The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1869-06-17
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in advance:
The New York Tribune on Secret Political
Organizations.
IL is but a short time since that We
dwelt st some length on secret political
organizations. like the Union Leagues,
the Grand Army of tho Republic, and
other similar secret combinations OF
"pass.words and grips" and showed the
danger that their existence threatened
to the Onion and all established ideas OF
fepublicanism. In the views. which we
at this and other times expressed, we i'm.
agine there is not 9 Democratic or Con.
servative journal in the country but would
on the whole empbatically agree with US.
But we had hardly expected to have
brought to our notice an article (Which
/. had escaped our attention. from any Rad
,ical Journal, and especially from the New
York Tribune, as pointed, severe and just
IN its condemnation of these secret pelit
ical societies, and especially of the Grand
Army of the Republic, as any Conserva-
tive or Democratic paper could we'll pro-
dnce. From journals Of the latter sort
we expect defence of American institu-
lions and ideas, relentless opposition to
any rising thought or power that threat
ems to subvert them, and TO every combi-
nation. of what sort soever, which, like the
Grand Army of the Republic, as the 1ri-
Dune asserts, is s'inimical to the Constitution
and the Union" From Radical journals,
on the other hand, we have no good rea-
son to look for any such defence Of Amer
lean institutions and ideas, any such 3d.
licitude for their permanency, and such
hostility to all and everything, every or
eanization, secret or open, that menaces
their existence or threatens to impair
their usefulness or change their character.
In an article not long ago, condemna-
tory of the Grand Array of the Republic,
bought out by letter from Mr.. Henry
W. Bennett, of Davenport, Iowa, calling
that paper to account for denouncing that
organization, the New York Tribune took
occasion to express itself with delibera-
ton as follows:
aThese men combine for political pur-
poses. They propose to keep alive the
wrath and bitterness Of that dreadful
time. They mean to control conventions
and nominate men to ofice-to perpetu-
ate in our civil system the bitterness of
war. We believe the soldier should re-
eeive abundant reward. When soldier
and cisilian apply for Office, all things
else being equal, we should prefer the SOL
dier. But we dislike this making priv
ileged class, and especially we dislike this
getting into corner and having pass
words and grips, and making an exclu-
sive class.
aWashington foresaw this when he
opposed the Society of the Cincinnati.
He saw in the association the first step
toward an aristocracy, and he declined to
ally bimself with it. What Washington
said should be remembered now. Here
Is an association more numerous and more
powerful than the Cincinnati, which pur-
poses to ever keep alive war with
brothers and fellow-countrymen, to exult
in victories over Americans, to rejoice
over the destruction of men in whose
Blue veins runs the-blood which courses
In our own, and who, whatever their
crimes or errors, are of our own country.
We say let all the memories of the past
sink into the hell to which they belong
let us think only of the wounds to be
healed, of harvests to grow again, Of seas
once more covered with our commerce,
education for the ignorant, protection to
the oppressed, justice to all.
awe say this, and sacrifice none of the
principles defended by MIR. Bennett. He
is, no doubt, earnest in his belief that his
work is worthy. But there are Graf.
ty, bold, bad men, who look upon these
societies as 30 many instruments for
their own advancement. They pro-
pose to ally themselves with this mil
itary government, with no more claim
upon it than Thenardier, in Hugo's nov
ct, had to be called the Sergeant of Wa
terloo. he followed the army and robbed
the bodies of the slain. The true soldier
sheaths his sword and buries it in his
closet, and it remains an heirloom. He
becomes citizen, and makes no claim for
political honor but that of citizenship
Above all things he does not carry his
spaulets and ribbons, his wounds and
bruises, toa political convention, to be
Knocked down to the highest bidder
There may be many of these men ,unwit-
tingly in the Army of the Republic, who
probably entered with the views of Mr.
Bennett. They will soon zee how they
may better occupy their time.
Especially do we entertain these views
when we find in the declarations of these
secret soldier associations 80 many ex-
pressions of madness. The true soldier
Is the most generous of foemen. Take
the great captains who commanded the
contending hosts. Do we find Grant, or
Sherman, or Sheridan, or Thomas, or
Meade, assembling together and bowling
for more blood, more strife, more bitter
nessf Do we find Lee, or Lougstreet, or
Johnston, or Beauregard insisting that
4hn hataa of sanassinn shall be nrolnn nad2