Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1863-09-18

For Supreme Judge.
John f. DILLON, of Scott county.
To the Democratic Central Com.
mittee of MuscAtfne County:
You propose, through the liberality Of
your party friends, to have three barbacues
in this county, for the purpose Of advancing
your party interests. These barbacues
Knight be considered eminently praise
worthy, if so many soldiers had left their
families in comfortable circumstances at
home" But you must know, gentlemen of
the committee, that the wives and children
of many CT the soldiers are actually this very
day suffering for the want of the beef and
mutton you propose to deal out at political
barbacues, and that this want will increase
as the season for beef end pork packing ap-
proaches.
"Were you to ascertain the wishes of the
soldiers in this respect, they would assure
you that their happiness and comfort would
be the better consulted if you would appro
pirate the money set apart for the gratitica-
ton of your own stomachs, to furnish food,
if not raiment, to those who have the right to
expect of them some contribution from you
You certainly should know, gentlemen of the
Democratic committee, that the individual
who leaves family and enters the army as a
private soldier, and receives only private'S
pay, cannot, under the most favorable cir
cumstances, provide any too much for his
family. Hence the families of such private
soldiers must be dependent upon the kind
ness and generosity of those who remain at
home, to a considerable extent. You are
doubtless aware, too, that many Of your par
ty have been generous in their devotions in
behalf of sick soldiers and their needy fami-
lies, while the great mass of your party have
contributed neither money, kind words, nor
goods Many of your party promised much
at the outset of this rebellion, but have per
formed little You likewise know that had
it not been for the generous donations of
prominent Abolitionists to the Ladies' Benev-
client Society of this city, many of these fam
lilies would have suffered from both cold and
hunger, as one of your number has already
made public.
The Benevolent Society which, through
the aid of "Abolitionists," for two years past
has sent out its angels of charity to feed and
clothe the soldiers wife and watch by the
bedside of his sick babe, has suspended, and
unless you make up your minds to abandon
your own greediness and give up your sur
plus beef, mutton and pork, and come to the
aid of these families, they must suffer on and
on, while the husband and father wee2s as
he contemplates the motive which prompts
you to stuff your own we'll fed bread-baskets
at barbacues for the purpose Of creating and
keeping in existence opposition to the Gov
eminent, now struggling for its very life, in
stead of alleviating the necessities Of the wife
and little ones he has left behind. Do not
think because a tory officer or an "army cor
respondent" compliments you for your inter
est in their political standing that the heart
of the private soldier is gladdened by your
malignant opposition to a just and good Gov
eminent, or an occasional gratuitous copy of
your county organ. What cares the soldier
for your generation of the "Consti' ution as it
is and the Union as it was" or for the sue
cess of Copperhead ticket, when the mail
brings him news Of your grand barbacues,
as well as of the suffering Of his wife and lit
~ hot 90 <bo
to bed with stomachs filled with beef and
mutton, with relishes, his darlings went sup
PEERLESS? We direct your attention to no
fancy picture, but to one vouched for by one
of your own number.
Gentlemen, you assume the name of De-
mocracy, properly defined "the greatest good
to the greatest number" We presume you
use the word to induce ignorant voters to be-
lieve, as the Democracy prior to 1861 was
always loyal to the country, so are you. But
remember that something besides barbacues
conduces to the greatest good, especially when
given by men in sympathy with treason and
rebellion. Ifyou are Democrats remember
distinction between candidates for Congress,
Senators, or editors, and the noble soldiers
who are fighting for their country's honor
and perpetuity.
Gentlemen, you have the means now Of
proving your loyal Democracy, and we would
like to believe that you will hesitate and
heed our suggestion. You degrade your in
tellects by paying so much heed to your
stomachs. You detract much from the noble
Bile name of Democracy by using barbacues
to make votes that shall be used against the
bullets of our brave boys. You have now
the power to rise above the low and treason
able Vaccinations of tory tricksters, and build
up for yourselves loyal reputation. True,
you may, by carrying out your barbacues,
receive the plaudits of those who desire the
Davis Confederacy to become nation-who
clamor for peace on any terms, and make
some ignorant voters believe that your De-
mocracy is that of Jefferson, Jackson, and
Douglas-but you cannot help perceiving
that while you do that you forever lose the
respect and esteem Of the gallant private SOL
diers whose wife and babe may be suffering
for the want of your feast!ng-some "melt-
ing hand of charity" to assure them that
though the night be dark after the barbecue,
there is some gentle friend claiming the name
of Democrat who thinks more Of q soldiers
family than a Copperhead barbecue. Let
that gentle hand be the democratic County
Central Committee" and when the story OF