The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-08-01
Always True to Their Friends

The sympathies of Northern Copperbeads
with their Southern brethren, have prompted
them throughout the war, and still prompt
them now during the process of reconstrnc-
ton, through all the shiftings and changes of
events and measures, to support whatever pol-
icy may seem favorable to rebels, and to op.
pose everything calculated to damage them.
Hence the war and the effective war measures
OF the Government, in all the stages of the
great struggle, have incurred the hostility Of
the Copperhead leaders.
In the beginning they denounced coer-
cion' of the Southern States in rebellion as
unconstitutional, and insisted ON letting them
have their own way. They advocated peace.
able dissolution of the Union and the organi
eaton of three or four friendly Confederacies.
Then they insisted on leaving New England
out IN the cold, and again they urged that the
Northwest should assume neutral attitude.
or ally itself with the South. All these no.
sitions were IN the interest of the rebels and
prompted by sympathy for traitors.
But events progressed and they were forced
py public opinion to abandon these positions.
and then they resorted to denunciations of the
Yankees, the Abolitonists. denounced the
war as an Abolition war and the soldiers as
LINCOLN hirelings;' they raved against the
war measures Of the President as unconstitu.
honai, tyrannical and ruinous to the country.
They denounced President LrNcoI.S& as a
usurper, and they called upon some patriotic
bRurus to rid the country of the foul tyrant,
who was destroying civil liberty by suppress
ing the freedom Of speech and the freedom
OF the press, and arresting Northern sympa-
tnizers and incareerating them in "Govern-
ment bastiles." They denounced the military
commanders whenever they did ANYTHING in
the North or the South specially offensive to
traitors, they villifed BURNSIDE for sending
NALIASDIGHAM cut of the country; they be
rated BUTLER as "brute' for suppressing
treason in New Orleans; they denounced
SHERMAN as /" beast for cleaning out At
lanta, and they excused and apologised for
the massacre of Fort Pillow and the starya-
ton of Union prisoners. They magnifed
Southern heroism and Southern success, and
they rejoiced over their victories and mourned
over their defeats. 1t was so palpable here
IN our town that you could always tell, by OBJ
serving their countenances on the street, how
the war was going, and which side had last
been biest with victory. They were furious in
their opposition to con6scation, not because
1t would affect loyal men, or even Copper
heads in The North, but because it would in
Jure their rebel friends. They opposed the
emancipation and employment of the slaves
OF the South by the Government, not because
they had any personal interest in the matter.
but because they feared it would deal dam.
aging If not fatal blow to the rebellion. And
during all the period of Mr.. LrxcoLx's ad.
ministration they took every opportunity to
foment division of sentiment and strife in the
North. While INDUCING in the bitterest abuse
of Mr.. LINCOLN, they would in a. moment
turn round and eulogiseh him whenever he seem
ed to hesitate about adopting stringent meas
ures against their Southern friends, or stood
BY the de,nothing General MCCLELLAN in his
Copperhead programme of chow not to do il, y
m ms grand military failure campaigns against
the enemy. $3.50
And their last great EFFORT at tke Chicago
National Convention, was concoctea " the
joint counsels of Rebel and Copperh) -
sFs on British soil and With No.
comfort. They proclaimed the NJ 5dr
part : failure in the face Of the World, md
had their party succeeded on that platform,
Easpe would have taken them at their word
asrspresenting the conviction of the people Of
he North, and Great Britain and France vosld
have intervened in behalf Of the confedsrscy
= thirxy days. s.'g
81 So ~ xas he programme Of the leaders,.
1A1eae4e tAs nl1nixtice for which they pro-.
leune6d. Il ~ 70 - rendered. I've W
a.ip governnsats, ~ vhss ksrn-
- ~ = m - sesGl vsaI