The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1862-09-30

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it by ambiguous phraseology. If party
should ever pursue an open, manly, dig
nified policy, vt is noe, when the nationa
peril thrills every village and every hui
with patriotic alarm. The fact that thi,
J organisation was guilty Of disloyalty il
this respect is proved by the fact that they
did not make their purpose plain by EN-
} phatlc speech. But that their true mean
ing was against the war appears also BY
other proof The pr,acl en- often read.
context to illustrate the true meaning oil
his text. So | turn TO the platform OF the
same organization, adopted at their con.
yention held at Dcs Moines last year, on
the 24th Of July. The 9th resolution Of
that platform reads thus :--"That our
Union was formed in peace, and can
nccer bc perpetuated Iy farce of arms, and
that Republican government held to-
gether by the sword becomes a military
despotism." There is no ambiguity about
that. 1t is point blank against the war,
and for the dissolution OF the Union,
whenever any Stac insists that it will
secede. II is tie very language Of seces-
sionism and treason. The people last year
30 emphatically repueiated it, that this
year it was left out, and doubtful language
used instead Of clear and certain speech.
The only step in advance is. that while
last year they condemned the war openly,
this year they are silent, and refuse to en-
dorsc it. But tho disloyalty is there,
still, as truly as it existed in the Hartford
Convention of Federalists during the war
of 1872.
So, also, with the ftother measures"
which the same resolution recommer ds
without saying what they are, or to what
they point. refer to the same context.
the platforms of last y,ar-and find in
| the 9th Resolution these words: THAT
the Democratic party is in favor of fair
and equitable compromise Of the unhappy
difficulties that exist between the General
Government and the Confederate States /"
This Infamous resolution was passed in
the Goth year of our independence, and
just after the disaster to the national
troops at Bull Run had reached tile ears
of the convention, and when the lraitors
threatened the capture of the NATIONAL
capital. can only interpret these "other
measures to mean compromise and a
cowardly peace with the reLcls. | have
time and again demanded of my Compel
itor what these "other measures proposed
were TO bo. | have asked him TO define
and explain them. He has never vet
done it. am in the situation Of the boy
at school who was told by his teacher to
parse the word Egg "What part of
speech is it?' "a noun, sir" Very
well, now tell me what gender is it?"-
"Gender y said the boy. eyes, what
gender is il, masculine, feminine, or neu-
ter = "Ah," said the boy, Il can't Tell
you that I'LL its Matched !" Laughter.
Neither can nor any mortal man out
side the Mahony organization, tell you Of
what gender this political egg is, till it is
Matched. ! have begged my worthy friend
and competitor to hatch it, ever since our
canvass commenced. Blu. be does not
lncubate we'll Continued laughter.
| have implored him, as the old woman
did the hen when she put four dozen eggs
under her, to spread herself! (Roars Of
laughter. But he won't sit on it long
enough to answer the purpose and the
doubt will remain until the people cast it
out, and spurn it from them.
Well, take the next resolution. which
declares that 'sno more war, or acts of
war. should be prosecuted or done than
are necessary aud proper for the prompt
and complete suppression of the rebel
hon." They still use the negative style
ofspeech. If there WAS any sincerity and
esrnestness in them, they would have
spoken afirmatively. They would Cav
'this Wat should be effectively prosecuted
by all the means known to the usages Of
civilized warfare, until the rebellion is
suppressed. But they did not intend to
speak thus. Their policy is to hold back.
to discourage, and to check the ardor aad
extinguish the patriotic fire that animates
our troops, and which sent them, like a
tempest, vlctoriously over the enemy's
ramfarts al Fort Donelson.
But in the 4th and 9th Resolutions of
this organization, falsely called democrat.
lie, they are explicit. They denounce the
schemes of confscation and emancipation
adopted by the last Congress, and ap-
proved by the President, and tho suspen.
sion OF the writ of haJeas corpus in States
where the civil authorities are unimpeded,
and call all this unconstitutional he re-
pudiates the confscstion law. I endorse
1t. Here is direct issue between us.
THE coEF1sCATIoH LAW.
What is the confscation law The
second and third sections punish the
crime Of melting rebellion by fine, by i'm
prisonment, and by liberation of slaves, if
the guilty party has any and BY disqual.
itication to hold Office under the United
States. The fifth section directs the sriz-