Holmes County farmer. [volume] (Millersburg, Ohio) 1857-1926, 1865-09-21

Nluto Culll's NllNll NtOU lOlIlll, | lllOnl To
place my feet upon that Constitution which
| have sworn to support, aud to stand there
and battle for all its guarantees and it,
this Constitution is to lie violated or this
Union broken it shall lie done by those who
are stealthily and insdou.ly making en-
croachmonts upon its.vcry foundation -
In this reorganization we would also ask
that some mercy he shown the people lately
IN rebellion. True, when they opposed Us
with arms in their hands, we could inlict
the usual punishments; but when they
grounded their arms, when they submitted
to the laws in good faith. VIC should not
opprcss them. The man is Il r0,rgyd who
would now insult our late foes. who would
wreak vengeance on unarmcd men, upon
women and children. Shakespeare truly
says:
"Thc quality ofmcrcy is not stroincd:
II druppcth as the gentle rain from heaven,
Upon the place bcncath; II is twice blessed
l. blesset h him That gives, and him that takes:
1hc thrOned monarch hcttcrtlfun his crown;
His sccptre shows the force of temporal power
The attribute toawe An NmaicstY,
Wherein doth set at the dread and fear oflIngs
But mercy Is above his sccptrcd sway,
# is enthroncd in the hearts Of kings,
II is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show lilteSt Gods
When mercy seasons Justice
Thank God, none but the political clergy
prate Of vengeance, a class Of men who did
more to cause the war and less to aid il than
any other body of men, But we regard it
as unsoldicrly unmanly, TO strike fallen
foe. We, through our General, told them
that if they would lay down their arms and
return to their homes they should not be
molcsted by the United States authorities.
The pledged word ola soldier must be kept
and however much stay-at-humc patriots
may urge the hanging of General Lee and
the men under him, the true soldier is op-
posed to it. In short we want the South
ern States and the Southern people back in
the Union. We want no more internal
dssentons, but let lis present united front
to the world, and in few years onr neoplc
will be as good friends, nay better than we
ever were before.
But fcllow-citizcns. / must enter Il special
protest against the doctrines of negro equal
ity. On this question, the soldier feels the
most sensitive, and is the most earnest in
rcpudiatng it. Although Wendell Phillips
and his Republican coadiutors maintain
that in all the desperate deeds of the war,
the "egro bears the palm, we resent the
insult and boldly ydeclare thata more coward
ly crew were never drawn up in line Of bat
tie. 1t is our boast that not Il regiment OF
them ever belonged to the old Army of the
Potomac. At the opening of the campaign
OF 1864, burnside brought one division OF
them into the army under Gen. Ferrcro. Il
french dancing master, who, during the
Petersburg mining explosion, was safely
hid in a bomb.proOf During that terrible
contest in the Wilderness, when Hancock ;
gallant corps had advanced beyond its sup
port, and was being outfanked on the left.
this division, instead Of advancing to the
rescue, was withdrawn towards the Rapidan
Gen. Grant, when informed oft BY an aid.
said, "1cll Gen. Burnside if he cannot fight
his corps, to turn it over to Gen. Hancock
who can. Again, during that terrible
fight ut Spottsylyania, when our gallant
men were falling by thousands, 5000 hav-
ing fallen on the 18th Of May, these govern.
ment pets were kept well to the rear, ready
TO run at the first signal. And so it was at
the North Ann, Tolopotamy and Cod
llarbor. Badly Smiths corps-the Eiqh
tecnth- by taking transports reached Peters
by about 800 citizens and .nvalids, who held
a line Of works about six miles long. On
arriving the batteries were placed in posi-
tion, and the corps, consisting of two white
and one colored divisions, about eighteen
thousand men, charged. OF course, the
line was taken with scarcely any loss, and
this assault against almost empty works, was
hcraldcd to the world as a victory gained by
the negroes. They were careful not to adj.
vance into the city though had thew done
so, it would have saved the long and weary
sege which followed. You remember the
Petersburg mine explosion, where Burnside
determined to show the world how much
hravcr the blacks We're than the whites. .-
You all know the rcsult-how they broke
under the first fire and threw the white
troops behind into confusion. And, sol
dlcrS, do You not remember how you were
sacrificed this spring, while the ncgroes
were kept in reserve, until the enemy were
defeated, and then to them was given the
honor OF iirst entering and capturing Rich.
mond.
Was negro equality part of the contract :
Give your answer at the polls But ifthcy
nrc TO be our equals, il they are to be al
lowed the right of suffrage because they en-
/ listed in the war, the same privilege should
at least be granted to white men For in
stance, take the Irish brigade, or the Cor
coran legion, both attached to the Army OF
| the Potomac and among the bravest Of our
| troops; should not they also have the right
( of suffrage? Yet where is the AbOlitiuui,t
who advocates their claim or speaks Of hose
/ brave !rlShmcn in terms of re succt? II
| fighting is to be the standard, surely those
| brave minors who entered the service should
be given the elective franchise, and are Il.
| likely to know the principles of this govern
mcnt as these brutali2rd negroes
/ But who are the advocates OF this new
crusade against the established principles OF
our government? Besides New England
/ Aholitionists and disuuioni,ts, we have
/ British cmissaries, delegates from tXctc,
/ Hall, brought here TO teach Americans tn,
true principles of liherty-mcn who
"With golden hribc and trcachcrous smilc,
SOW the vile seeds of rink pollution;
/ And with their reptile slime dcIile
The tempt" Of our Constitution"
They demand, as the price af their favor
that we give the right Of suffrage to our ig
lnorant negroes, while according to John
Brights statement, out Of 100000 full
grown EuGlishmcn thorough canvas.
would show only 1000, coo of voters-a dis
tiauchisement Of G,0OJ,0JG. We want II,
teaching or teachers from abroad. Now
that we have conquered our enemy they
make protlcrs Of friendship, yet while thC
contest was doubtful they supplied him Will
arms, money and ships These aristocrat.
who prate of equality refuse to aSSocat,
with their own white operatives, and woulC
make the ncgro the equal of the poor whit,
man, while themselves dcspising the latter
: Look at the Abolition States where the ne