The weekly mountain Democrat. [volume] (Placerville, El Dorado County, Calif.) 1861-1862, 1862-07-12

Ou tHt1 buUtoGS tu9 Ce4 xotA AetFO-
PoIitaa ReoOFa-the fearless and powerful
organ Of Archbishop Hughes-has the
following temperate, judiciOus and patrio-
tic remarks:
There is . class Of men in our midst
who, while they have done more to bring
about the present civil war than any other
portion Of the community, have done less
towards furnishing the men and materials
for its successful prosecution. With a
GOODNESS and effrontery that could hardly
have been surpassed, they seek to control
and direct, not only the policy of the Gov
eminent, but the plans and movements Of
the generals in the field.
Unfortunately for the country, this class
exercises an influence which is out Of all
proportion to its actual strength and force
in the great political divisions Of the ma
ton. Its success, therefore, is one OF
those accidental circumstances which &C.
casionally occur In countries where piu-
ralities rs well as maiOrities obtain posses
sion Of the Government. In this case,
however, this class is allowed undue con-
troll by al administration which claims TO
be both national and conservative. The
worst feature which it has developed is
that bitter, deadly antagoniSm which it
seeks to infu e in the mind Of the North
toward the South.
Entirely ignoring the great object Of
this struggle, they would impart TO it oil
ithe2zISITcp t~-~' @oIra,I Of = war az races
1t was the vile tools Of this party who,
while they shrank from meeting Southern
courage on the battle field, were among
the first TO circulate reports Of the inhu-
= ~ Sbe g-Hee1! e~- :.-
toward the wounded soldiers Of the In
ion. Thus placards were posted in the
most conspicuous places throughout the
city after the battle Of Bull Run, stating
that the body Of Lieutenant Colonel Hag-
gerty had been treated with the most
tiendish barbarity, and that his throat had
been cut from ear to ear. We did not
hesitate at the time to denounce this fab
ricatiOn as it deserved, and the sequel
proved the correctness and the justice Of
| our course.
More recently, however, the designs Of
this class have been made still more appa-
rent in the statements published in por-
ton of the press, detailing atrocities Of a
still moro fiendish character on the part of
~ SH&<Sc - I"-e,-- - ''--Y~-. ..A<7s.@,
and pretentious document was drawn up
by a committee Of Congress, setting forth
at considerable length a number Of cir
cumStanceS intended to fasten upon the
South the preparation Of crimes Of the
most diabOlical depravity. In fact. in
reading over this terrible record it forcibly
! reminded US Of the horFid compound Of
the witches canldron in Macbeth. We
were seriously told that the bodies Of the
Northern soldiers were dug out of the frs-
tering trenches, the limbs had been hewn
of, the flesh either scTaped or boiled off
! their bones, while the bones themselves
had been fashioned and moulded into va
/ rious forms as trinkets for Southern ladies'.
! n our memory serves US right, the skulls
; underwent the same process, and are now
used as drinking cups by the Southern
Chivairy."
In the manufacture Of the evidence on
which these statements were based, there
is not even the slightest claim to original.
ity. They are of the same style and char
acter Of Raw-head and bloody bone stories
where~ith foolish nurses from time imme.
mortal have been in the habit of frighten-
ing refractory children. As Tor the drink.
ing cups made out Of human skulls, it is
evidently plagiarism on the SagaS Of the
old Northern Skalds, Transatlantic YER
sion Of drinking bout in the WaihalIa.
Assuming. however, that all these state.
ments are true, is the whole South 10 be
branded and stigmatized for these cxccp-
tionaf atrOcitiesy
But two short years ago, VIC Of the
North would have been foremost in repell-
ing so OdioHs, SO revolving charge upon
our national character. If these Southern
men are Americans-if they are of the
same blood and descended from the heroes
OF our Revolutionary STRUGGLED We are
sincerely desirOus Of still living in union
with thesa-iS it the part Of policy or pa,
triotism TO denOunce them as the vilest Of
wretches, and to hold them I'D to the ex
ecratioR Of mankind
Let Us tear the mask off these insidious
enemies Of the Republic. Let not the
people be deceived. If these Southerners
are as black as they are painted, why are
We % UeStEouS VI renewed aSSOClatlOn
With them: Can it be that after all this
damning array of evidence they are good
enough company for US. This is strange
Inconsistency, indeed. But this is not all;
Tor when we bring them back, We shall
. not only be willing to associate with them
but most anxious and DESTROYS to have
: them as friends.
Away then with these vile receptions
by which the Northern enemies Of the
Union would create and foster an undying
hatred between the two sections of the
Republic. 1t is not by such system OF
warfare that the Union can ever be estab-
iished and only those whose cowardice
keeps them cut Of the battle field will
have recourse to such dishonorablc shifts.
If we must, for the preservation and in
tegrity Of the country, infict upon them
physical and mental suffering, let US, for
the sake Of our national reputation, leave
their character unimpaired.
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