Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1863-06-10
Brutalizing Effects of Sympathy
with Treason.
II. c. HART,
Co. c, Cd o. V. C.

"Mourners go about the streets not o
Philadelphia only, but of every city, anC
town and village in the loyal States
Their numbers are S o great that the indi
vidual who has not had a relative o.
friend struck down on the battle field
must be lonely and friendless indeed
Long lists of sick. and wounded and dead
soldiers fill the columns of all our news
papers, and daily funerals have become
as familiar as if some CHASTITY plague over
Swallowed. the land. When we look into
the circumstances of the career of these
wounded or dead patriots. we find that in
cases without number they went into the
camp and battle fields, not from back
slums and disreputable neighborhoods,
but from comfortable even if plain homes
and active scenes of business. Their
conviction was that they could do some,
thing for their country, even if it was but
to die for it, musket in hand, facing the
foe. They felt that if the American PEG,
pie could not trample down rebellion and
restore the old flag to every post of hon
or, then life was valueless and all that we
have learned from independence Hall,
from Lexington and Bunker Hill, from
Valley Forge and Yorktown, had been
learned in vain. Ask the first anguished
mother or wife, or father or son, who now
weep over the body of a loved and lost
one, whether, high above petty motives,
such chivalrous and truly democratic con
v~ictions did not govern the conduct Of
him for whom they mourn. Through a
mist of tears will come your answer,
pride and grief struggling for mastery as
the tale is told. The one great central
fact of the loyal American existence at
this period is the terrible conflict which
must be fought put to the end if we would
not see the structures of our liberties
laid in ruins at the feet of a desperate ar
istocracy of slave-owners, who seek pow
er oyer the bodies of the slain and over
the wreck of democratic institutions. AT
Vicksburg not one hundred feet distance
intervenes between the men who embOdy
the idea of liberty in law and those who
fight for disunion, anarchy and slavery,
and wherever armies confront each other
there the clearly drawn line between
light and darkness is as visible as the sun
at noon.
Now in view of this deadly concentra-
ton of an entire nations life upon such
looucSy Is 1 L IOI dlDdLlilS NldL III Vic SAA1
of Philadelphia, freedoms chosen center
and home, and in the most consecrated
spot in that entire city, a town meeting
to discuss national affairs, could be held
at this very time, and yet not one word of
comfort be uttered for the defenders of.
the Union ? Search if you will every
of the day ; take column by col
umn of the weary platitudes there utter
ed; analyze and scrutinize the resolutions
adopted, as with a microscope, and the
amazing fact is developed that for the
volunteer and sailor fighting under the
proudest ensign Of liberty on which Gods
sun ever shone, not a single syllable of
cheer was uttered Nay, further. not a
speaker, from Lewis to Ingersoll. uttered
.ne word of condemnation of the devil
ish rebellion which is causing murder and
every other terror of civil war to infect
the land like u pestilencei
We entreat loyal men to consider this
thing. Let any man who seeks to con-
nect himself with the leaders of such
pause and bethink him of
whether Common humanity, common pa
common feeling for kindred and
country and flag. can have a home in the
vile bodies, minds or hearts of demagog-l
les who can thus coldly insult their be-
reaved neighbors and fellow citizens, and
.hus deliberately ignore the holy instinct
IN behalf of Liberty and Union which
las brought the armies of the Republic
nto the field, and which sustains them
n the field of battle, in the hospital, or
IN the bed of death.-PhA. BuAetn.