Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1868-07-24
SeymOur's War Record.


damaging effect Of the exposure Of He
ratio Seymour's position during the wal
and they have begun to make the mos
of his services as Governor of New York
in raising and forwarding troops for tn
Union service. This is good sign, 70
it shows that public opinion is not il
sympathy with the pro-rebel tone which
distinguished the New York Convention
But the exact position of Seymour, dur
ing the war can be as easily understogC
as any part of the record of such an art
full and versatile demagogue. He die
not believe in coercion" He thought
that the Government had no right to in,
wade the South to suppress instruction
and he did not want the North invaded
by the Confederate troops. Hence, when
Lee entered Pennsylvania, and the State
of New York appeared to be in immi.
nent danger, Governor Seymour prompt
ly and actively exerted himself to raise
the forces necessary for defence. But
even at that moment he did not cease to
| taunt the administration of Abraham
Lincoln, to throw his influence against
any really successful prosecution of the
war, and to deal out covert appeals to
mob violence, which were only too we'll
responded to by his friends in New
York city.
Every one knows that the true test of
a mans patriotism was made when the
war was begun by an attack on Fort
Sumter, and the rebels wheeled into line
state after state, in answer to that trea-
sonable and bloody summons. Then ev-
en- man who had concealed the genuine
fires of patriotism under the guise of con-
Iservatism and caution, like Edward Ev-
erett, rose to the level of the occasion,
and declared for war, till the last foe of
the Union should be sent to the dust.
Where was Horatio Seymour in that
critical juncture? Paltering and discour-
aging all manly effort as usual. In
speech delivered at Albany, in the winter
of 1861, when six states had seeded and
others were preparing to follow, he had
said
We are advised by the Conservative
states of Virginia and Kentucky that,
If force is to be used, it must be exerted
against the united South. 1t would be
an act of folly and madness, in entering
upon this contest, to underrate our oppo-
nents, and thus subject ourselves to the
disgrace of defeat in an inglorious war
fare Let us also see if successful coer-
cion by the North is less revolutionary
than successful secession by the south.
shall We prevent revolution by being
foremost in overthrowing the principles
OF our Government, and all that makes
1T valuable to our people, and distin
gulshes it among the nations of the
earth ?"
such language, at such time, tells
the whole story of the man. He would
have let the Union, and all the glorious
future of this nation, have gone by the
boz trd, just because it was, in his
op inion, an inglorious warfare " to
en- counter a united south in putting
down the rebellion, and because he
tn ought " successful coercion" was as bad
as successful secession !" Compare such
a governor of loyal state with the late
Governor Andrew-if due respect for
the dead will allow such comparison.
The one not onl y raised his share of the
rational troops with unprecedented
lpromptitude and vigor, but he was al
ways tower of strength" to the loyal
cause in every capacity in which his in
huence could be brought to bear, wheth-
er by personal presence at Washington,
suggesting better measures and policies.
or continually inspiring the public mind
with his own indomitable spirit. The
other was always hampering the Govern
ment, taunting it with mistakes and fail
ures, overrating the rebel strength and
stirring up the public discomfort with the
necessary war measures, until it culmi-
mated in bloody riots. The one was
true and Invaluable patriot; the other
was not. We trust that the ventilation
OF Gov. Seymour's war record will 90 on
till it is understood by every man, wo-
man and child in the country.-Boston
Journal .'s
(frJTT Dpu>r DY-,rr,r 7. ~