The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-04-12
DAILY PRESS.
PORTLAND.
Friday Morning, April 70, 1867.
Dsu,t like the Rem;.;.......

thread of events that somebody might have
dropped a year or so ago." 1t don't like for
the words "cOpperhead," '.rebels," "dsloyalty"
and kindred terms to be repeated so otten.-
Such words are painfully suggestive. They
awaken unpleasant memories, call up recol-
'ections OF opportunities lost, and reminiscent
ces OF time misspeLt in expressions of dis
.oyai sympathy when the country was in dan
ger anu demanded of its friends both money
and muscle.
"'' oiame our contemporary for feel
ing restless and nettled under srcb nainfu,lv
'uso'u'e aiiusions. But then he has no
right 10 complain. When the ,vor -, ;.
progress and the combined efforts o,.t
tion were required to protect the sase,v - 49,
Republic, ne knows what he was doing and
how he responded to the demands of patriot
ism He knows that to every demand he de-
INJURED; at every act of the Government he
carped; with every new expedient resorted
to he found fault; that he never gave full,
heartfelt, unreserved, unqualified expression
OF sympathy and approval to the country and
the country's struggle during the long, pain
full, bloody years of war; that he never gave
an unconditional support to the efforts put
forth for national salvation; that he never,
during one single moment, entirely lost sight
of the effect upon his party, or was willing
that it should 60 to the wall that the nation
might be saved. He knows that he COM
planned when the 5000 men were called for,
when the writ Of habeas corpus was suspend
ed, when the war was pushed into Southern
territory, when the slaves of rebels were con-
sidered contr band of war, when negroes
were armed, when confiscatIon of rebel prop
erty was decreed, when inefficient generals
were removed, when emancipation was de-
clared, and with each and every act
found necessary to make the war against re-
bellion a success He always had different
way to do things, and always insisted the war
could be closed up only by replacing his Iarty
in power.
We do not say our contemporary was actu-
ally disloyal, but we do say that his patriot
ism was exhibited in such grudging, complain
ing, fault-fnding terms that, practically, it
was but little better than open disloya,ty;
that it did not nerve up the hand OF power
that was welding the sword in our defence,
but it was calculated If lot intended to en-
courage rebels to look for more sympathy and
better terms if they would hold out until the
Democrats were again restored to their lost
power
And during all that time were not the Dem
ocrats-our neighbor ncluded-admonished
of the wrong they were doing themselves?
Were they not iorewarned that disgrace would
inevitably cling to those who crossed the var
path of the nation? Were they not pointed
to the fate of the Federalists of 1S12-15,
and reminded that neither wealth, learning,
nor confessed honesty were found able to save
them from the damaging effects of having op-
posed their country in time of war? Were
they not told that they were laying the foun-
dation for regrets, both for themselves and
their posterity?
Why, then, complain because these unpleas-
ant "reminiscences are revived? Do they sup
pose the memory OF loyal men is blotted out?
that tie halt million graves dug by a rebel
lion which they did not, ,cith achoie heart,
condemn and oppose, cease to be suggestive?
that the half million sleepers in those
graves because dead, speak not to the living
generations? or that the loyal American peo-
pie have so soon forgotten the lessons of the
war?
We insist that the Democrats of to-day
have no right to complain even If the thread
of events Of year or two past should be tax
en- up,and there by unpleasant memories are re-
vived. 1t is only part, and the mildest part,
too, of that measure of retribution which
they were early assured would come upon
those who, in time of their nations calamity,
refused to give her the full benefit of full
and overAowing hearts.
But, it may be asked, If forgiveness and for
getfulness OF wrongs are not virtues which
loyal Americans can afford to put in practice?
Certainly. We would be the last needlessly
to reopen old sores, or to fling in the faces of
our Democratic friends the shortcomings of
which they were guilty during the years Of re-
bellion and strife. But before they can ask
this, before they have right TO expect it, and
before loyal men are called upon to practice
such virtues, there should be at least some
sign Of repentance for past errors, and indica-
ton that better things may be looked for in
the future.
But how is 1t in this regard? Do we find the
past true men Of the Democratic party now in
the ascendant, while those who led the par
ty astray stand by and support them? The
facts are exactly otherwise. The men who
opposed the war, most sympathized with re-
bellion, and did the most to paraIyze the arm
of the Government during the war, are the
very ones who to-day give tone to the party,
and they openly boast of their antecedents,
while the war Democrats-those who did not
long since leave the party-have given in
their adhesion. or at least consent to silence,
and allow the undivided voice OF the party to
be heard through the mouths OF the most dis
loyal men in it. The same men who at Chi
cago in 1864 declared the war to be failure,
stand to-day as the representative men of the
party. 1t is so in Ohio, it is so in Connecti-
cut, it is so in Maine, it is so all over the
country. atath
And what are these men and the party
they lead and control now driving at +? Are
they trying to encourage the South to return
to her place in the Union through the door
opened to her by Congress? Are they, like
Reverdy johnson of Nd, trying to make that
door appear as easy of access and as free from
humiliation to the South as possible? No!
On the contrary they are talking about "Mi-
tary Despotism,' tyranny" ''usurpation,"
comparing the South to the American colo
nes in 1778, anu saying and doing all they
can to make return for the South unpleasant
and to stimulate her to renewed rebellion.
This Is severe accusation, but nothing makes
1t severe but its truLhfulness.
Let our northern Democrats show as good
a spirit as do many of the leading men of the
South-ex- rebels disfranchised under the Re
construction law and no one will be more
ready than we should be to overlook their
past acts of semi-disloyality; no one would
more Indignantly condemn any attempt to
k eep alive the memory of those acts Such
men as Gems. Lee, Longstreet, Wade Hamp-
ton, BeauIegard, and Governors Orr, Brown,
Patton, and ex-senator Brown of Miss
issippi, and many others, ale laboring 10
with pen and voice to influence 'he
Southern people to accept the "c' VI
Congress and reorganize under H. ana So
g., ..o,,, c,o,,ng dscraced by its terms they