The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1863-12-24
cAANGING rmONr.

Soon after the present Congress organ.
ized, Peace Resolutions were presented
in the House and received fifty- nine Dem
ocratic votes On their passage. Subse.
q quently the members OF the party held a
caucus and decided to adop. war plat.
form and vote for the war measures OF
tho Administration.
Now, though we have no faith in this
new war fever Of Fernando and Ben.
Wood, Coz, Peudleton 4 Co., yet the
fact that they have been constrained to
act the hypocrite and pretend that they
are IN favor Of supporting the war meas
ufes Of fhe Administration to crush the
rebellion, furnishes the strongest kind of
testimony in favor of the policy of the
Administration and the IL ost unequiyocai
c6ndennation of the course of the VaIlap.
digham Peace Democracy throughout the
North.
The Chicago Post, which is Demo.
ciatic war paper, aud yet has stuck to the
t1eason-prcpagating Democratic peace or
ganization all the time, expresses its tr,.
umph over the Valandi CHAM wing of the
party In view Of their recent change OF
front, in the following jubilant strains:
Upon the doctrine tha. TO support the
further prosecution of the war was ins an.
ity and abolitionism, the contemplate
demagogues who have fastened upon the
Democratic party, like barnacles 10 ship,
plunged that party into a confic. with
the American people. Instead OF being
the supporters OF their country against its
enemies in time of war, instead of being
the bold aud unrelensing defenders of an
unbroken Union, and an unbroken Con-
stitution, as they had been since the days
Of Jefferson, the Democratic party found
Itself, through the agency of these miser-
able creatures. defending the rebellion,
defending secession, defending treason
and piracy; defending war on land aud
sea against abe flag OF the Union they
feand themselves, instead OF beiug she
bulwark OF the Union and the Cons,itu-
tion, as they had ever been. the oIen
enemies of their own Government, The
advocates Of the disintegraiion of tie
S ates, and OF the formation oil new Re-
public wi.h par, Of the old left ont they
found themselves reversing Decalur's
glorious motto aud making it read, "our
country always wrong, but right or wrong,
we are against it." While the rebels
were denying entrance 80 the Auaerioan
flag at Charleston, while they were firing
on aud sinking boats loaded with the sick
and dying on the Mississippi, while un-
armed citizens were shot down Ike dogs
in their own doors By Quan,rcl, while it
was the sacrifice of mans life to assert
that be was an American citizen in eleven
OF the States OF the American Union, the
Democratic party through the agency OF
these brethren of the Confede,ates, found
itself without one word OF reproach ior
the rebellion. without one word of yico--
ous condemnation of its leadcrs, but &C.
lively engaged in splitting hairs upon
Lincoln's right to make apostles Of liberty
of such filthy clay as DIR. Olds and a score
Of others. Against Lincoln's Violations
Of law in the arrest of some hundred citi-
zens Of the North, the Democratic party
was intensely vehement, but against tile
Killing of hundred thousand os the best
men of the republic At Belmont, on the
Potomac. at Donclson, at Shiloh, at
Vicksburg, at Murfreesboro, at Mill
Springs, aud 6fty other plsces. while en-
gagged in defending the flag and executing
the laws Of their country, there went up
no word OF condemnation. Though rct
very old, we can remember how the
Democratic party had their hearts fired
when Democratic President informed
the country that American blood had
been shed on American soil; we can re-
member how armies were raised, naries
fitted out, battles fought, and whole
country conquered to revenge that outrage
But under the leadership of 1868, the
Democratic party listened complacently
to the intelligence Of the killing and
manning of thousands of Americans upon
American soil, and Democratic legisla-
lures and Democratic conventions voted
that the further prosecution of the war
was inexpedient, and that it was better to
have peace-a peace leaving two-thirds Of
tie territory OF the nation in the hands Of
the slayers of the faithful, patriotic, bra, Q
and gallant defenders of the flag of the
Union Democrats who did not huxza
for thSe strange doctrines, proclaimed by
the sef-appointed leaders, as democracy,
were denounced as abolitionists or insane.
The party lash was applied. but applied in
vain. The Democratic party came cut Of
that conflict with the American people,
not only worsted, but deseryedly expelled
from power and place in every State from
Maine to California where an election had
been held.
Wisdom comes by experience. Had
the Democratic party repudiated Seymour
in Connecticut, and nominated man who
had 20 sympathy for rebellion, and some
sympathy for those engaged in suppress
ing it, the elections Of 1868 would have
resulted even more favorabfy than those
of 1862. But it was not dono. To sup
port the war was insanity or abolition,
Al