or
the distribution Of Offices according to tho
usual and we'll established practice of can.
dldatos aud parties, especially whore each
of tho candidates wore honorable, reputable
and talontGd mon, aud all tho appointments
mado among true aud competent Rnpubli.
cans. Aud | was worry greatly surprised, aud
not lIttlo indignant, to learn that tho op.
pononts of our present Representatives
were endonyoring to cast consure upon him.
to inpeach his patriotism and humanity.
on account of tho language no used in u
company to witness tho battle at Bulls
Run. | thought tho commonts of the Her.
aid upon that !, ttor exceedingly aggravated.
bitter aud unfair. Aud am sorry to say
that it looks on the part Of that journal as
an overdrawn attempt. hy ringing repeated
changes upon such phrases as "poor soldier"
m q. riding in his carriage" tumble him
out, &c, &c., to create TT this time, whom
tho public mind is morbihly sensitive and
ready to act upon first impressions. and
when every Northorn soldier is u public
pet,-a prejudice amongst our volunteers
their friends. and tho public generally.
against MIR. Riddle Such an attack, on
such moro verbal grounds, or words used
in lotter not designed for Publication.
upon prominent and reputable citiznn. in
bis absence, can hardly appear to any can.
did aud unprcjudicrd mind anything olso
than exceedingly ujust aud cruel. know.
by public report, that tho personal rotations
between the Editors of the Herald and MIR.
IL arc not harmonious. These gentlemen
one or both of them wero candidates for tho
ttlico of Post-Mastcr in your city.
They failed tn obtain tho Office. for the
want of Mr. Riddles assistance. Thov. no
doubt, for this aud other reasons. sufficient
in thoir own estimation, feol justified N op
posing him in various ways. as they may
mako or find opportunity. But such petty
Tesontments arc the bano of political hur.
mony, aud will soon work tho ruin of tho
purest, best of parties No nan who is
acquainted with Mr. Riddle. us tho writer
has been for years. will believe any of the
charges iusinuatcd in connection with his
lettor. His worst ouonv would ncvur dream
of accusing him of tho state of heart which
ho is inferred to havo by the criticisms upon
his lottor. | was immeasurably astonished
at tho grave differences of character
amounting almost to brutality and treason.
able purpose-drawn from tho language
used in his account of tho baltic and the
flight. The language charged as objection
ab'e-as unfeeling and unpa'riotIc-was
but an honest and FREQ expression of tho
| Indignation which tho writer felt in soeng
the Grand Army-the pride and hope of { e
natlon-fiying in disgrace on tho very eve
OF victory, from tho moro impulse of an in.
sano and groundless panic. To SEQ thou
sande of able. bodied and well equipped SOL
ders fleeing wildly fer many miles. whom no
| enemy was in immediate pursuit--to see
them lose all reason and solf control so that
civilians stood in their path to drive them
back to reason and duty--would be a spec
tacle infinitely moro mordfying and dis.
tressing han to witness the carnage of "a
well.regulated retreat, under fierce pur.
suit.
Such scone was enough TO arouse in
dignation in tho broust of every patriot who
witnessed II. We all had this feeling on tho
first report Of tho disastur. 1t was natural.
under the infliction of wounded prido and
tarnshcd national honor. That our Repro
sentative should fool IT, holding tho relation
to II which he did both as spectator and
Member of CoDgross-and, undcr the cir.
cumstances, be stirred to his souls depths
by it's only new evidence of his patriot
ism aud manhood. That feeling has now
subsidod in the public heart, us it should,
and tho tender solici,udo VIZ f0ei for tho
welfare and reputation of our volunteers.
leads us to overlook and almos: excuse any
conduct o. the members of tho army. But
when tho time cnmos that tho press and
our public men dure not consure such
scenes as tho stampede from Manassas, wo
shall soon make an end Of this war by com
promise or submission to our enemies -
Glory, said Napoleon, is tho soldiers God.
Where thero ia not freedom to censure,
thoro is no value in praise for him.
That Mr. Riddle and his party should
havo carried the soldier the distance of threo
miles before turning him out, should cer
talnly be service enough of that sort, TO
| give them right to the use of thoir own
conveyance without being chargeable with
inhuman conduct. Had tho person boen n
woman, helpless civilian, or u disabled sol.
dior, tho case wond have been different.
Even then there arc many mon of respect.
able professions aud position. who would DO
justified by tho press it they had held, re-
vOlvor in hand, to the first law of nature.
and refused to hazard their own safoty by
assisting others.
! Mossrs. Wade, Riddle, and Brown. with
others-we arc reliably informed-dd on
that day valuable service to the army and
| the country, in arrosting the lido of rout
and retreat from the battle field Ii was a
noble courageous, and heroic act-one
which they were just the mon, any ono of
shem to attempt aud DO likuly to succeed
in-an act wichh will DO part of the record.
ed history of that days wants, and which
should receive the applause and gratitude
of tho country. II is painful to think that
such spontaneous horoisn,, so illustrative of
tho spirit and courage of our public mon. AZ
this crisis in tho country, should fail to find
appreciation, or DO "damuod with faint
praise" by single man or pross IN the
North and it is still moro so, that tho
moral force of such heroic examples shorld
ho diminisho1 mr. laat hy ita hainu NAL,