Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1868-09-30
A Card from Matt. n. Carpen-
ter.
To the Editor of the La Crosse Rep,al

To the Editor Of the La Crosse Repu5
ltcdn:
Having done me the honor to re-
publish a card written by me to the
5 editors of the Sentinel some four years
ago, you will, of course, do me the jus
tice to publish this.
AS you are one of the editors who
oppose any discussion of the merits ot
senatorial candidates until after the
. election, you must have published that
0 card in the interest of Grant and Col
Q fax, for whose election we are all la
boring. And yet some, who have not
as much faith as have in the integri
ty fyour purpose to avoid such discus.
sion, and who think you are working
eUen noe0 to insure the success of your
r own candidate for the United States
Senate. believe that you did so in the
n hope Of InJuring me by casting a doubt
upon my republicanism. | acquit
+ you Of any such intention; still | de-
sire to state-what YOU omitted-the
l circumstances under which it was
written.
In that card I said
O.
litical affairs to the firing upon Fort Sumter,
| was Democrat of the strictest sect in
theory and practice. When the war com
menced, without any excuse. or Justification
on the part of the South, it was a clear du-
ty, as l thought, to support the Admins
tration of the Government although elected
against my choice and vote, in putting down
the rebellion as summarily as possible
In this was separated from the organization
J DpmOprorip itb
er, having changed my views in regard to
general politics.
My steady support of The Demo
cratic party prior to the war, was and
is we'll known. | was educated to
believe that true Democracy, as
taught by Jefferson, consisted in the
greatest good to the greatest number
without regard to nationality. race or
color. In this belief | supported its
candidates. If | was mistaken. in
this then | was acting under a mistake
Of a fact which would authorize a court
OF equity to relieve me from the con
sequence Of the votes cast for that
party. But however this may have
been, the war raised an issue above
party politics. 1t was then evident
that there could be but two classes of
American citizens, those who sup
ported and those who opposed the
/ Governm ent. A first it was my hope
and expectation that Democrats un-
der the lead of Douglas would espouse
the side of the Government, and
unitedly aid in suppressing the re-
bellIon. The first speeches | made
We're made IN company with out-and-
out Democrats. At a flag raising in
Milwaukee, in the spring of 1861, |
spoke from the same stand with II on. j .
/ 5. Brown, subsequently, with Hon.
| Geo. B. Smith at Elkhorn, and after
wards with Hon. H l.. Palmer at
/ Fond du Lac. In these speeches we
all advocated the old Democratic doc
trine of standing by the Government
and sending armies against rebels
| These meetings were held for the pur-
! pose of encouraging enlistments to
+ fill up our regiments.
Soon after the meeting at Fond du
/ Lac, however, there was a meeting
of few Democrats in Milwaukee, to
which / was not invited. where. as
| understand, it was determined that
some check must be placed upon the
/ popular currents which seemed to be
moving IN favor of the Government
! lest they shold lead to the support of
Mr.. Lincoln's A administration, and
/ thus damage the interests of the Dem
ocratic party. This was in IS62.-
! At this meeting it was resolved to
Z coll n Ctata convention RI cbovr - n
Democrats what Democracy was, and
/ to call back those whose patriotic i'm
/ pulses had led them too far in ad-
vance. This convention met and
adopted an address which disclosed the
/ fact that no man could sympathize
with the Government and denounce
! the rebellion without being excluded
\ from the Democratic folds. | had
/ then to elect whether | would aban-
/ don the support of the war or be con-
sidered an outsider. | chose the lat
ter and thus became separated from
! the party. And down to 1864, when
I ! wrote that card. had seen no op-
portunitv to return without falsify-
I ing all | had said in defense of the
/ Government, and surrendering all my
| convictions of truth and duty.
/ But the clause which gives YOU the
/ greatest satisfaction Is the following:
/ While this war NAV continue my votes
and efforts in Congress would. | suppose,
actiy represent the Republicans of Wiscon-
sin, because | should support every proper
measure To strengthen the Government and
to weaken the rebellion. | would not con
sent to treat with rebels except upon the
basis of unconditional submission to the
thoritv of the Constitution and laws; nor
I wouldl consent to armiStice without
even knowing that rebels wish to return to
obedience, which in the present stage of
affairs, could have no effect but 20 aid and
relieve the rebels and weaken the Govern
ment. Rebels must submit. The Govern
ment cannot yield. But should peace be
accomplished within the next year. the au-
thority of the Constitution restored over
all the original territory of the Union, the
rebellion hide its head, the public affairs
assume their wonted course, | might favor
line OF public policy that the Republicans
might think very unsound; and thnS sub
jected to the imputation of having betrayed
my constituency while acting conscientious
ly in my belief, fer the public good.
InfS card was written dec lining TO