Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1867-09-11

tions. denounced the governments
efforts to save its life as unconstitu-
tional. They refused men and they
refused money for that defense. 10
raise armies they declared was uncon-
stitutional; to volunteer was unconsti-
tutional; to draft was unconstitution-
al; to issue bonds was unconstitutional;
legal tenders were unconstitutional {;
the call for IS, 900 men was unconstitu.
tional; and 50 was that for 100000
To con6scate rebel guns and slaves ta-
ken in battle was unconstitutional
To arrest traitors engaged in burning
the only roads for our armies to reach
and save the capital was unconstitu-
tional. To suspend the writ by which
traitor judges sought TO release rebel
/ prisoners of war was unconstitutional.
To levy taxes to sustain the armies was
unconstitutional To march our armies
into a reVolted State to meet the ad-
VGncing armies of the rebellion was
unconstitutional. To feed or to rein
force our soldiers who garrisoned United
States forts was unconstitutional; and
and to assemble or defend the Congress
of the nation was unconstitutional
This is no caricaturs, but an made
! ouate statement of the position taken
by the members of Congress and by
the press and leaders of this party to
ward this monster wickedness then
beginning the work of the nations
most foul murder. Taking their ideas
and law and logic from the speech OF
John C. Breckenridge, made in the U
S, Senate just before ne assumed com.
mand of the rebel army, these North.
\ ern Democrats could literally find moth.
ing relating to the rebellion that was
constitutional, except the rebellion
\ itself. r~rr-5 sri-s rI~
With these sentiments in their mem
bers of Congress, their press, theil
leaders, and infused into their masses
the terrible conflict for the nations
| life began, And as the bloody work
went on, these men, both as men and
as party, struggled with deYilish per-
sistence, energy and hate to compass
the nations death. To this end they
! lderided as ''dogs" and .hirelings" ouI
brave and noble soldiery, and SANDER.
ed their wives and children; they de
preciated the nations credit and it
notes and bonds; they discouraged en-.
listments in the army they concealed
and encouraged deserters they organi
zed military camps, and by every 9th
er means in their power, struggled tC
resist the draft. They secretly assassi
mated the recruiting and other officers
of the United States. They, by cor
respondenee and otherwise, disclosed
to the rebels the movements and
strength of our srmiesy they denied
the ballot to our soldiers in the field
they became guides and spies for the
invading armies Of Morgan and Lee
they set FIRE to our hotels and to the
asylums Of children, thereby to with
draw or weaken our armies at the IebeI
front; they combined with "Jake'
| Thompson and other traitors to spread
yellow fever in our Northern cities
they voted and worked against the
punishment of all rebel leaders, inclu.
ding JEFF. Davis, they held meetings
and made speeches todiscourage Eolun,
teering; they declared the war on ouI
part o crime: they said they felt nc
| Joy at our victories, and no sorroW at
our defeats /; they concealed and be-
came bounty Jumpers and other
wise struggled to embarrass and defeat
the government, they declared to the
rebel government that should they
protract the war for few months long.
er the Northern Democracy would join
their armies. They selected as the
men on whom they delighted to be-
stow their highest Offices and honors
those whom the government had been
Compelled to sentence to imprison-
ment or to Danish as traitors; they Sc
cretly shot the Union soldier whenev-
er they safely could they concealed,
caressed and fed on delicacies the trail
tor soldier whom they might find in
their reach they refused TO aid in the
supply of our sick and wounded SOL
ders through the Christian Commits
sions; and by their acts and words,
and speeches, and press, their social
favors andproscriptions, by their inhu-
ence in church and school and homes,
they struggled to the wars termination
to make good their predictions that
the government could not continue the
rebellion. ~
Glance at fact or two showing how
complete was the union OF this party
at the North with the rebellion, and
how stupendous the scale was upon
which that party organized to do the
work of their governments overthrow,
First take fact that they deliberately
went to work, and for years continued
to organize, arm and drill the secret
armies known as knights of the Gold
en- Circle" and afterwards as the "Sons
of Libertyp The number of these
conspirators whom they organized.
drilled and put under fearful oaths to
fight and aid in the rebellion, was from
three to five hundred thousand.
In Indiana these men fixed the day
when they would seize and murder the
Governor and other Union officers of
that State; would sack and burn its
capital, release and arm 5000. rebel
prisoners of war then confined at Camp
Morton; would organize and march
from thence a vast army TO unite with
others from ether Northern States, and
Join those of iherebellion. That such
is part of the history of the Democra-
oy of Indiana is proved not only by the
facts that their guns and other arms
were found concealed in Indianapolis I;
that the rebel flags under which they
were to march in the work of murder
and burning in Indiana we're found I;
the imported rebel officers to assume
command were found but the details
of this profound yillainy have been
confessed by some OF its authors, and
the leaders have been convicted and
sentenced to death. The deyilish
scheme SO detected and defeated in
Indiana was found TO exist in sl its
frightful details of horror in Illinois,
where at last two separate days in the
summer of 1864 were fixed to begin
the work of slaughter and burning in
Illinois, and the Democracy of that
State began actually to assemble to be-
gin the carnage under the command
of Marmaduke and other rebel officers.
These rebel officers were found conceal
ed in Chicago by the United States
Government, whittier they had been
imported, ready to assume command
of the Northern wing of these rebel
armies.
The plans and preparations of these
conspirators included, not merely the
joining with their forces of three hun
dred thousand Sons of Liberty the
armies of the rebellion. 1t included,
also, whatever the m9lace, revenge,
cupidity or lust of the conspirstors
might dictate. And the theatre of this
bloody enactment was to extend from