Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1867-09-12

Such are some of the specimen acts
with which this PARTY crowded the first
months of the rebellion-facts establish
ing what is now fncontestible history,
that the Democratic party South contriy--
ed and begun this huge rebellion, out Of
which tue nation, has. Just come, and
that the Democratic President and party
North. by words of promise to the ear.
stimulated. and.urged on to its sad eXecu-
ton the frghtful tragedy. .-. ......--,
Such was the crimes beginning. How
were these words Of promise kept to the
ihote?,1 ,.i..s. ..... ..'... 81. ....t.,.,.'...
In what now recite except from the
mas, of this party the thousands who left
il and sustained their government all
through the war. Excepting these, then,
IiDquire where were found the vast phys
ical power and moral forces OF the great
Democratic party? In the Congress, from
the beginning, they, as party, and with
few exceptions, denounced the govern
,ment1s efforts to save It's life as upconsti-
tutioaal! Fhey refused men and they
refused money for that defense. oraise
armies they declared was wasunconstitution-
al; to volunteer was unconstitutional; to
draft was Unconstitutional; to issue bonds
was sunconsitutional; legal tenders were
unconstitutional; the call for 10, 600 men
was unconstitutional; and so was that
for 300. 600. TO confiscate rebel guns and
slaves taken IN battle was unconstitu-
tional, To arrest traitors engaged in
burning the only roads for. our armies to
reach and save the capital was unconsti-
tutiOnal To suspend the writ by which
traitor Judges sought TO release rebel pris-'
oners Of war was Unconstitutional. To
levy taxes TO sustain the armies was un-
constitutional. To omarch our armies in
| f<Na tnh fn fn IN n O.
ing armies of the rebellion was uncon-
stitutional. To feed or to reinforce our
soldierswhog ogarrisonedU United StatesfOrts
wasun unconstitutional; and to assemble or
defend the Congress Of the nation was
unconstitutional. This is no caricature,
but an inadequate statement of the posi-
ton taken by the members of Congress
and by the press and leaders of this par
Iity toward this monster wIckedness then
beginning the work Of the nations most
| foul murder, Taking their ideas and
/, law and Logic from thespeecn of John G..
Breckinridge, made in the United States
Senate Just before he assumed command
of the rebel army, these Northern DEM
ocrats could literally find nothing re-
lating to the rebellion that was consti-
tutional, except the rebellion Itself.
With these sentiments in their mem
bers of Congress, their press, their lead
ers, and infused into their masses, the
| terrible conflict for the nations life be-
gan And as the bloody work went on,
| these men, both as men and as party
struggled with devilish persistence, en-
ergy and hate to compass the nations
! death. Tothis end they derided as ''dogsn
and 'hirelalgs" our brave and noble sol
diery, and slandered their wives and
children; they deprecated the nations
| ,,I 10, ,<,fa md bonds fhax- iii
couraged enlistments in the army they
concealed and encouraged desertefs
! they organized military camps, and by
other means in their power, struggled to
resist the draft. They secretly assassi-
mated the recruiting and other officers OF
the United States. They, by correspon-
dence and otherwise, disclosed to the
| rebels! the movements and strength OF
ourarmies they denied the ballot to our
soldiers. in the field; they became guides
and spies. forthe invading armies of Nor
gan and Lee I; they set fire to our hotels
and to the asylums of children, thereby
to withdraw or weaken our armies at the
rebel front they combined with Jake"
| Thompson and other traitors to spread
yellow fever in our rNorthernc cities |; they
voted and worked against the punish
ment'of all rebel leaders, including jeff.
1 Davis they held meetings and made
speeches to- discourage e., volunteering
! they declared the war on our part IA crime;
they said they felt no Joy at our victories,
and no sorrow at our defeats they con-
.cealed and became bounty jumpers u
and otherwise struggled to emharrass
and defeat the government; they declar-
ed to the rebel government that should
they protract the war for a few months
longer the Northern, Democracy would
Join their armies. They selected as the
men on whom they. delighted to bestow
theip highest offices and honOrs those
whom the government had, been, COM
4 PEELED to sentence to imprisonment or to
| banish as traitors; they secretly shot the
Union observation-disclosures safely could;
4 they concealed, caressed and fed on deli
cacies the. traitor soldier. whom they
might find in their reach ; they refused
to aid in thesupply Of oursick and woun-
ded soldiers through the Christian Com:
missions; and by theiracts and words, land
speeches. and press, their social favors
| and prescriptions, by their influence in
church ndschool aud homes, they strug-
| gled to the wars termination to. make
good their predictions that the govern
ment could not conquer the rebellion.
Glance at fact or two showing how
compieta wastheunion of this party at
] the North with the rebellion, and how
| 'stupendous the scale wis uponwhich that
party organized to do THE work of their
governments overthrow. am"
First take the fact that they deliber,
ately went to work, and for years con-
tinued to organize, arm and drill the
secret armies known as "Knights of the
| Golden Circle,n and afterwards as the
E"Sons of Liberty" The number of these
conspiratOrs whom they 0rgani xed. drill
ed and pit Under fearful oaths to fight
and afdin therebellion, was from three
to FIVE hundred thousand. hr.o.ur 10" y
Tn Indiana these men fixed the day
when they would seize and murder the
J Governor and other Union officers of that
I State would sack and hurn 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
other Northern States, and join those to
| the rebellion That such is part of the
history of the Democracy of Indiana il
proved not only by the faets that their
guns and other arms were found con-
cealed in indianapolis; that the rebel
/ flags under which they were to march in
/ the work of murder and burning in Indi-
ana were found; the imported rebel OIL
GERS to assume command were found;
but the details OF the profound villainy
4 L..o l.an,, nnn faooa1 hu ANNA M ifq l.