The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1864-05-20
From the Ne1c York Nation.
THE TRUTH TOLD.
Linooln's Honesty and Capacity
4 Terrible Pbi1l!ppie against lincoln, b,
q Fremont Oygan.


We all recollect that worthy citizen of Ath-
ems who banished Aristides solely because it an
noyed him to hear the epithet s'the Just " CON
stantIy coupled with his name. We have all
been struck by this strange specimen Of nolifi
cal liberty, and by the lack of judgment in the
application. 1t was not because this undue no.
toriety given to the name Of a citizen of the re-
1e,.zy nc uiSIta fer a lTne nroEad afa-el.
that the worthy citizen Of Greece bahshed Aris-
tides. He would not even discuss the matter,
the epithet annoyed him, and that was enough
to ostracise It's unfortunate bearer. In this we
see an excess of liberty and a lack of political
education.
Now, we are annoyed and irritated at hear
| inc the words Abraham Lincoln and honesty al
ways coupled together; but being more gener-
/ GUS than the excellent Athenian citizen afore-
| said, we propose, before ostracising honest Abe
from the White House, to consider his right to
the surname of s'Honest." To call one man
honest out Of a population of thirty millions, is
not so much of a compliment to him as saT-
casm upon all the rest. Let us look into his
honesty and capability. After three years of
patient silence we have right, and it is more
over our duty, Mr.. Lincoln, to examine your
acts and show them to the nation. You COM
menced by eonfiding the fate of our cause, the
honor of cur arms, and the lives Of our sons to
men having no higher claim to such trust than
& host of voters at their command-whose sup
port YOU coYeled-n order to advance the well
fare of the nation.
We have allowed you to further your politl-
cal and personal interests, and to transform in
to heroes men whose ineficiency have swallow
ed up thousands of lives and millions OF treas
ure, 50 that you might be able to dazzle the eyes
of the people s,ith victories far more than real
We have permitted you to sacrifice tried patri
OTIS whose popularity alarmed you and whose
energy disappointed your calculations
We have allowed you to deceive the people
we have let YOU transform disgraceful defeat:
into victories; and even we made no outcry
when you were reduced to beg exoneration TO
acts which have eternaliy disgraced the honor o
our arms. You have been unable to toresee OF
forestall anything. What has become Of tht
nations enthusiasm? What have you done will
the immense resources, unprecedented in hlsto
~, that the nation has lavishly given you!
You are now appealing to conscription, ant
we will not enter into discussion OF the prin
ciple itself, but we will tell you that you shou
have foreseen that the day must come when yO
would need these men, and that you were +
blame in not calling for them when the people
enthusiasm was first aroused, when they certain
. ly would not have been refused you. You ar
to blame inasmuch as through your incapacit
B. and personal schemes, the necessity for such al
appeal has become question of public safety
You are to blame for depriving Us of the servi
ces of men whose popularity stimulated tina
enthusiasm.
You have told the country that both the re
belon and slavery were dead; you have tol
the people that the forces of the rebels were rt
duced by dcsertions. and that they could not
recruited, fed, nor clothed; and yet you al
forced to act upon the defensive, being threat
ened at all points
When you have directed the action of ou
troops they have been uniformly unsuccessful
you have perpetually offered us the wretche
spectacle of splendid resources and exceller
chances of success sacrificed TO ineapacitY- I'll
only success which yon came near attaining, bi
the credit of which we intend to take from yor
v is due to the incredible imaginativeness that yC
have displayed in describing facts. Changes