Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-10-21

5orS and Friends
/ After nearly two years absence, sit gives
me iae xpressible pleasure 70 meet YOU again
| Some people think there are reasons WHY
military men should not mingle in political
! discussions at home bat notice that. eeis-
! orally, they are those people whose views
/ receive little aid and comfort from such dis
eussioas, and that may account for IL. in q
I great mea sure. At any rate, as an old citi-
! zen of Wisconsin, | claim the right 20 say
| some thing in the crisis which is TO decide tie
position OF Wisconsin in this great struggle
tor tbs defense of the Government. - Il |
| speak Of myself more than IS common, Oh
may appear in good taste, il IS not egotisin,
| nor because ! think myself of more account
than other people, but simply because my
| own experience Is the most convenient illus
| tration of principle.
1 4 WAR DEMOCRAT DISAPPOINTED
i have been so long Democrat-I have so
long been part OF that machine of rae or
| ganization and Power-the Democratic party
that am stricken with establishment that
is something like terror. TO find on my return
| from a prolonged absence, lis wonderful
mechanism,
:: Like -wset bells tangled out OF tune ~
It's wheels and pinions reversed its powers
perverted to danger and TO evil, and all its
capacities for patriotic usefulness c0nYulsed
/ u. i
faithfully The Democratic platform was the
law by which l lived, ami the gospel under
which | served. OF the most pharisaical
PharSees, with the broadest pavlacteries ana
the longest prayers, | ministered at the Dem
ocratic altar. | never lodged an issue. /
never bolted a ticket | never wayertd ;
never doubted. And il WAS no blind, Uurea-
soning idolatTy. To its old principles / still
adhere. " hen slavery became a disturbing
I in roll I I'll ~
others, that this was Government made for
! white men; that the interests and des-
tiny of the black race ought not to
weigh as the fine dust IN the balance when We
( considered What was best for the progress, the
/ greatness and good of our people and that
| any guaranty which might be demanded for
/ the security OF slavery should be fully granted.
And do not know that have changed much.
But when, without sin or prOvoCatIou, those
I To whom had yielded and compromised
/ all, raised their wicked hands and struck =
malignant and murderous blow "a the govern
ment and when they persisted in their gIgan-
tic and patricidal crime | said and say nov,
that every means and measure all the eIe-
! ments Of their weakness ali the sineF5 Of our
strength, should be used 10 subduc and con
quer them. (Applause.) | went to the
war; and after two years, | return and find
this Democratic party, what there Is left OF
! il, in position that YOU cannot tell exactly
! whether its sympathies are with the reyoited
South or the loyal North and agjtlted by
about the same emotions when contemplating
! the result ct tIcksburg, a when cOutempla-
ting the result at Chiekamauga. That is not
my Democracy: (Appiuuse.) The hands
: may be the hands Of Esau, but the voice i.
the voice Of Jacob Not being a. blind a.
Isaac, they are not going 10 fool me. (LauEh
ter and apPlause.) It shall not have my bles
, sing 1t il bogus a delusUu and u snare
, | will denounce it, aud oppose it, as long q.
! they allow soldiers TO talk politics ami vote
: (Renewed applause-l
: OUGHT SOLDIERS TO VOTE.
But this they say they are going to prohib
r IL Enlistin9 il the army ana putting on uni
, form, they say, DISTINGUISHES the citizen. Go,
= bless me ! Because a man i fighting to SAVE
J the government, he shall have no voice il tn,
counsels OF the Government Because hC
: may be killed tomorrow, in defending the
I | rights of frecmen, he shall be deprived TO-DAY
4 OF a treeman's rights. Because he has lei
a home and its comforts, has ruptured socia
e ties and abandoned the eudearneuts Of 10
: ! nestle charities, TO face danger and death, Il
T stand guard and fight battles, TO endure til,
= hardshIps OF his camp, the tolls of the distan
r march, lie Is to be elected from your CaucuseS
= driven from the polls, denied the rights which
the stink, the coward and the traitor enjoy
n and be blackguarded out of his boots il b.
{, opens his mouth for principles that he ha
{ shed his blood 70 defend. (ApplaUse.) A,
: voting for this IS claimed BY Ar. Palmer
l. friends, 10 be q the nJblest act of his life
e We fellows DO not doubt that but, won
/ der, ii this was the nOblest part OF his life
n what the balance must nave been Uaugh
r ter and applause.) We are Of opinion tia
o an election in our camp Is a. honestly conduct
: ed as in any ward in Milwaukee, and a won
Z dertul insight is gained into political sciehc
= through the smoke Of gunpowder, and atte
d ''our Southern brethren have fire few bullet
q at Us. At any rate We do not see how W
: can consistently vote for the man who re
CARDS his vote to prohibit Us from voting at al
+ as - the n0blest act Of his life (Benewe
: aPplause.)
t THE CONSTITUTION AS II l..
II "The Constitution as il Is, and the Unioi
Il as it was" That is the war cry of a faction
: What does that mean , VIII somebody tel
me the Specification of that clap-trap: II j
> means that want no amendments to tn
! Constitution; that we are satisfied with II
= and that II needs no cCbbling, they are 10
going to quarrel with me. Ii i a good thing
/ do not think that an Improvement could b.
suggested. 1t was devised by wise and patri
? otic counsels. Il they mean that We vii
e sustain it al all hazards that viii fiCh
Is for it and die for it-yes, more, that We vii
/ live by and for it, then they are not going t
/ quarrel with me either IF they mean that
:. l. u fair charter of liberty and law; that it
d an existing form and pattern Of free Govern
e ment that our oaths to it are sacred an
L binding obligations then they agree with III
II too. And think all the more Of it, sine
II the Republicans have come around 10 it, SUI
= port-whici they used to DO with some reseI
: vations. laughter But if they mean b
II the Cor-titution some flexible thing that tie
Il can stretch into justification for any freak G
- party; if they mean something that Mr.. Lin
coin has violated rather more systematicall
II than JEFF. Davis has [applausel; if they mea
1t the watchword of faction opposed 10 thi
IT war for sle defense Of the Constitution, the
= cannot agree with them. | have said eis,
q, | where, and I say again, the Consultation
n not this fiimsy thing that the very efforts
: preserve it are destroying It. 1t i not ike
D. "Tae glory III the grass, tie sPeudor Of the flower,
that exhales in a night, and IS withered by
/ frost. Because il does not provide the cal
1t ! bre q Parrot guns, therefore you DO not,
- m opinion, violate it by firing a ten-inc
d shell at rebel tort do not think that 1t
: violated because IA this war. We have to d
IL many things which it does not expressly pc
N nit The Constitution was not made 10 cover
4 campaign in Il civil var War has ts ON
e laws They are supreme and indisputa