Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-07-31
a STARTLING DISCLOSURE
Gov. seymour's Purposes Revealed

*
vening them around the City Hall, he assur
ed them, "that, as they were his friends, SO
he was their friend -"that, as their frient
he was determined to see their rights main
tained" He also assured the villains, "tha
on the Saturday previous, he had sent hi
Adjutant General to Washington to obtair
from the Government suspension of tn
draft, and was awaiting reply" When i
is remembered that the draft had taken place
in one district in that city witnessed by .
large assembly without disturbance, ant
that the first outbreak against the draft wa.
on Monday, two days and half after Sey
mour had sent his Adjutant to Washington
the conduct of Seymour seems unaccountable
If Seymour was not apprised of premedi
tatcd outbreak among his friends, why dis
patch messenger to Washington so far ir
advance? If he was apprised, as his con
duct seems to indicate, why were no measures
taken to suppress it in its incipient steps?-
We can find no answer to these questions
except as revealed in the following article, for
which we ask a careful perusal. To it we in
vite the attention of those Democrats who
have taken stock in Seymour's national con.
servatism. If these revelations be true, can
there be doubt existing as to Seymour's re.
laton to the New York mob? As resistants
to the draft, did he not convey his meaning,
when he said, "you are MY FRIENDS, and
am your friend ?' nc ...e
from tho Buffalo Express, July the e1stl
The commissioned officers of the Goth regi-
ment N. G. S. N. Y, residing in the Second
Assembly District of Niagara! county, have
published an address to the citizens of that
District, which contains statement of facts
calculated to startle, not only the community
to whom it is addressed, but the loyal peo-
pie of the entire State. The narrative of these
men may be briefly given.
On receiving the general order issued by
the Adjutant General Of this State, on the
10th Of June, directing the organization of
a regiment of the New York National Guard
in each Assembly District, these officers of
the 66th appointed a meeting to be held at
Wilson, for the purpose of taking proper
steps in execution of the order. Their Dis
trict contained four fully organized Companies
Of the 66th, but the Colonel of that existing
regiment resided elsewhere. In such case,
according to the terms of the order, a Colonel
CT the new district organization was to be ap-
pointed; and these officers expected as mat
ter of course to be consulted IN the selection
of the same. Before their meeting was held,
they received information that one William
McRea, of Cambria. man unknown to them,
without military experience and previously
unconnected with the militia, h ID been ap-
pointed Colonel. Necessarily the appoint
ment was unsatisfactory. They met and
found themselves unanimously desirous of
securing the appointment of Col. Geo. L.
Moote, of Porter. Their feelings were COM
municated to Mr.. McRea, and he expressed
|himself favorably disposed to an accommoda-
ton of the matter, which should take place,
Col. Moote at the head of the regiment, HIM
self taking lower commission. A meeting
was appointed to arrange this settlement,
when suddenly Mr.. McRea's disposition un-
derwent a change; he repudiated his own
propositions, refused to attend any conference,
and declared his resolution to proceed in the
arbitrary exercise of the authority conferred
upon him by the Governor.
And now comes the startling development
to which these difficulties led In conversa-
ton with one of the officers, McRea gave an
explanation of his conduct, and his explana-
ton is reported in their address, as below
1t is the statement of Capt. Seah!enou, and in
introducing it the officers say: "This state
ment was reduced to writing very soon after
the conversation, and Lieut. Petit declares
that Mr.. McRea told him the same, in sub.
stance-in fact, nearly word for word. Those
who know these gentlemen place implicit re-
lance in the truth of the statement, to which
they are ready at any time to testify, which
is as follows" -a
saw Col. McCrea July Z, 1863. He said
to me, about noon, "I did not want the office
Of Colonel in this District; but as it was
pressed on me by men thatI knew to be right
for our Governor, I accepted. will say to
you, but confidentially, the object of this is
to get this militia force into our hands-have
proper men appointed-so if the Governor
wishes to resist the National draft, which he
intends to do, as he thinks it unconstitu-
tional, he can do so safely; for he then will
have proper men in office over this National
Guard, SO as to control it to his wish, resist
the draft, and the people cannot help them
selves, as they will have no military that
they can control to their wish. I have this
from headquarters, from gentlemen that saw
the Governor on this subject. 1t is not only
my own views of the matter, hut the Cover
nor's and our party"
The gentlemen who bring this statement
of alarming facts before the public, are eleven
in number, and by name as follows: Capt
Jas. M. Newman, Capt. H. Eschbaugh, Capt.
j. W. Eggleston, Capt. S. V. Seahlenou, 1t.
VIM. o. Petit, Lieut.. Alvin Wilson, Lieut..
J. Vincent, Lieut.. j. Outwater, Lieut.. S. B.
Miller, Lieut.. William Pool, Quartermaster j.
M. McChesney.
Now, what, it becomes every loyal citizen
to ask, are we to think of this matter? I'll
the testimony here brought, came to us un-
supported by any other indications or eviden- |
ces of a monstrous design, in the reorganiza. |
ton Of the State militia, to make it the instru-
ment of treason to the National Government
"a subservient power in the hands of a |
rebellious State Governor, to be used in re-
sistlng the execution Of national law-then |
we might justly refuse it warrant sufficient
for the harboring of so dreadful a suspicion.
But it does not stand unsupported. There
has been more than one proceeding in con-
nection with Gov. Seymour's sudden under |
taking to reorganize the State militia. of a |
strange and suspicious character. who. for
instance, could find q loyal explanation ofthe |
appointment Of John A. Green, of Syracuse, |
the notorious opponent of the war, and SYM
pathizer with the rebellion, to Brieadier |
Generalship? And why dove hear it init |
mated from all directions, that the minor an |
pointments have been of the same outrageous
characterP e = |
The action of Gov. Seymour in relation to |
the riot Of last week in New York is not cal |
culated to discredit the testimony of his
Niagara County Colonel. Informed before |
hand Of the exact time when the draft would
be commenced in certain flistricts of Nour