Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1867-12-19
The gepnblitau.
When the Dog Catches the
Rabbit

We are graciously informed by the Cop
perhead press that when their party once
again controls the country things Will be
very much better than they now are orhave
been for years past. They promise us
that they will be content with pointing the
finger of scorn at Us, and they bid us calm
cur fears with the assurance that we shall
not be murdered outright IN revenge fof
the indignities inflicted upon Democratic
saints during the rebellion. Some such
pledge is certainly necessary from party
which has, within the nierroty OF young
men, employed assassination three times
Ia rid The Presidential Office of occupants
opposed TO its policy, and the country will
demand bonds and good security to keep
.he peace. before admitting them to power
again, from the men who f,>.ersd the re
bellion, melted and applauded The bloody
r;;assacrcs at New York, New Orleans,
Memphis and Mobile. anu the party which
includes among Its membership almost
every ruffian and desperate in the land.
Every Democratic paper we pick up
contains some refer ence To the sutferings of
Democratic martyrs, and we are asked to
acknowledge that the arrests made by the
government were entirely sauseless, and
TO admire the lamb-likc attitude of Cop
perheads during those days of danger and
nights of waking. However it may have
been in other localities, the boot was Ger
tainly on the other leg in Marshall County.
The Democratic leaders here never made
any concealment of their hostility to the
war nor secret of their sympathy with the
rebellion Except in 1862, when Conseiva-
tive Generals were allowing our armies tn
be beaten upon every bliile-field). Nor
was this state of facts caused by the arbi-
trary conduct of officers oflhe government.
The spirit of Copperheadism was just as
virulent here before as after The emancipa-
ton proclamation was issued. The old
tycoon moderately expressed the feeling
of his subjects when he jocoscly remarked
that the news of the terrible disaster to tho
National arms at Bull Run had not made
him ''cry id bit,' and c. H. Reeve de
clared in the first Democratic Convention
held in this State after the commencement
of hostIilies that he would never endorse
what he was pleased to call an abolition,
throat cutting. pickei-shooiing war III
the very start, enlis;mcnts were discour-
aged, and The few young Democrats who
did enlist here were followed to the field
by letters advising them To desert their col
ors, and this locality early became known
and protected. Throughout the war. the
government made but one arrest here, that
of ID. Z. NsnValkenburgh, and not until
that individual had advised resistance to
the military authorities.
But we are told, that individuals com
mitted Outragcs upon their neighhors, be
cause of differences in political sentiments
Very true, but who were the agreSsors:
/ In nine out of ten cases the rioious spirit
which manifested itself here was provoked
by Democrats. The first general election
that of 1862, developed majority of abou
six hundred for them in this county, and
from the moment that result became
known they never ceased in attempts tC
overawe, bully, annoy, persecute and driv,
Union men from this region. Secret treas
enable societies, ante-daiing the drafts ant
almost the war itself, advised their mem
bers to arm themselves, and if too poor tc
buy a revolver otherwise, to sell cow anC
pay for one. In these murdcrous conclave
obnoxious Union men were spotted auC
their properly doomed TO destruction
Three times were preparations made tpmol
this Office and we owe our life as well a
property to the fact that a brave and gal
iant few stood with us in the breach We ar,
not relating our fears, but facts well -knowr
and acknowledged. Who that witnesse,
it will ever forget the Thursday after th,
last draft, when Plymouth was at the mcr
cy of drunken, desperate and brutal mob
Who composed that assemblage of coward
ly ruiians, those shrieking fends who at
tacsd and pursued such peaccable citizen
as Milo Pelton, Steven White ard Heze
kiah Persliing, but who conicnted them
selves with insulting and abusing Uniol
men whom they knew were prepared fo
; them? And was it not c. III. Reeve, th
acknowledged leader Of that party, uh
boasied that with gesture he could com
mand the presence Of twenty eight hundret
Democrats, who would cause our streets t
run red with Abolition blood,
OF course Union men organized them
selves for bloody work. We do not den,
that the Copperheads of Marshall Count
would have got hurt had they aftemp.e
the execution Of half their threats
., They outnumbered us, it is true, but W
had The most courageous host and the mora
influence offs good cause 10 sustain u:
The awkward squad that trained in Tia
Court House Square, the names of who's
members We hold ready for publicati"r
would have been swept like chaff befor
the wind in the event Of an actual conflicI
e Though our young men were absentin thci
countrys service, there weIe bold spirit
remaining at home and doing as much FL
the government as If they had been i
in the field, aud we had more trouble i
restraining the too ardent, than fear of tn
result of a collision. We did not boas
when putting on our armor, and the reade
will indulge us while taking it off.
We do not recur to these matters fror
y choice, hot because our neighbor Is coniiu
ually whining about the way Democra,
were used during the war. Does anybod
blame the government in that Il prevente'
them from overturning the State authoriiie
and organizing rebellion in the North
In no other country in the world woul,