The States and Union. [volume] (Ashland, Ohio) 1868-1872, 1868-09-23
MOB SPIRIT REVIV1NG.

No party in days gone by was loud
err in its .pratings about liberty of
speech, the freedom of the press, and
untrammeled discussion upon all sub
jects, han the Abolition Republican
party. No party in any country has
shown more intolerance on political
topics, than the Abolition party since
its elevation to place and power in
this country. So long as it had full
control of the army, life, liberty, prop,
erty and reputation, were at the mer-
cy of as graceless a set of scoundrels
as cursed the French Empire in the
days Of the bloody R~obespierre. Per-
sonal liberty was imperiled in every
section of the country ; and it was
not uncommon for tie bloodhounds
of Stanton to prowl about the resi-
dences of best men at midnight,
to seize and drag them away to loath-
some prisons, for daring to question
the acts of Radical despots; this in
fernal spirit of malice, revenge, and
bloodshed has not died out. 1t crops
out on all occasions. At a Democrat
ic Mass Meeting held at Akron, a few
days since, this old rowdy, black
guard, fiendish, spirit was fully dis
played. We quote from a letter to
the Cleveland Plain De rIer. Read it,
and reflect on the tendencies of the
times, and your duty in this emer
gency. 1t is as follows:
"While everything passed off
smoothly on the Fair grounds where
the meeting was held, l am sorry to
say that such was not the Ease in
town. 1t was evident, early in the
day, that there was an organized
movement on foot to create a dis
turbance. A band of scallawags and
roughs, white and black, dressed in
the "wide a wake uniform" lined the
street, and attempted to pull down
the flags and bushes in the wagons as
they passed along, insulting the wom-
en- by the vilest and most obscene
language. This was intended to be
kept up, but the crowd of Democrats
became so great that the cowardly
hounds skunk to their kennels until
most of the people had gone to the
Fair Grounds, when they again re-
turned, and taking advantage of the
wagons returning from the speaking,
the most outrageous proceedings took
place-fags were pulled from the
horses and from the wagons, and the
women insulted in the grossest man.
ner. l do not say that the leading
Republicans of Akron had anything
to do with getting up this disturbance;
but L do say that they did not give
that assistance to the Mayor and DO
lice force which they should have Civ
en-, and which, if rendered, would
have relieved the city from the deep
and damning disgrace of attempting
to prevent the farmers of the sur
rounding country-the men who SUD-
port the business interests of their
town; who take the products of their
farms there to sell, and purchase what
they need from their stores-from
meeting to hear the political
issues of the day discussed. Can it
be possible that the business men of
Akron expect to enhance the business
interests of their town, by permitting
the farmers from the surrounding
country, with their wives and daugh-
5ers, to be insnlted, because they hap
pen to hold political views different
rom the majority of the citizens of
hat town? Such bigotry and unmit- !
gated meanness, / venture to say,
,annot be found in any other town on t
he Reserve Or in the State. Politi-
al meetings are now being held all
'ver the State, but in no other place
as there been any disturbance by
ither Democrats or Republicans