Evansville daily journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1863-1866, 1864-07-08
spesshes OF tKo Copperhead Bsaia.
gOgues. @z

7
oace. where I found from fifty to one
hundred persons, including boys
Presently tall, spare man, With some
hair on his face, whom afterwards a.
certained to be S. K Wolfe, Esq, of
Harrison county, took the stand and
"spoks piece" about an hour long He
Informed his hearers that their liberties
were mostly "clean gomez" that they
we're living under government more
tyrsunical aud less free than any gov
eminent Of Europe; that they have no
freedom Of speech or freedom of the
press; that the "purpis" of the Lincoln
government is to establish military
despotism upon the ruins Of our once
happy republic; that war with the South
would never reconstruct the Union; that
the rebellion never can be put dewn BY
fighting; that We are no farther ad-
vanced in crushing the rebellion than we
we're three years ago; that the Democrs-
| cy are for az ''armis,ice" and conven-
lion Of all the States, and compromise
| Of all difficulties; that the South Only
wants an opportunity of this kind in or
der to come back into the Union under,
the old Constitution; at least be thought
the South would come back, If proper
oyerturss were made to her: il not, then
! he would distress" her little more.
He insisted that he was neither
"War Democrat nor . peace Demo
| crAt"-that he was a Democrat with
neither of those tails" He explain
| ed no further as to that very useful or
gan in fly time; from which / infer that
be is merely Democrat with a scolfs
tail. He said he was for Cancellation.
Perhaps he il Democrat with Econ
eiliatory" tail. He said we can't subiu-
gate the Sosth. MOI mol it cant be
done. We must stop fighting. The
time for which our soldiers enlisted has
nearly expired, and they are coming
| home. There will soon be draft for
], 900, 900 more men, and il gentlemen
for Lincoln, but for some good Democrat
who will stop the war and unite the
country; that be and his party do not in
tend TO be voted into the army, bat then
intend 10 make IL Too hot at home for
those toho shaH attempt 10 vote them
into the army What does this mean ?
Finally he told the crowd that he
wanted to 20 to Congress from the Sec
ond district; that he had done a great
deal for the party; that he was Demo-
cratic Eleetor for the District in 1856
delegate to the Democratic Convention
at Charleston in 1860, and more recent
" State Senator from the counties Of
Washington and Harrison, and referred
them to the Journal Of the Senate fer
evidences of his labor presume you
have heard of him before, aud are well
posted as to his '.utili,y." Not being
mnch acquainted With the great men Of
Indiana, can't say what be has done,
but from his own statements and refer
euees | Judge that he is an eminent
man" and ought, by ell means, to be in
Congress If Mr. Lincoln only had the
advantage of his wisdom and bis eoun-
sci, have no doubt bat gold would de
cline, and the prospects of the Republic
brighten, unless, as ] strongly suspect,
he should turn out to be "wolf in
sleeps clothing
After this Wolfa got through barking,
a long, gaunt, ugly looking fello~, got
up to "speak bis piece From his
lank appearance / thought be must be
John of Gaunt / didn't know him,
and never heard Of him before, but thew
called him Laird "--some called him
Davy" and others called him Judge"
think his name is "Davy Laird"
but as to his being Judge" doubt
that. They call him that for q nick
name, suppose, for I never saw a real
Judge act and talk like he did. If be is
Judge be is either very ignorant or
very dishonest, politically never be-
fore heard such audsciOus falsehoods
promulgated. The speech OF Wolfe, bad,
unpAtriotic and false as it was in matter
| Of fact and conclusions, was very re-
| spectacle in comparison with Laird As
specimen Of his logic will give you
bis opening syllogism, to-wit:
"When the wicked rule, the people
mourn The people do mourn-Ergo,
Our rulers are wicked.
/ You see this was we'll put, and con-
WINGED his hearers that the speaker was
not only q statesman, but 9 man Of cru
dition. He quoted largely from Script
ures, from which infer that be has
seen better days-possibly may have
been 9 preacher, or, at least, an exhorter
Several times be exclaimed in freazied
tones, "what shall we do to be saved p
Don't this prove that heretofore he has
been alarmed at his own condition.
May be you have heard Of him before.
and know all about him. He said he
was Fillmore elector in the I'd District
in 1856. If so, then, he aud Wolfe, his
present associate in political viliainy.
were opposed to each other at that time.
They appear TO be very intimate now.
What changes time brings about
Laird says we cant subiugate the
South, and ought not if we could-that
he has lately read the Declaration of Ia
dependence, and finds that coereing the
South is all wrong and contrary to the
teachings of that document From that
immortal paper his logical mind framed
syllegism No 2, as follows: LN
Governments are instituted among
men deriving their just powers from the
consent of the governed.
| The South does not consent to come
back into the Union, and be governed by
the Constitution and laws of the United
States.
Ergo: The United States have no
right to coercs the South back into the
Union.
He dweIt particularly upon this prop
ositiou, and begged his hearers to
remember that without the consent Of the
South it was wrong to insist upon her
remaining in or returning 10 the Union
In low, personal abuse of the Presi-
dent and his friends--in bawdy-house
anecdotes and blaekg1ardism-and in
an6lushing blasphemy, the speech of
Laird would De hard to excel The in
deceney of the remarks of both these
speakers was such that both of them.
while speaking, inquired anxiousIy If
there were any ladies present There
were none. The ladies of Cannelton
seem TO have a proper appreciation of