Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (Charles City, Iowa) 1861-1864, 1862-05-01

no party" cry, and by protesting
the most exalted and devoted loyalty,
claimed the best places in which to
bctray the Union cause, for those who
were trusted Knights THUS secret.
'y plotting treason against the very
cause that was to feed and clotIIc
them ! Among the X. G.. c. of tho
Third Degree they freely calculate
their prospects of success from the
trcachery" of Federal officers, and
especially Of officers in the Union
army, who, if occasion presents, are
to disobey orders, and screen them
selves behind fimsy oxnrsos fnr al.
lowing the enemy to escape, when by
acting in good faith, they might be
defeated. They point to the singular
escape Of Floyd and his crew in Yves.
tern Virginia, after Roscncranz had
so dccoyed them into a position, that
he was certain to bag the whole COM
mand, if orcdrs had been executed by
his subordinatcs.
At the time of the BalPs Bluff dis
aster they also gave knowing winks
to Indicate that it was the fultiIlment
OF chapter in their programme to-
disgust and disheartcn the loyal
North, discourage any advance move
mcnts, and encourage the rebel army
with the report of victory. They
claim large number of the officers
OF Companies, Regiments, Brigades,
and Divisions, secretly to be in their
interests, and even have the audacity
to whisper that Gen. Mcclellan un-
derstands their programme, and is not
unfriendly to working up to it. They
claim, also, a goodly numbcr OF
friends and brethcren in the officers
of the Navy. They deprccate the APP
pointment of Stanton to the admins
tration of the War Department, and
regret that he is not one of their mys-
teal number. They fear that all the
Influences they can throw around him
will not induce him to bend his policy
to favor their projects yet they are
ever on the alert, and will make con-
ccrted effort, by pretended confidence
and hattery, to weave an influence
around him that will partially capture
him, and control his policy. They ac-
knowledge their faint hopes, however,
of being able either to induce him to
become Knight, " or to lure him
into their plausible scheme for the fu.
ture control Of the spoi!s of Govern
ment.
;. PEACE CONTENTION AND New Constr.
TUrI0N.-Another mode Of arriving at
their object, is National Peace or
Compromise Convention, to be held
when all things are prepared. The
schedule is 10 call convention of all
the States. North and South, to arrive
at an understanding, and compromise
the difficulty upon basis already fix
ed. That basis is the JEFF. Davis
Constitution OF the Southern Confed-
rracy-conccding and adopting some
Of its features, aud yielding some of
the important ones in our present in
strumcnt, as compromise The
main features of the compromise will
be constitutional recognition, guar
auty, and protection Of slavery in the
States and Territories, without dis
tinCtion. In the meantime, the coun-
try being tired and sick Of war and
taxes, they expect to manufacture
public opinion that will adopt their
scheme. To give popular strength to
this convention" there is to be q
most earnest and persistent effort to
carry every local and State election
this year against the administration,
or War and Union party-so that it
will appear that the country has chan
ged, and is against the further prose-
cuton of the war for the supremacy
of the old Union and the old Consti.u-
tion as IL is and that the party cal
ling the "National Peace ConvcutiOn'-
are the majority or dominant, and rep
resent the public will. Further to fa-
cilitatc party success at the polls, and
cover up or draw attention from their
own trcasonablc plot against the Gov
nrnment, they are to join in a united
and harmonious howl of "ABoLrIoN-
Isr" against all loyal men who sustain
the Administration and the war to
crush the rebellion ; for the purpose
of trying To identify and stigmatize
them with the sins, and the long odi-
ous Gin the North doctrines and sem
timents promul gated by a band of IA
natical disunonists headed by Gar
rison and Wendell Phllips-claiming
that all whom they choose to call Alb
including the whole party
that elected the Administration, and
all who sustain it in the prosecution Of
the war, are equally traitors" with
those who are in arms against the
Union and that if the life of South
ern man, caught in the orert act, is sac
riliced, the life OF an Aboltionist
should balance the account. While
none but Southern men are in arms to
overthrow the Government, the re-
sponsihility OF the war is To be per-
sistcntly charged upon the loyal North,
which should be the first to offer terms
of peace and compromise. by
throwing every obstacle in the way of
the Government, added to secret trea-
son, they hope to give plausibility,
among the weak-minded, that when
ever the CONTROL Of the nation passes
from their hands the country viii get
into trouble, and that the only party
capable of governing the country is
tho ono they lead-that peace and
prosperity cannot return until they arc
restored to power. Look at the
country in civil war in less than three
months after the change of rulers"
they say with exulting triumph. No
means are to be left untricd to :" di-
vide and conquer" the war party at
the polls. They have systematic
plan to discredit the Government in
the eyes of the people. They cry
aloud about frauds. while they are bu-
silly employed seeking contracts for
the very purpose Of defrauding the
Government, to give colorng to their
charges. If they cannot get origiL.
al contracts, they seek sub-contracts
from the friends Of the Union, that tho
odium of their own dishonesty may
fall Oh the shoulders OF the War paf.