Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1864-02-20
w- The following remarks of Mr.. Price

In reply to those who opposed the resoiu-
tion requiring persons claiming damages,
arising out of the rebel raids, to prove their
loyalty reveal some facts that may be OF
interest to our readers;
'There is nothing in this resolution, as l
understand it, which impeaches the loyalty |
OF the Democratic party as party. 1t al
ludes only to those who gave sympathy and |
assistance to the rebels within our borders |
dWing last summer. But the gentleman
upon the other side assume that it bears
upon themselves, and one of them gets up
here and makes Speech which have no
doubt was oil prepared and was ready TO be
delivered on any fitting occasion. They
give us to understand that they are touched
by the words of this resolution. do not
so understand it, but when they range
themselves in that position and let us look
at them in that position, the inference is
strong that they very much suspect them
selves, and want by words to get away from
the idea.
"The gentleman has talked about men
who belong to the Democratic party.
know, sir, that in my own county, the coun-
ty of Delaware, the leaders of the Democrat
ic party did give assistance to the rebels at
the opening of this rebellion. In church
in my own town a sermon was delivered at
the opening of this rebellion, when South
Carolina was wayering, when her people
were in convention, and she was hestating
what to do and looking to the North for
sympathy and assistance-there was SER
mon preached in church in my town,
which, when published was entitled "Nor-
thern Hearts embrace Southern Homes"
! know that there was a gentleman in .he
| town intimately acquainted with Governor
! Pickens, then Governor of South Carolina,
and that the purport Of that sermon was to
give direct assistance to the rebellion then
about to culminatc; and that the men of
this party forwarded printed copies of that
sermon TO Governor Pickens, and that he
answered them, saying that he thanked
them for their timely assistance to South
Carolina in her hour of need and distress"
at gave them strength and support.
'Sir, one of these gentlemen represented
my county in the Democratic convention in
Harrisburg last summer, which nominated
Judge Woodward for Governor; and while
the rebel cannon were laundering in the cars
of the people of Harrisburg, he wrote home
that there were no rebels near; from no
other object that we could divine, than to
keep our people, who were rushing by hun
dreds to arms, from coming here to prevent
the invasion OF our Commonwealth
Now, sir, this resolution proposes, as
understand it, that only those men shall he
paid who have been true and loyal to theil
: government. The gentleman from Franklin
(Nr. Sharpe) changed his position, rs | ap
prehend on this measure during the course
of this discussion. | know by his last re
marks that he would be in favor of making
} q discrimination his difficulty is how t
< get at it. l see upon this floor now two mel
f with bucktails in their hats, if they SHOULD
be appointed commissioners, | have no doub
that they could easily tell who are loyal mel
and who are not. The men of that regimen
? know who are rebels and who are not the,
: can di ;criminate, and so can all Others, he
/ tween the friends Of the government and it
4 enemies.
/: II know, or have been informed, that thcr
Y are people in the border counties of thi
/ State that assisted the rebels during the lat
:, invasion. l am informed that in Adam
l. county the citizens of that county pointed
y out to the rebels the hiding place of twenty
a six Union men, ard had them arrested. j
# another instance, a man pointed out tn
c place of concealment of two thousand 81
: hundred cattle belonging to the people 4
If some of these counties and those cattl
t were taken by the rebels and used as foo
Il for their armies. When the militia from N
e county went down there TO that place an
II heard of it, they took that mans propert
II from him and have no doubt he will b
coming forward and asking to be paid fC
}" what our troops took from him. | say tbs
re we should not give such men as this on
ct cent. 1t can be easily ascertained frol
IS those betrayed neighbors who these disloy,
rs men are.
p II was informed by one of the commi
t, sioners who was appointed 10y the GovernC
ie to estimate the damages occasioned by Il
Il rebel raid, that those counties are filled wit
as such people, and that there should be a di
is elimination made between the loyal and Il
~ disloyal. This is the reason l shall vote
N favor OF the resolution.
er II have understood, also, that while Il
v battle of Gettysburg was going on, Il mI
ne near there was charging our soldiers, wi
IL were defending his home, one dollar n 10
TX for bread to sustain them, and that was pc
he sisted in till surgeon of one of our caval
q. regiments, out of mercy to the soldiers, toe
g. possession Of that mans house as hospt;
he l do not know what his politics are, and
es do not care | say that the man who wou
NJ so treat the soldiers of our country, win
I'd they were defending his home, is q disloy
es- man, and he is one whom would not p
al for any losses of property occasioned by {
to taking possession of his house. As undt
en- stand it, this resolution is designed TO rea
nd such men, and only such men, as those al
he / cannot conceive how gentlemen upon t
de other side can find it in their hearts to spe
ok agast resolution like this.
es- ''Thc measures of the Government ha
on been denounced here. do not intend
ad speak at length upon those measures. | c
,te only say that just such speeches as have be
he delivered by the gentleman from Northn
he berland were delivered all over my cour
ate last fall and while that county gave one tn
&C, sand one hundred majority three years az
en for the Union party, it gave one thousa
he seven hundred last year for the Union par
raj That was the answer of my constituents
such speeches.
The gentleman says, "Punish the reb
to and the traitors by contiscation and har
40 ing !" Is that the position of his part
no Look at the debates in Congress within
cb last week, and see whether that is their pc
ch ton. No; they are opposing confscati
he in our National Legislature Here, IN L
ch Hail. the gentleman says ''coniscate," VIII
zen his friends in Congress say "Oh, no"
cs. comes simply to this, Mr.. Speaker, that
III protestations are mere lip seryice-that ii
" than, nm, 20 emit tho ,,loca which II