The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1864-09-30
"FOR PEACE, UNION, AND
LIBERTY

This motto. We notice, is Cisplayed 10
many Copperhead papers as the signal
words of the party during this campaign.
And yet what meaning is TO be attached
to them What kind OF peace, of Union,
OF liberty is it "Peace" with traitors,
with armed rebels who have inaugurated
a war against the Government to destroy
it; who have changed the fair picture OF
the national peace and prosperity and glory
that Tor eighty years was ours into one OF
otnags and desoation and death =
"Psace' with the pirates that have been
turned loose upon the high seas to pun
der our merchantmen, destroy our com
merce and drive our shipping from the
ocean. Peace with the rebel chiefs who
-proiigal of pe'juries with premeditated
villainy used the positions of patronag
and powet that they had acquired in the
Ivernmeut to co npass its destruction.
"Pesee" with bushwhackers, with guer
rillas, with nt.thro i,s ,s-wiih those who
have starved AMI matreated our prison.
ers-with the barbarians who have made
necklaces OF the bones, anl cups of the
skulls of our dead; who have butehered
our soldiers. bayoneted cur wounded,
hunted down Union men with blood
hounds, aad given them TO prison and the
lash and tic gsllows Peace" with
t!ee wouid-be assassins OF constitutions,
liberty; peace with hostile armies who
are determined TO disrupt the Union and
will listen to 10 terms of peace other than
the unconditional recognition of the in-
depen lence of the Southern C1nfederacy
Is this the peace the Democracy would
give usy Is it to a peace that involves
the division Of the country, the over
throw of The Government, the surrender
Of all for which We have been fighting The
last three years that we are invited? l.
it the peace Of Mr. Pendletou who would
"let the seeding States depart in peace
let them establish their Government and
empire aud work out their destiny ac-
eording to the wisdom which God has
given them? Il must be; but our brave
solliery who have gone steadily on for
long months in the work of putting down
the rebellion who have rolled the tide Of
battle South, thousand miles from where
a. the commencement of the strife its
surges broke upon our own State boun
dlry who have constantly closed up
ranks in their advance from which noble
comrades fell to rise no more who have
reached their arms South and clasped
hands with our proud naval heroes in the
Gilfof n xlco, cleaving asunder the Con-
federaey and giving the whole extent o!
tne Mississippi 10 our control the thou
sands who have been sacrificed in this
war. the debt incurred, the great exer,
,ions that have been made, the priyations
and suffering undergone. our losses and
achievements-al these forbid such q
peace. as disastrous and disgraceful.
"Uuion.' 1t must be the union OF Sc
ceded Sta es, or Of the North estern Con
federacy for which Copperheads have bee
clamoring, or Union with New Englan,
left out 10 the cold "a pet Copperhea
rrtjecl). or that Union of new republic
which was talked of in the Chicago Con
vention, or that Union without "main
t,inipg the national unity" for which thu
Convention evidently declared by the re
lection OF Washington Hunts proposltio
t. iusist upon maintaining it. Some ,
these must hsve been meant by the Col
perheads. They surely cannot mean Il
undivided Union OF all the States aud te
riiories which the Union party and tt
Administration cling to aud are fishlir
for. Ii they meant the latter they won
not have placed disuuionlst on the
ticket as their candidate for the Vic
Presidency. They would have denouuc.
rebsilon and secession in their platforn
they would have pledged themselves
eternal hostility 10 any and all schem
and Efforts 10 destroy tue Governmer
they would not persistenty oppose all t
measures Of the Administration tendi
10 preserve the Union aud TO crush
power Of the rebellion, if they were be
,stly and earnestly in favor OF an un
vided Union.
"Liberty" viii the Copperlead |
mocIacy dare talk of IbertyI The 81
pie, obsequious worshippers Of the sls
olgarchy, ready to surrender the ter
tory CT the Union to the slave-driv,
adheren.s Of a system which traffies in
bodies and lives Of men and which had
duced 10 slavery four millions Of hun
beings, aud joining with The slavehol
in clai ming for the dapnable ius,itu:
The sanction of Divinltv-of right