Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1863-06-04

duces on the mind Of the soldier--could
they see the clenched fist, the compressed
lips, the blsnched cheek, and the burning
eye," &C. Not his clenched fist, 60, as
the Gazette falsely and meanly has il nor
had hc any allusion to the draft in this con.
nection, but 10 the Noble County affair,
which the Gazette characterixes as false
intelligence"
In the winding up Of this beautiful intro.
ductiop, the soldiers are plainly given to
understand that they must not NEEDLE with
little matters of treason at homo, such as
resisting military authority in arrestine
and taking back deserters resisting the
draft, and giving aid and comfort to the on /.
emy. That such in the minds of soldiers IL
all the result Of false intelligence. That
their duty is exclusively in front, and not
with rebel sympsthizers in the rear; the
latter must be left free in order to preserve
the Constitution as il is, and the Union As
it was" The Gazette, says IF the SOL
diers will but beat back the rebels and can.
ture their armies, the people will preserve
the Constitution, even under all the Difficult
ties that now surround US. (The soldiers
OF course have ceased to be part Of the
people.)
"The soldier and the citizen each hare n
~orh to pcrtorm, and il ,oiA be peR for tho
country " each Is permitted to do his duty
~ahou the interference of the other"
Soldiers! do you hear that2 You must
beat back the rebels" in front, if you can
do so without disturbing the rebels in the
rear You must capture the rebel army, if
you can do so without interfering with tho
rights and privileges of those who are at
home taking care Of the Constitution, BY
opposing every measure Of the Government
Instituted to strengthen our own army and
weaken that Of the enemy
Tho Gazette wants no interference by SOL
diers with things at home. 1t iy very uu.
pleasant to have to publish such letters.
and altogether unjustifable in the soldiers
to write them. How could the Constitution
be maintained, if there was not a party at
home to oppose all the war measures of the
Government |; for they have all been de-
clared unconstitutional by such men as Val
landigham, and by such other lesser lights
rs congregate about the Gazette Office, and
by the whole JEFF. Davis Administration.
and by Democrats generally in the seeded
States. With such an array of authority,
is it not the very hight of presum ption in
the common soldier to be writing letters in
condemnation Of the conduct of rebel sym.
pathizers, when their only object in oppo
sing the war is 10 "save the Constitution, 4"
and not to give aid and comfort to the enc
my directly-as every honest man must ad. |
NIT it does indirectly, if not directly. The
doctrine Of the Gazette would shut the
mouths of the soldiers. They are frankly
told that their business is with the enemy
In front-'to capture their armies" Ifl
any one Of them happens to exercise the
rights Of an American citizen in writing a
letter to friend for publication, he must
not speak Of rebel sympathizers with dis.
respect, unless he wishes his productiop SO
verely critzed and his language basely per
rerted. The soldiers are fast learning who
are their friends.