The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-02-22


was only to turn the torrent Of abuse on
ourselves: and poor Harvey continued a
traitor, until il was aScertained one pleas
ant morning that the whole story Was
false, that he was in the confidence Of the
government, and was doing excellent SER
vice abroad.
Bnt we have never seen the accusation
taken back, or apOlOgised for, by any OF
his mahgners. Shortly afterwards the
question Of the power Of the President to
suspend the writ Of habeas corpus came
up for discussion. It was c lair question
for reasonable men, and although it had
never before had but one side, it was sud.
denly discovered that the man who advo-
Gated that side, which was the oid view OF
Blackstone and Marshall and Parsons, and
such men, was traitor.
\ few days afterwards the army were
going on TO Richmond. Some men had
read the papers, and believed in the
strength of the enemy. Such persons
warned tbe country that Manassas was a
Stro.g pais;s. BG; SES ;ssaR Wtsso SAss, - * :,
the rebellion had strength Of any s"rt or
who argued that the rebels could by any
possibility have any money, clothing, pro-
visions, cannon or men, to render them
formidable opponents, was discOuraging
secessiOnist aud traitor, and ought to be
shut up or strung up.
A week later the wolves hOwled around
our neighbors who had urged the battle,
aud the meaning Of the word traitor had
suddenly experienced u change. The men
who were in favor Of battle when the
enemy were ready and we were not, were
nOw traitors. II was asserted that they
had plunged Us into defeat, with evil hearts.
A few weeks later the President of the
United atvsemodi6ed Fremont's procla-
nation, aud Oat in Chicago, and down in
. Boston, and along Nassau street in New
York, the President was called traitor.
A little later the people began to demand
that Abolition editors be sent to Fort La
iayette as traitors. Three weeks ago q
strong Republican paper announced that
the editors -Of the Independent were con-
sidered traitorsl A Boston clique pro.
nOunced the Secretary Of State traitor
a st. Louis meeting charged the Secretary
of War with being a traitorl General
Scott was dozen times called traitor in
the early part Of the conflict Mcclellan,
some stupid false accuser declared, had
received an offer from the Southern Con-
| fedrracy Of a commission which he would
have accepted, if not forestalled by a
Northern commission! Or course Nc.
Clellan was traitor. Fremont was ac.
cused Of rebel sympathies instantly after
his removal by the President, and rs for
Patterson, Mcdowell, Stone, Sherman and
even poor Halleck who has succeeded to
FremOnts vacant throne, they are one bv
one consigned to infamy by more or less
accusers.
This story is pitiable. 1t is disgrace
to our national character. We are so &C,
cuStOmed to the words here that we pay
take up English newspapers, and find this
BillingSgate style Of denunciation copied
in all SoberneSS. and circulated in that
country rs illustrating the nature Of our
war, and the impoS>ibi.ity Of depending
on any one, high or low, we cannot but
regret the reckleSsncsS with which the ac.
cuSatiOns have been made.
These wholesale dennnciationS Of par.
ties have damaged the Union cause mate
rally. The temptation to give odious
names to political opponents is very great,
but the course results in conveying very
false ideas to the enemy. No one can fail
tn mark the exultaiiU7 with which the
North receives the smallest instance of Il
iivi>ion Of sentiment at the South. We
print and reprint, and comment on every
trifling quarrel between rebel leaders -
Judging from this fact, how much aid and
comfort must the South receive from the
Northern papers which circulate the intel
EliSrnce that the hundreds Of thousands Of
Democratic voters of tue North, whp have
but lately voted in the various States, are
Iects>ioniSts and traitors! The abSnrdty
of the statement is sufficient denial here,
but in Europe, and the eneIny's cities, il
is hailed as truth.
We have remarkable illustration al
hand in two small and uninportant elec.
tionS that have taken place in the princi.
pal cities Of Connecticut 1t has beer
widely circulated, on Hartford authority
that IN that city, 1.-THE issue was made
openly on the question Of loyalty or dis
loyalty" and 1.-THE secession Democrats
were completely routed"
As the Democrats polled 1900 votes
and w,re heoten by only 500, this state
mcnt would imply that Hartford is in a
bad way, with about half its voting popu.
iatinn SeccSsioniSts and disloyal. In New
Haven the same foolish and blind course
is pursued by the defeated party, who
having been outv"ted by the Democrats
declare the issue to have been "patriotSu
and secession" and that secession has tri
umphed! Not only is New Haven dis
graced by the statement, but the story
will he circulated throughout the South
precisely as we would circulate such news
coming from Charleston, and originating
in Charleston newspaper.
1t is time, it was time long ago. to enc
this criminal campaign Of bad language
The North is united in desire to preServ,
the Union. IL we differ about ways anC
means, let US differ like honest men anC
good citizens, not like a-nation of pick
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