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


cess, magnifying all our losses, culo-
gizing the courage and devotion of the
rebel soldiers, and the genius and skill
of the rebel generals? Did it not
sympathize with and defend every ar
rested traitor at home who was giving
aid and comfort TO the enemy9 DID
ii not send me,, from it's oua ranks to
fight in the rebel urmiess Did it not
oppose all the war measures of the
government, and finally declare in its
national convention that the war was a
failure ? Did it not, even in this pre-
sent campaign, in its convention in
Philadelphia, applaud to the echo
man who violently declared that the
south was a "nation," and that he was
ready to join in another civil war
against the Republicans ? ..
We need not answer these questions.
Any man who lived through the war
with his eyes and ears open knows but
one answer to them all. The question
then is, how can any Union man
whose heart was in the great cause vote
for the Democratic ticket at this time?
What the Republicans did was not to
court the votes of soldiers, but from a
sense of duty. What the Democrats are
now doing is from a mere demagogic
greed for votes. The same men who
voted the war failure and stigmatiz-
cd the soldiers as "Lincoln hirelings,"
and moderated all their successes, ex-
aggerated their defeats and their losses
and magnilied the successes of the
enemy, now seek the votes of these
very soldiers for the Democratic ticket.
1t is natural enough for these desperate
demagogucs to resort to any expedicnt
to prop their falling cause; but how
any hue-hearted loyal soldier can al
low himself to be deceived into voting
their ticket passes our comprehension.
1t matters not how many soldiers they
may nominate for office; until the
party can purge itself of its undcniablc
completely with treason, until it can
show that it accepts the results and
the lessons of the civil war in good
faith, as it never yet has done, it can
not be entitled honestly, to the vote of
any man who served under the flag of
the republic in the war which has rem
dercd the Union imperishablc.
But we should elect soldiers to office.
SO we do. We elected General Hart
ranlt and Colonel Campbell to the
responsible Offices of State Surveyor
General and Auditor General, Colonel
John p. Glass Speaker of the Assembly,
General Geary, Governor, Colonel Ow-
en- Recorder Of Deeds, the finest Office
in Philadelphia; we made General
Horatio Sickcl Health Officer, Colonel
Gideon Clark Master Warden of the
Port, Captain Conner City Commits
sioncr, and put in place a whole host
of officers and private soldiers in all
the departments of the public service
under its control. In the present cam-
paign it has nominated for Assembly
Colonel Kieckner and Colonel John
Clark in districts where they can easily
be elected and there are numerous
similar cases.
Such a record as this docs not indi-
cate any disposition to treat the Union
soldiers shabbily now that peace has
been restored. When we confer
nomination on q soldier it ensures him
an election, so that our nomination is
not an empty compliment, nor thing
to catch votes. But a minority party
like the Democratic organization con-
fers no honor on soldier by nomina-
ting him on platform of opposition
to the Union cause and sympathy with
treason, and in community where no
civilian Democrat could hope to be
elected. The soldiers, who were not
mercenaries in the war, will not be
likely to be bought for a few offices to
favor cause so thoroughly identified
with the enemy they defeated in the
field. We will not believe so much
i'll of the heroes whose strong arms
and stout hearts won the battle for the
free. We see them all about in this
campaign coming up cheerfally to
sustain the principles for which they
fought and suffered, unwooed by inAu-
ence and unbribed by gain; and it is
the proudest feature in their noble
character that they prefer a Union
civilian to Democratic soldier. The
man who attested his patriotism by
his services in the war has a perfect
right to be a member of the Demo-
cratic party if he chooses to do so.
The wonder is that any right minded
soldier should so choose. They can
not participate actively in the Demo-
cratic organization without knowing
its dangerous completely with treason.
Uuder such circumstances the true
course for loyal men is to vote against
every Democratic candidate whether
soldier or civilian.-North American.
In 1868 the Copperheads clamored
for peace at any price. BY that course
they asserted that the Government was