The Waynesburg Republican. [volume] (Waynesburg, Pa.) 1867-18??, 1867-09-25
golititat.
THE SOLDIERS FRIENDS.

Why should any soldier in the
Union armies in the late civil war
vote the Democratic ticket at this cleo
ton? He cannot say that the Re
publicans ever opposed the war or its
objects? No part of the record cx-
hibits sympathy with the enemy in
arms against our armies in that war.
All the ransacking of the annals of
that struggle that may be done now or
hereafter will not show one single in
stance on the part Of the Republicans
in which they ever refused the appro-
priations needed to pay, feed, clothc,
equip, transport, honor or reward the
Union soldiers. Indeed the inccssant
reproach urged against us by our enc
mics is that we did too much for our
armies, that our appropriations were
too lavish, that we have swelled our
debt too much thereby. No one can
point to an instance in which the SOL
diers Of a national service were better
cared for in every respect than ours.
We increased the remuneration to the
full extent that we were able to pay.
All that a nation could afford we did
for them. If we had tried to do any
more, we doubt whether itwould have
been possible to raised n sufficient
amount ofmoney to carry on the war.
While they wercaway we voted liberal
appropriations totake care of thefami-
lies they left behind them. The
bountics paid to the soldiers during
the war were most unprecedented, and
since the close of the struggle we have,
in defiance of Democratic opposition,
voted additional bounties to e1ualize
the rewards of all who served in the
great contest.
More than this, we stood by them
manfully from the beginning to the
end of the rebellion. We applauded
their achievements, defeated their
home enemies, carefully nursed their
sick and wounded, promoted their he
roic leaders, and contributed our full
share to render their final triumph as
illustriOus as it should be durable.
Civilians at home could under no cir
cumstances do more for an army, or a
cause, than the Republicans did during
the war for the Union army and the
cause. Patient under terrible reverses,
faithful in every emergency, coniding
and trustfully toward their armies and
their leaders, the Republicans elected
the admiration Of the civilized world
by their sublime devotion and un-
wavering courage and steadfastness.
If we had fault at all, it was not that
we failed to do enough for our soldiers,
but rather that in our efforts to insure
the triumph of the cause we accumu-
lated taxation and debt to an extent
that the country is only nowbeginning
to feel. d. '...'
When the war was in progress and
our armies in the field, to whom did
the soldiers look for the sinews of the
war, for the unyielding determination
not to make a dishonorable peace, for
words Of sympathy and cheer, for the
raising Of supplies and recruits, and
the reward Of the deserving, if not to
the Republican,? Our devotion to
the cause was so great that we were
never weary Of well-doing toward it
and The heroic soldiers who were fight
ing its battles and enduring its perils.
We can challenge any one to traverse
this record and dispute what we say.
A more uniform adhesion to a cause
was never shown by any political party.
We did this, too, under circumstances
80 discouraging at times as to have led
the Democratic party to regard the
warns a hopeles failure. No political
party ever before had to encounter
such q state of things as was created by
thetwo defeats of Bull Run, the fear
full reyerses of cClellan before Rich
mond, and the failure of Buell. in Ken
tucky. Yet we bore up under them
all with q courage and fortitude that
revived the spirits Of the loyal people,
and brought fnaltriumph TOT our arms.
During all this period. what was the
courts Of the Democratic party, that
now seets to delude the Union soldiers
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