The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1865-11-09
The State Election.

glorious old Pennsylvania, is a matter
over which the loyal men not only of the
State, but of the whole country, Justly
feel proud, We take especial pleasure
in referring to it now, since the preiu-
dice and excitement incident to the cam
paign have had time to subside, and when
moment is given US in which we may
fairly and dispassionately exult over our
fallen foe
1t cannot be successfully denied, even
by the copperheads themselves, that they
made every possible effort, whether fair
or foul, to defeat US. Their schemes were
carefully matured, and in the attempt 10
carry them into execution, as we'll as in
their conception, involved an amount of
infamy certainly not excelled by any of the
election outrages which had previously so
uniformly characterized that party. Their
first public movement in the campaign
the nomination of ticket composed Of
soldiers-waS intended to be fraud and
a cheat upon the people. As party
they had always firmly and consistently
opposed the war for the maintenance of
our National honor and integrity. They
had dissuaded all they could from volun-
teerlng In the ranks of our army, and
when, by reason of their own nefarious
conduct and lack. of patriotism, draft
was rendered imperative, they had done
all in their power to render it ineffective
In some localities, under the pernicious
influence of their party leaders, men had
been goaded into open resistance, whilst
others were induced to skulk away like
towards and ingrates from the call of
their imperiled and bleeding country
Their inventive faculties, always prolific,
were taxed to their utmost in shaping
plans and pretexts for opposing our Gov
ernment In its conduct of the war, and
they had availed themselves of every op.
portunity to express, either directly or by
implication, their sympathy with the
rebels. They had, in the most public
and solemn manner, pronounced the war
a failure, and we'll knowing that our
soldiers in the field were nearly to a man
against them, they had vaiply sought to
deprive them of the right of suffrage
In the face of this record, how could
the Copperheads wheel about so suddenly,
and profess such wonderful love for the
country and the soldier? And get they
did it. The successful issue OF the war
had given the lie to their declarations,
aid required change of base on their
part, If they were In future to succeed as
a party. They did not hesitate. Pre-
tending 10 accept with satisfaction the
practical. results of the war, they also
claimed for themselves the lions share
of the victories and glories achieved in its
prosecution. President Johnson, whom
they had long and persistently abused and
viltfed, they now began to begrime with
deceitful praise> And the soldiers, too
"the brave boys in blue"-whom they
had all along denounced as "fghting
only fer the nigger'-the soldiers even
were suddenly made the subjects of false
esteem and sympathy OF Copperheadism.
j. was under this new and somewhat
remarkable phase of party tactics, that
the Copperheads met in convention to
form their State ticket. In obedience to
the "new order of things" it was necessa-
ry to nominate soldiers. Alas, for the
WEAKNESS of human nature the conven-
tion cast about, aud found two men, who,
although they had served the country
faithfully and with distinction on :he
battlefield, were yet ready, for the sake OF
office, to ignore the principles upon which
the war had been waged, and to offer
themselves up as victims upon platform,
nearly every plank of which they well
knew was redolent with duplicity and
falsehood.
3 Thus organized and manned, the Cop
perheads entered upon the campaigu.-
Hungry for Office aud thirstipg for power,
they were not particular as 10 the means
employed to attain their ends. They
went in to via: They organized a secret
and thorough canvass of every district in
the State, and resorted to every possible
device to bring out and to swell their
vote. They pretended to be the especial
friends of President johnson and his pol
icy, aud characterized his real friends as