The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1868-06-27
HOW WILL THE soLDIERs VOTE ,


beeemins alarmed on account of the sIngu-
lsr unanimity with which our returned SOL
diers are raflying around the. banners OF
conservatism. They have just cause for
their trepidation. Ever since the close OF
the WAT, the selfish and unsorupuloas dema-
gogues who have been enjoying the honoFs
and emoiuments of our public Offices, have
been accustomed to appeal to the soldiers
whenever their spoiis have been menanced.
They have seldom appealed in vain. In the
name of patriotism, and with the old battle
T, cries of the war, they have often. succeeded
in deluding the men who fought for the
restoration of the Union from principle and
pure motives. Even while our political
contests have been the hottest, they have
always found time to monopohze all posts OF
trust and profit, and to teach soldiers that
they were merely 10 be used, and not to be
rewarded. This selfish treachery is resping
its legitimate result. The wells of pretence
and hypocrisy have been rent aside. Our
soldiers have realized that instead of sustain
ing the principles for which they fought,
they have been merely aiding corrupt mas
tiers in career Of plumber. They have
found that all those txits generalities about
preserving the Union, furnishing traitors,
and restoring peace and prosperity, are so
much idle buncombe; that their patriotic
stay,athome brethren are solely striving for
Office, and care no more for the restoration
of the Union than they do for restoring the
Buosbon dynasty; that the radicals ne
longer consider pFinciples at stake aud
that while soldiers are, by them, considered
''good voting cattle they are not to- pre-
sumo too far upon the liberality of the men
who distinguished themselves in the ranks
Of the home-guard during oar late contest
Not further back than FIVE weeks ago, a re.
publican county convention slaughtered
every real soldier who had the audscity to
present his just claims for public employ.
ment, before it. Not even decent pretext
was offered. The men who remained al
home during the war, and who indicated
their 'loyalty" to the republic in its darkest
hours, In much the same manner IN which
the old women Of the south supported the
'confederacy"-by wagging their tongues
pFodigiously-these were the men who kicked
- the soldiers from the arena, and monopoliz.
ed the spoils, and these are the men who
viii soon be calling soldiers "pet names, u
and begging fox their ballots. No soldier
of proper spirit, whose name went before
that convention, would support the men who
repudiated him so ienominionsly. We do
not mention these things from any belief
that our military element could be bought
up BY Offices and patronage. 1t is not, in
the main, composed of that kind of stuff
But the republicans have been Boosting for
the past seven years that they intended to
richly reward tour noble soldiers" The
soldiers therefore have a right to demand
that some of these pledges be fulfiied-that
their element be partially represented in
places of trust. A few have tried the ex-
pertinent of proving these pledges, and have
been snubbed contemptuously for theirpains.
It is true, man pretending to have been q
soldier was nominated by the republicans
for q seat IN the legislature, but if our north
ern armies had been composed of such men,
the stars and bars would now have been
saluting the red cross of England across the
Canada line. To put the best possible con-
stsuction On his record, s'his orders never
permitted him to fight As general rule,
the government wss exceedingly indulgent
TO its champions in regard to the organ Of
combatlveness, and was seldom known to
interfere when any Oh them really felt as
though frst class fight was necessary 10
their moral or physical welfare. 1. Il was
usually supposed that the FIRST law of nature
was sufficient to restrain most men. when
not directly called upon to cover thsmselyes
with glory. Language can be varionsly
construed, but no soldier can consider the
singular orders which sickles pretended to
have as fair sample of what were usually
dealt out to commanders, and by no means
can Slekles be considered fair representa-
tive OF the men who conquered the coGfed
.eracy. The fact is, the demagogues who
are now SO cordially inviting the soldiers in
TO republican ranks, to vote for republican,
barnacies, did inst. about as much to put
down the rebellion, and are about as patriotic
OF heart as were the Ben. Buffers, the
cotton thieves, the sanitary commission inn
posters, the bounty jumpers, the Jelly chap
lains, the black troops, and ali the other
humbugs and swindles of the war, The SOL
diers are sick of this hypocrisy and corrup.
ton! They have been beguiled with loyal
hp-service quite long enough, Radical ex-
tsayagance and outrageous tyranny through
out the country is having at least one good
effect The soldiers begin to appreciate the
fact that they whipped the south in less
time than the radicals have consumed in
trying unsuceessfully to get the yanquished
states back into the Union again. They
propose therefore to support party which
can and desires to restore the Union. Four
years ofstrife we're expended for this purpose.
The republican partyshas failed to dots du.
ty, as the ruling power, and rotten to the
core with corruption, has lost the support of
the men it has been deluding SO long. The
soldiers are wheeling into line under con.
sentative banners. q 49,