The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1868-09-17
5fFHE DENOCRAFIC PRESS.
aola for his bonndai5 a.

gold for his bonds u upon points
of honor. Let us run a parallel
between the soldiercfaAd, the bond
holder, and see which of the two was
the truest patriot and man of honor.
The soldier felt that when his coun-
try's flag was in peril, it was then that
the nations honor was at stake. The
bondholder seemed to think that it
was just the time to speculate on the
Governments necessities, Now, was
it honorable to pretend to be a patriot,
and then not only make merchandise
of your patriotism, but Charge your
beloved country for it such fabulous
price ? and now does it become you
who had the brazen boldness to do it,
to now hold up your brass-plated
physiognomies among honorable gen.
tlemen, and impudently prate about
honor? [Applause and laughter. I
You never saw what your duty was
until you first ascertained how much
you could make -bI-it. L Applause
You patronize only the patriotism
that pays ! Applause.l The soldier,
recognizing the elimination of the cri-
sis and the duty of the citizen, shoul-
dered his musket. The same peril
that alarmed him was there for you to
see too, and there was likewise mus
ket for you to shoulder; but the mus
ket seemed to have alarmed you more
than the peril did him, so'you bought
a substitute and plunged into the
thickest of the fight by proxy. Jap
plause and laughter.1 Your love of
country was too deep and too sincere,
and your sense of honor too lofty, to
permit you to impose a nervous sys-
tenn as unreliable in danger as you
knew yours to be, upon the army for
a soldier; so you,modestly and gener-
ously declined to thrust your military
pretensions between the laurels more
aspiring men were dreaming of and
longing for; SO you bought the Gov
ernment q soldier less. afflicted than
yourself with, an amiable disposition:
[4oud laughter; and you, arming
yourself with a respectable margin,
determined to expose its existence to
the horns and hugs of the bulls and
bears of Wall street. But even in that
impregnable retreat of .harm-haters
and safety-lovers, how sadly your con-
duct contrasts with that of the gener-
GUS and manly soldier! He took his
bounty not only the Governments
currency, but, on the Governments
terms You went only for the bonds,
and would not take even them on the
Governments terms, but stopped to
penuriously higgle and chatter over
their value; and when they said to
you: "Will you take them at 100
cents 2" What did. you isay2sas" Mol"
f.At9 a. No3lsst q sAt80? nsiEs Nol's {
90 AT TOP" .sNoo,!' y cat 6O?" "NoI"
cat 50?" "No?D' And it was not
until they fell to 40 cents that your
patriotism smoothed its frowning
front. The promise of profit apricked
up yonr patriotic ears, and when the
Tiber of speculation "was chatting
with. her shores" at the bidding of
Wall street Cassius; accoutered as
you were You plunged in, and you
would have gone down with him for
ever, had not the soldier, when you
<'Help me, Cassius, or I
sink gallantly rushed to your relief,
and delivered your sinking carcass
from the fury of the mad waves.
Loud Loud Applause.] And what L want
to know now is, how does it become
you, sir, whose history is a history of
banquets and bonds, not of battles and
Dlood-[applausel-of champagne and
contracts, not campaigns and conflicts
-of dinners and dollars, not of duties
md dangers-[applause]- ]-of feasting
ind frolicking, not of fasting and fight
ng of luxuries and lusts, not of lau-
els OF losses-of picked posts, not of
'icket posts-[loud laughter]-of tact
ricks, not of tactics-of round treats,
lot of retreats-[lo loud laughterl-how
loes it become such hero, in the face
# such a history, to set himself up to
ecture the SCARED veterans of a hund-
ed hard fought fields about honor?
Loud laughter and applause.l Thou
ands of soldiers sleep the sleep that
,nows no waking; but no ibondholder
yer fails to promptly respond to his
anne at q coupon roll-call. loud
aughter and applause.l gore '''i@ ,~''