Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1864-03-24
sasperas;s Preparations for a Fi.e-in- the Rear.

We have repeatedly pointed out the evil
and infamous measures resorted to by a few
unprincipled men who have seized the diree-
rtion of the Democratic party and have rush
ed it from one calamity 10 another. These
. Democratic leaders, having pushed Iheir des-
. perate fortunes to the worst extremity, now
propose the last measure-in fact, they pro-
pose to rise or fall in the last ditch, and that
/ ditch is the organization of the Democratic
party in armed hostility to the federal gov
ernmeDt. We invite a careful perusal of the
following extracts.
The Cincinnati Commercial says, editorially:
Governor Seymour will not follow the
counsels of the uitras of his party, and seek
| an opportunity to make war with the general
! government He has been vigorously press
! ed to resist the draft, and drift into war
with the national authorities, DeputatioDs
| of Copperheads from the west have visited
| Governor Seymour at Albany, and brought a
pressure upon him, to take the head of a
| Northern insurrection. 1t is proper to say
| that Mr.. Daniel ". Eoohees, of Indiana,
member of Congress from the Terre Haute
district, called to see Governor Seymour on
this business and was exceedingly disguised
| because he did not find the Governor ripe for
| the rebellion"
| The Washington correspondent of the same
paper, who is we'll known at Washington, un-
| der date Of March Sd, says
" cry little has been heard of this organi-
| zation knights of the Golden Circlel of late
| but they deceive themselves who think it is
| not still in existence, or that it will not put
| forth efforts more vigorous than ever, during
| the approaching summer and fall, TO accom-
| plish its mission, which is directly the disaf-
| lection Of the Northwest on the subject of
| the war and the restitution of the Union, and
| indirectly the establishment of the Southern
| COnfederacy, and the annexation to it of the
| States Of Indiana, Ohio, and Illinois. Will
! liam r Morrison, Democratic Representative
| from the Twelfth Congressional District of
Illinois, stated this fact to friend yesterday.
| Mr.. Morrison was for two years Colonel in
the army, and though now peace man, re-
fuses to join the g Knights" though he has
been importuned to do so. He is well ac-
| quainted with the leaders and principal men,
| bers of the traitorous cabal, and knows
! whereof he affrms when he says they will try
to get control Of the elections in the North
| western States next fall.
"a large number of Copperhead members
| from Indiana and Illinois have gone home
| within the past two weeks, and for no other
purpose than to organize the "Knights."
Among those who have gone is VIM. j. Allen
| tricts Of Illinois, the successor of Gen. Logan.
| This gentleman. it is well known, wanted to
organize the men of southern Illinois and put
them in the rebel army. He rendered the
| command OF them to LOgan-sO Logan charg
| es him at anyrate-and it is not a secret that
! in his district he did raise several companies
| which he sent south, via Paducah, and which
were mustered into the rebel service in IN
| ion City. During General Grants campaign
| in the Mississippi, l met rebel soldier who
told me that he was from southern Illinois,
and that he belonged to a company raised by
| Mr.. Allen.
{ Senator Hendricks though, perhaps, not a
member Of the organization is pledged to the
establishment of d Northwestern Confedera-
| cy, and the same may be said of every In
diana Copperhead in Congress, and of all the
| leading members Of that party at home
Judge Eckles, Jesse D. Bright, and all such
men,"
In this connection it may not be inappro-
pirate to quote the following from an edito-
| rial in the Richmond Examiner. of the 26th
| ult:
"While the political leaders are thus dill
| gently arranging their platforms, Indiana,
| we learn, has become more disloyal this year
than ever. x So this year again
there are signs of trouble in the great North
west-not signs of peace with u.s. but of dis
indignation and dislocation at home gracious
buds of promise, which with the approach OF
this election may bloom and blossom into the
bloody fruit Of TcO0Lutiom."
Col Morrison is well known in Illinois, and
if he has stated what this letter represents,
| he has not spoken without knowledge He is
not a "war Democrat" though he fought
bravely and gallantly in the war, and at Don
| o. he wound bat tor i'm
to leave the service. He has been supposed
to have "peace" proclivities, and his votes
! in Congress have had chat tendency. But
we quote his letter from the Commercial, be-
cause its statements are for the most part con-
| frmed by private letter received a few days
ago by the editor Of this paper, from a Dem
ocratic member of the House of Representa-
tiyes, in which he says:
{" x x I am informed by those who
know, that, on the - inst, the dark lantern
wing Of our party, which is now, they claim,
the most of it, meet at - to consider mat
tiers Of political concern. l would be glad to
| know what these fellows do, for if they want
to 60 to HI, I would like to have reasonable
notice. Let me know what is done [ mean
what is done of political nature; what they
do towards instruction in the manly art of
self-defense, and all that sort of stuff, that !
am told they talk about at their meeting, is
no matter. - and -, and the whole
tribe, will run at the first fire. But, if the
concern has the strength claimed for it, why
it may do damage, by leading menI into crime,
folly, murder and ruin"
The extracts we have taken from the Re-
publican paper we give for what they are
worth but this letter is from person in
whose word we have the most unbounded
confidence. We have suppressed the date
and place of meeting, and the names of par
| ties mentioned, for reasons which may be
| given hereafter. Suffice it to say that the
| convention of certain leaders of the Demo-
cratic party who have in view the destruction
| of the country is a fixed fact. They have
several schemes all tending to the same end
They desire, first, the defeat of our forces in
| the field. They desire the overturning Of
the finances Of the country in order to has
ten the public mind in an acquiescence in 6
general breaking up. They propose to force
| the Democratic party at the Chicago Conven
ton into measures that will produce these re
suits, and part Of their scheme is to educate
the Democratic party to resist, by force, eve
ry act Of the governments officers in the exc
cution of military power in the Northern
States. If no collision of this kind can be
produced, or if produced, itfaiIs to arouse the
people generally, then Val2andagbana IS to be
brought back, and his re-arrest to be resisted By
force. and If necessary by blood and reuoEaaon.
The complexion of the National Convention
that meets here on the 4th Of July will deter
mine the order Of proceedings. If that Con
ventiOn promises to be a war convention OF
the Horatio Seymour kind, then an attempt
will be made, by previous violence and coils
ion with the Federal officers, to force that
convention into an attitude OF declared Tes1s-