The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1864-04-09
THE COLES COUNTY AFFAIR.

| Pfopaoiy Iail 10 JUSTIFY Inc assault OF Tue
men from Sheriff D HAIRS settlement upor
the soldiers, show at least that they were
not without deep provocation. The SOL
diers involved were the 54th Ill. veteran
regiment, who are at home on 80 days fur
Tough. The regiment has been in service
nearly three years, have always borne the
reputation of being trough, and ther
entire roll Of honor thus far shows one
man killed and two wounded The resi-
ment, like many moro Of our Illinois regi-
ments since entering the service, has been
thoroughly abolitionized, and taught to be
lieye that Democrats (or "copperheads,"
as their superior officers teach them to call
Democrats) are no better than rebels.
In Coles county parties are closely ball
anced, and party spirit run. high. These
soldiers, thus taught, had been .ao:!e "a
strumsnts in the hands Of the abolition
leaders to commit outrages on Democrats,
cater the manner of the of the outrases in
Warren county of which a detailed account
is given in our first page.) Scores of the
most respectable men in Coles county
among them the venerable Judge Consta-
BILE, COR being Democrats, were seized, NAL
treated, and required to take the
oath" (whatever that may have been) by
these soldiers. Sheriff O. Hair had been
particularly the object ofsuch annoyance
On the day Of the outbreak, Court cons
| manced at Charleston, and, in addition,
the Hon. j. r. Eden was posted for .
democratic speech. The men from o.
LIARS settlement, knowing that they
would have the advantage over their op
penents in town that day, came armed, and
probably determined to have q row with
the soldiers But the day passed off quiz
city until p. m Whas business had the
soldiers there at that hour? The regime t
had been ordered to leave Nation at -
o'clock on the same day. 1t is further
shown, that while the O'Hair rnen were
doubtless ripe for a row, the soldiers also
had weapons concealed in neigh boring
houses, so TIA. preparations were equally
made on both sides.
The only political significance tho out
break in Coles county can have is, that the
democrats in that region have made up
tier minds that ruAianism is game at
which two sides can play The events
succeeding the outbreak, however, have
taught another lesson, and that is, the
necessity of GOODNESS and caution on the
RI nf Darpccrofs
tality. The OHair men at Charleston
were, beyond much question, On the day,
the aggressors. This gave the abolition
government at Springfield an excuse for
hurting upon the people there = regiment
or two of soldiers, aad now there will be no
end to the outrages and brutality to which
they will be subjected. Some 40 demo-
Gratis, The dispatches say, have already
been arrested and sent to S.se=S ngfeld. In
the Ane Of constitutional law and decen.
cy. by what authority? 1t is new thing
and = fearful thug too,-that men for
committing 4 riot, can be taken out Of
their own county to be- tried by o military
commission. The democrats in Warren
county, by their bareback cavalry" acted
more pradently, and taere, We imagine,
abolition outrages against peaceable ci.i-
zens have come to an end The outragss
against the peaceable democratic citizens
of Coles county, on the other hand, we
take 1t have only begun.
The moral we deduce fromthis and similar
outbreaks is, that ifpolitical madmen in
the north would preserve the peace and
prevent civil war at home, they must unite
VITA the conservative men OF all parties
to disabuse the minds Of the soldiers, as
well as many dupes and fools at home, of
the false and devilish impression, tina. the
democrats of the north are in sympathy
| with the rebels and would really aid them
against the Union armies These charges
are the Invention purely Of party malevo.
lense, and as false as they are criminal
| There are not so democrats north of Ma.
/ son Il Dixons line who would not give
their ell to crush the rebellion and restore
the Union, or who will consent that the
war shall cease until this is contaminated
! They differ with the administration as to
its policies them calculated
rather to destroy them restore the Union,
and to lead tc the inevitable defeat rather
than the success of the north in the ef.
| fort to suppress the rebellion. Their
views ore entertained honestly, and they
have right to urge them upsn the ceun.
t try. But when the partisans Of the ad-
ministratien, no longer able to face argu-
ment, undertake to crush democratic OBJ
position by exciting soldiers to commit
outraSes on them, or by illegal military
arrests or proceedings OF any kind, the
| democrats will remember that there are
other rights as dear to them as the right
to travel in South Carolina. and they are as
much bound to fight for ,he one as the
other. The democrats have hitherto been
peaceable and borne much, but there is a
point where forhearance ceases to be a
virtue. The radicals doubtless, who have
dragged us into this war with the south,
can also force a cival war upon tie north
1t is for them to say whether they will
have it or not.
CeScKEss-We have found 50 little of
interest in the proceedings Of congress for
the last week or two, that it has not been
worth while to make up summary of its
,}oipos Tho senatA a.ijo froy, ~