Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1863-09-23

this. don't see why our Governor, who
is worn out by the duties of his office,
should lead the van of the militia, when
General Couch, United States officer, is
with us. There is disposition on the
part of Mr.. Cameron to drag the Cover
nor from his legitimate duties. / would
as soon the President of this meeting
should be our leader, and be is as much
fitted and called upon to perform that
duty as the Governor
Mr.. Cameron. I an ready to shoulder
a muSket and go as a pirate under the
! Governor.
"Governor Curtin then said he could
do no more than this: he would 90 as he
did last fall, when he went with the mill
tia to Hagerstown, but got from the
United States the cooperation of a mill
tary mind to direct immediate operations.
Thus we give from the Harrisburg
papers Of June 10th, Gov. Curtin's own
statements-an attempted defense, but a
real confession. He declares, in effect,
that he knew of the contemplated invasion
by jenkins 'slast week. that is, from
about the Sth of June, a week before the
preliminary movement of the enemy, and
more than two weeks before their army
entered the State. Worse even than this,
the Governors speech was actually de-
livered twelve days before Lee crossed the
Potomac, and all these occurrences were
more than eight months after the empha-
tic warning OF Stuart's raid
To avoid possibility of error and con-
sequent injustice, let us marshal the dates
October, IS62,-Stuart's invasion.
June 8, l963.-Curtin knew that the
State was about to be invaded a second
time.
June 14-Jenkins entered Pennsylva-
MIA
June 15.-Curtin's Harrisburg speech.
June 26.--Lee entered York and Car
Isle at the head of the rebel Army OF
Virginia.
July 2-4-The battle Of Gettysburg.
The Governor did some things and we
give him the benefit OF them.
, He supplicated the president for means
: of defense, but it was refused, and thus,
he says, ''we were treated wrongly. y
Was it fit that the Governor Of the great
State of Pennsylvania should crouch as 8
beggar, to be spurned from the foot Of the
Federal throne Was not every cItiZer
thus insulted in the person of the Cover
nor Would they have dared thus tC
: treat us, if Governor Curtin had rightly
represented the dignity and power of ou
ancient Commonwealth, instead, as hC
! himself states, g being willing to conced'
EVERYTHING to the administration"
The duty of the Governor was clear
: instant attack of the assailants Defea
; is not necessarily disgrace, but submission
l is always infamy. Timely preparation
E would have avoided either
I We admit that Pennsylvania wa
4 deeply wronged by the Federal Executive
e that half of the men whom she has fur
nished for this war could have defended
9 the sanctity of her soil, and that in pre-
venting them from doing so, the admins
e tration was both base and cruel that
i probably, the refusal to sanction Governo
e Curtin's call for the militia, was delber
t ately designed to arouse our people, b.
V ravage of their homes, and plunder c
O their property and, in short, that w
: were the victims of the weakness an
e wickedness Of our rulers.
S inc the natural right of self-defense.
l. is not in the presence of peril that the re
d mote cause is to be considered, except fC
r the purpose of future punishment. 1t
: not when the enemy thunders at our gate
If that we are to pause and hesitate, because
It if others had done their duty, he woul
l. not be there 1t is not when the foe hs
d us by the throat that we are to speculat
v as to who set him on. Our State We
menaced, invaded. insuted. 1t was ii
rt clear duty of the Governor to use b
10 ample power for preparation and, havlr
) for months neglected this, at least
, should have called on the militia on ii
= 9Th of June to take arms and Instant
~ repel the attack made or threatens
ID Pennsylvania was strong enough to pr
a tect herself; patriotic enough to mai
/ every effort and any sacrifice which w
= necessary. The might that slumbers
10 the yeoman's arm, is irresistible wh'
II aroused. Surely, lethargy itself would
n excited at such time as this, and
ry Governor Curtin long slumbered and sic
bt and was, at length, awakened on the 10
al of June, only to present pltlable specf
Gle of imbecile terror, incapable OF bel
! stimulated to the courage of combat ev
&c by the taunts of Cameron-consoledo OF
by the fact, stated by himself, that 9
had no property" which could be reach
and that, though ''the rebels had prot
blv destroyed the beautiful valley on
m west," he was safe because they VIZ