The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-12-18
Military BummerS.

OF Office bill should be repealed at once, then,
and the track cleared for the new President.
Military Bummers.
From Brick" PomeroyS ~ Y. Democrat
There has been gathering at Chicago
called an "Army Reunion" but really mu-
tual admiration society, the principal business
of which was to try to give themselves noto-
riety, and keep up the illusion that they had
been of some service to the country, by that
kind of 'blowing" so characteristic of army
bummeTs.
1t is a poor time to attempt this kind of
thing when the war is demonstrated to have
been an unmitigated evil, and has left the
trail of its curse as distinctly marked upon
government, finances, society, industry, and
prosperity, as was Sherman's ruthless march
upon homesteads and plantations in Georgia.
Aside from the leading object of endeavoring
to impress upon the public mind the idea that
they are persons of great merit, the memory
of whose deeds must not be permitted to die
out-and to make sure of this with character
istic modesty, taking it upon themselves to
do their own ''blowing''-they assume to in
struct the country upon the science of politics.
The master-spirit of this game is Tecumseh
the Second-the Great Torch -bearer-who
with the cunning of insanity and the wicked
ness of the Arch-fend, wantonly and gratui-
tously, in violation of the rules of civilized
warfare, and without the excuse of military
necessity or advantage, destroyed the dwell
ings and food and plundsred the valuables of
the non-combatant inhabitants Of two whole
States, leaving old men, women, and children
to suffer from exposure and perish from want,
and refined and delicate females, in not a few
instances, experiencing an infinitely worse
fate at the hands of the licensed and brutal
ravishers whom he set on to teach the people
of the South what war meant as dictated by
the hell-born spirit which he let loose in his
"march to the sea-"
He shows that he knew nothing of the char
aoter of the contest when he engaged in it,
and that he has learned nothing since. He
still talks about having fought for the Union"
"a fallacy that events long since exploded
Conolusively as it can be demonstrated that the
war was brought on for the purpose of destroy
ing slavery, and that with that object it was
prosecuted at every step after its commence
ment, and not to preserve the MON, which
would never have been endangered had not
slavery been unconstitutionally menaced.
He displays equal intelligence and good
taste when he denounces what he calls "the
pernicious doctrine of State power" This
estate power" is what the fathers who
founded our institutions regarded as the great
bulwark OF free government. And yet this
chief of bummers attempts fippantly to sueer
it down as a 'pernicious doctrine" IT his dis
honorable life be drawn out many years longer,
he will see how vain are such sneers from such
a source.
But the superlativeness of his ignorance ap-
pears in the remark as he doubtless intends
to apply it, that "you may search history in
vain for more fagrant violation of faith than
that which resulted in our civil war;" This
charge is directed against the South, but in that
application it is supremely false and unjust
But turned in the opposite direction, and it is
true, most true, and would admit of much
greater severity of expression.
Does not this frantic ravsger in war and
bold slanderer in peace know that the people
of the South had prior to the war, property
equal in value to the public debt of the United
States, as doubled by Overstatement to feed
the greed Of the usurers to whom IL was con-
traoted, and to destroy which property the
war was brought on and the debt created
That that property was held under State law,
and that its security, so far as co-State and
Federal action was concerned, as well as
against domestic iDsurrectiOn, was guaranteed
by the Constitution of the United States
And that by a series of acts of flagraut bad
faith, many of those co-States had instigated
that very domestic insurreotion which,
through their Federal agent, they were bound
to aid in suppressing; had refused to enforce
certain essential provisions of the Constitution,
resting in compact between all the States,
affecting the safety and value of the species
of property referred to; had passed laws
obstructing the enforcement by the Federal
authorities of other provisions of the
Constitution having similar bearing; AMI
finally, that the people of those recusaut
States had organized political party whose
sole idea, object, and efforts were directed to
the destruction OF that great property interest
in the South, and of the system of labor aud
order of society based upon it, and that this
party had gained an election which would
place in its hands the whole enginery Of th'
Federal Government, to be welded for its ne
farious and destructive ends. Up to tina
point, when all hope seemed to be lost o
peace or safety, the South had borne and for
borne, hoping at every stage of the mac
career of "these internal fanatics" tha
reason would resume its sway in the public
mind, and fraterDal feeling be restored to tht
hearts OF the Northern people, But all il
vain. Matters only grew worse and worse
Finally the case became desperate, as abov
stated. Then, and not till then, did tn
Southern people seeing that the Constitution
could no longer be depepded upon as shiel
AGAINST encroaohment and violence, and tina