The Portage County Democrat. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1868, 1863-06-10
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
WASHINGTON, Saturday EVENING"
May 80, 1868.
To THE EDITORS OF THE INDEPENDENT /:

TO THE EDITORS OF THE INDEPENDENT:
The funeral of Gen. Kirby took place a
few hours ago from the residence of General
ricketts,. He was wounded in one of the re-
cent battles near the Rappahannock, and was
brought up to this city by kind friends, and
was tenderly nursed. On Thursday, the Pres
dent went to the bedside of the dying man,
and gave to him, with his own hands, the
commission of a Brigadier- General. The SOL
dier received it proudly, but did not survive
the scene but few hours. While 1 write,
the Northern train of cars is bearing his re-
mains to his recent home in Jefferson county.
New York.
The funeral cortege passed down the ave-
nue. this afternoon-a solemn and impressive
sight. A military funeral is thing of week
ly, almost daily, occurrence in Washington,
and yet never stop on the sidewalk and lis
ten to the mournful music to the muf1ed
drums-I never gaze at the riderless horse and
the reversed arms-without gazing more
deep and thorough appreciation of the hor
rors of war, and more especially of that in
stitution which made the war inevitable. The
| two thousand millions of debt which the war
may leave as legacy to the nation, is moth
ing, but its impost of blood it is very hard to
bear. So thinks the poor widow who came
down a thousand miles from the West, few
days ago, to see her wounded boy in a Wash
ington hospital-and found him in his simple
grave, with pine board to mark his place of
| interment.
| Yet it is slavery and nothing else which
rendered peace impossible, and with this fact
staring the nation in the face, there are men
so stupid, or so wicked, as to desire compro-
mise with the power which has plunged us in
| to such horrors There is, however, no long
er danger of a compromise, and certainly not
under the present Administration. The only
| possibility of disgraceful arrangement with
the rebellious States, is through the triumph
of the Copperheads at the next Presidential
election. Such calamity as that is impossi-
BILE, unless we shall sigually fail in the con-
duct of the war during the next twelve
months, and i'll that event the rebels them
selves will be so elated with their success
that they will spurn all overtures for peace
except upon the basis of an acknowledge
ment of their independence. If we triumph
in the war, of course Copperheadism is dead
The President has most fully committed
his Administration to the policy of military
conscription. Not member of the Cabinet
now dissents from the doctrines of the Presi-
dent. I am told that Mr.. Seward, in CONVEX
sations with some of his pro-slavery friends,
has recently informed them that in no posi-
bic contingency will the Government aban-
don its position on this subject, because its
honor and the honor of the nation has been
pledged to the colored race, and we are now
appealing to that race to arm in our and their
own defense. Mr.. Blair, who was last winter
and autumn disbehever in military conscrip-
ton, is now supporting it by his speeches ov-
er the country. He is lending his influence
to the friends of emancipation in Maryland
in the political campaign just opening in that
State. speak of this matter the more read
lily because in past days, when Mr. Blair stood
with the pro slavery men of the country,
have very freely criticised him in this cores
pondence. Let him have the good wishes of
all anti-slavery men in his present course
i No man has so surprised the anti-slavery
public, and agreeably surprised it, as
Gen. Thomas. / e was frank pro-slav-
cry man when the war opened, and
there were many things connected with his
family calculated to excite suspicion. But he
has proved himself moi only true and hon
est, but a great man. 1t is only an enlarged
intellect as well as heart that will at his age
cast off the prejudices of lifetime for the
sake of his country. He has done this and is
engaged in the nobIest work man ever was en-
gagged upon. His fathfulness to the negro
race in the Southwest is touching. He not
only labors to create negro regiments, but he
endeavors to give to the negro families the
ordinary comforts of life. He stands between
the slave of the Southwest and the white OPP
pressor and thief who would despoil him of
his rights. And in saying this I do not refer
to the rebel STAKEHOLDER, but to prc-slavery
Union men in and out of the army. There
e are to-day almost as many enemies of the
eolored man in the loyal States as in those
3 under the control of the rebel leaders A
slave needs just about as much protection in
, Washington to-day as he would in Richmond
or Charleston if our armies occupied those
towns. 1t is powder and lead alone which
makes it safe for slave to escape from Vir-
r ginia here. And it is not safe for slave to
: fly from Maryland to Washington He will
be arrested and sent back to his master by the
| Government that is expecting Gods blessing