The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1864-10-21
Letter from q Laboring Man.
The RMesss Of Radical and Cen.
servative Policy Contrasted.


ing place In your paper.
Being only laboring man, without any SET
tied home, do not read the papers regularly,
nor do profess to keep posted on the times.
But on reading the st. Paul Press of date Oct.
5th, perceive 1t makes great gloriication
about the great things the abolition policy has
done for the benefit of the Union. q
It appears to mo that the whole column and
half is made up of falsehoods and twaddle.
He says We tried for year and q half to make
war and restore the Union without abolition,
and that "That year and half was the most
disastrous and unsuccessful period of the war,
and cost rs two-thirds of all the blood and
treasure expended in the war. !" .'''''' '..'.' -
Who could suppose that any man having
pretensions to intelligence, truth or respecta-
billity, would publish so monstrous untruths7
During that period only 500 900 three-years
men according to the Presidents calls, } and
perhaps about 100, 900 three-months men, had
been sent into the field. During this time
New Orleans and various strong forts In its
vicinity were taken. Port Royal Hilton Head,
Newborn and numerous other places along the
coast were taken; so were Norfolk and Ply
mouth, and Western Virginia was almost
cleared Of rebels and formed into new State.
The strongholds Of Donelson, Columbus, Island
No. 10, Memphis and Corinth were taken.
So were Fort Henry and Nashville, and, I
think, st. Augustine, Fla Scarcely q rebel
(under arms) was to be seen In the States of
Kentucky and Missouri; and all this with
500, 900 men. Besides al this an immense
feet had been prepared. - --
In August 1862, The calls for 900, 900 men
came ont and in September the ediet of ensn-
clpation. Then came on the abolition policy
which tho Press says has produced results 90
almighty In . little over two years, and with
only one-third Of the blood and treasure az
pended in the war. He forgot to tell us that
this policy, Combined with the plundering
and wanton and barbarous destruction com.
mitted BY our armies) has extinguished every
particle Of Union feeling which had been left In
the South; had fought the battles of Freder-
icksburg and Charlottesville; had allowed Lee
to cross the Potomac unmolested with his army
and immense plumber, and Early to burn
Chambersburg and other places in Pennsylva-
mia only this present summer. Well, but we
have taken Vicksburg. True, but at what Sac
riAce7 How many lives were lost in Sher-
mans attempt in January, 1852 and how
many thousand in the spring and summer IN
til it was taken And of what benefit is Vicks.
burg? Not boat load of merchandise has
passed up or down yet, that know of! It
was taken under the Abolition policy at loss
of probably one thousand times as many men
as New Orleans, though the battle place is of
fifty times greater importance than Vicksburg.
I could fill sheet in noticing the falsehoods
and balderdash ofjust about every sentence OF
that column and half.
The first 500, 600 men during the first year
and half did very near all that has been done
Misunderstanding the Union, although blood
sufficient to make rivers has since been shed.
Where are now the 100000 thousand called
out in August 1892 Where are the zoo, 900
called out under the first consumption law?
And where will the 500, 600 now called for be
in twelve or eighteen months? .
With all this sickening and immense loss of
life, limb and health, what have we done to-
wards restoring the Union? Have we ever got
TENNESSEE No; for at this very time, that
State is as completely overrun with guerillas
as it ever was; and Kentucky and Missouri are
in the very same condition they were when
the abolition policy was adopted.
1t is easy to say that we have taken three
fourths of the territory from the rebels.
That they will throw down their arms, and
come back to the Union in ten days after Pres
ident Lincoln shall have been reelected. Yes,
just as easy as it was to say in the Spring of
1861, that ninety days was sufficient to march
through the South, and scatter the rebels like
chaff before the wind.
In the same paper the editor displays his
wonderful arithmetical abilities about the vote
of Maine, and other things, to such degree,
that think his bump of numbers has slately
grown far beyond its natural proportion; and,
in this. its unnatural growth, has absorbed
considerable part of what little brains he had
In the other organs.
He says gold has lately fallen from 246 to
1873, which raises the value of currency nearly
fifty per cent. Now, Mr.. editor, make the
rise to be thirty instead of fifty per cent, and
call upon any of our school teachers who may
read this, to send you Tor the Press note say
ing which of US is right.
Respectfully yours, ky. z.
Important DecisiOn bv the War De.