Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1865-08-03

EDlToR CHRONICLE: see the Copper |
head party have called Convention for the |
llth Of August, to which they invite all !
who believe this to be white mans Gov
ernmept, and extend a cordial invitation to
those who wish to be protected from negro
equality 1t seems to be impossible for
that party to carry on on election canvass in
our county without calling in the assistance
Of cu6ee. Since the adoption of the mem
orable resolution Of the Sth of January
Convention lin '4S, l believe) in which
they resolved to do all they could toward
the amelioraticn, mitigation and final eradi.
cation Of slavery, (the latter Of which they
have succeeded effectually in accomplishing
by organizing and prosecuting--so success
fully for the slave--their four years OF un-
successful rebellionJ they have not went
through a single canvass without calling in
the aid of the inevitable negro. In fact it
composes almost their entire capital in
trade. In the name of common sense, who,
or what party in our State, has ever pro-
posed to extend to the negro the elective
franchise. 1t is not now or likely to be an
issue before the people aud if it were, the
leaders Of the Copperhead party would be
the most likely to favor their enfranchise-
ment for thereby they would have a
greatly extended field of ignorance from
which, with pausibility, they might hope
to secure votes, as they do now, from the
/ ,,1 oP
lied citizens; whose votes can be procured
for dram of bad whisky. AS far as my
limited acquaintance extends, [ don't know
single man, who is unable to read, who
who can read, do not think worth while to
try to inform themselves, but are willing to
take the ipSe dtret of those clever chaps,
who pat them on the shoulders and call
them good Democrats and treat them on
all occasions. Next, all who are in favor Of
the repeal Of the unjust and uncalled for
military tax of four dollars, are invited to
attend their Convention.
What an issue Who are not in favor o.
its repeal or modification? Who doubts
that if the legislators who enacted it were
, re elected they would materially modify il
, not repeal it altogether, being now uncalleC
for truly? .....'..
But was it uncaled for at the time of it,
, enactment? La the estimation OF the Cop
perheads, it doubtless was, as was every
4 other military measure, either by State OF
Y United States authorities, that had Tor it
e object tho suppression Of the unjustifiab
Y rebellion. -... .'. ....
r What was the four dollar tax to thos
: who stad at home compared with the tolls
n sutferlngs, sickness, and deaths of the Ma
J. tonal Guards, who left their homes, farm
# and shops Tor hired others at the expens
5 of from $50 to $l00) at their country
# call, with but few days notice, some wit
J. young and dependent families needing tn
h necessarles Of life; thus giving the Who'll
l. Summers $ work for the pittance of SIG pc
|, month, out OF which they had to pay Io
J., lost guns, knapsacks, sc. II the 81 tax
l. appropriated to compensate the o. n. Il.
h as we have understood it, ii there is an
injustice in the law, it is that the tax wa
not $50 on the man instead OF four. VIII
G OF them would not rather have paid fifty c
:, one hundred dollars than have gone. Eve
in pecuuiary point OF view, had thei
been no hardships attached, it would hay
been preferable.
W Oh for a tangible issue ono in whic
.. there could be some show of reason. Bl
II ! no difference to them SO long as they ca
!, make their whisky drinking parry boley
u there is mayer in the wood pile or none
n being wsongIuiy obtained from their pocl
Il cts, thereby rendering vs. whisky trade !e
brisk. This endeavor to force d false lS'r
upon US is for the purpose Of hdlng the
own detormiIy, and to secure tho yots
some Of the soldiers whom they would hai
disiranchised with ,he negro and whol
they stigmatiz@1 as Lincoln pups, lii
coin butchers" and "hiIeing assasins,
etc, etc. They would rather tho solie
should not know that they said We cou
not conquer the South, that we had fou
} years war Of failure, that the Northwe'
would go with the South and loavo Ne
l. England out in the cold after the South ha
whipped our boys in the field. Let us NJ
!, he d rawn off on any of their false issue
- but hold them to the text. .tt