The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1866-06-14
'Recreancy of the Radical Republicans.

Meas the copperhead organ ofthe Rebels
and their sympathizers, throughout the re-
bellion, and latterly the copperhead organ
of the administration, attempts to show
that the Republican party is now and ever
has been, the disunion party In this at
tempt the Meas, says;
b. .The radical leaders of the republican
party in this state never have Sustained
the cause of the Union" either cheerfully
and zeaIously,. or otherwise. 1t is true that
they contributed largely to the prosecution
of the war bnt they did SO because war
brought office, honor, money, and, above
all, the promise of a revolution IN the char
acter of the government"
1t is perfectly natural that the editor of
the Meas should be anxious to make it ap-
pear that, fighting the enemies Of the Union,
the armed rebels and traitors, and CON
tributing largely to the prosecution OF the
war; for the Union, is no evidence of hav-
ing Sustained the cause of the Union"
fhe can do that, and make the people be
lieye, that the rebels, in fighting for the de-
struction of the Union, were sustaining ''the
Union cause just as much as the loyal ar
mics under Grant and Sherman, he will be
able to make out a case of self justification,
and prove that he was sustaining 'the
cause of the Union in his dsloyal and
reasonable course.
In arguing this point the editor of the
Nea0s continues in the following strain i:
Advocacy of the war and friendship for
the Union are not Synonymous or converti-
BILE terms; and the true and unwavering
friends of the Union inside the republican
organization and outside that organization,
have right to protest against the assump-
ton that an advocate of war and subjuga-
ton, of war and revolution, of war and CEN
tralIzation, is or was "a Union man, &C
cording to any rational Interpretation of the
phrase"
According to the editor of the News and
all copperheads of his stamp, the war for
the Union was a ''war of subjugation,' y
only, and if that were SO, all who fought,
or aided others to fight for the Union, were
enemies of the Union. This assumption
would of course condemn all the Union
men with whom copperhead democracy af-
ects to act. If they adopt the doctrine Of
their copperhead allies, they condemn their
own entire past action during the war. If
they do not condemn their own past action,
they condemn their allies, and subject
/ themselves. to. the .opprobrium of radical
ism.
p We make one more extract from this cop
perhead union exposition Of the " Recreancy
of the Radical Republicans" Speaking Of
the action of the Republican party, the Meas
continues. g Every Wisconsin radical leader
editor and representative in congress is do
ing his utmost to prevent the restoration Of
the Union of the constitution, or any other
possible Union" This language is not new
All through the war, it was the key note Of
every editorial that the editor of the Nea0s
wrote upon the subject-that the Union
never could be restored by the prosecution
of the war and the defeat of the rebels
that the only way to restore the Union was
to disband the armies of the Union and
recognize the Confederacy, and then coax
the rebels back if we could. That was the
plan Of re construction advocated by the
editor OF the Meas during the war, and it is
the same plan advocated by him now
That is, let the rebels back into congress,
the same as if they had never been out, and
if they will not come without, put the whole
government in their hands and let them ad-
minister it in their own way. This he thinks
is the only feasible plan of reconstruction.
The News man continues
"The southern rebels seeded that the
southern states might rule in spite of the
constitution. The northern radicals fought
the south that few northern states might
rule in spite of the constitution. The former
have surrendered, but the latter are still en-
deavoring to perfect their purpose through
the action of congress, and no alternative
is left to true Union men, whether of the
republican or of the democratic party, but
to oppose the northern enemies of the IN
ion as they opposed the southern enemies of
the Union. Fortunately, this is both their
duty and intention.'
The copperhead democracy is opposing
the "northern enemies Of the Union, as
they opposed the southern enemies of Union!'
VIII the editor of the Neaos give us one in
utapoa in hio NH al a tor;oI oo-oa. -; ,,,h;ob
he opposed the southern enemies of the
Union ?" The fact is he cannot DO it, He
never had loyal aspiration during the war,
and his present love for the Union, and his
inordinate anxiety for immediate, uncon-
ditional re construction, springs only from
his eagerness to clutch again the spoils and
prestige of Office. 1t is the same unhal-
lowed "rule or ruin spirit that has so
long characterized the copperhead Democra-
cy. And there is no fact under heaven,
more patent and garing than that the pres
ent realization of their aspirations would
prove to be $ rule. and ruin policy to the
country. How men, who have been actu-
ated 10y single throb of patriotism, or
have felt in their bosoms the glow of sin
gle loyal impulse, can now join themselves
to the putrid corpse of copperhead democ,
racy with the hopes of resuscitating or re
facilitating the effete concern, passes our
comprehension
The RindtrpGSt in New York.