The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1869-08-20
A NEW TEST OF LOYALTY.

Tbere PROMISES TO be a test Of true loyalty,
aimee it ia not enough simply to nave peeh
a Republican and profess present hepublI'
canism and 10 vote for such. The political
complications growing out of the recent
elections in Tennessee and Virginia seem to
make this necessary for the unquestionabIy
loyal are frightully divided yet on the que'
ton whether Walker and Senter are really
Republicans, or merely professedly RepublI'
cans and actually Democrats. There are
good many doubling Thomases on this I'M
portant question. Some Of the "trooIy ION
insist on a test as conclusiyely convincing as
the doubling disciple required before ne
would believe his risen Lord stood Oeiofe
him. This Of course is not desirable STATE
Of things, for it keeps one half OF the party
busily employed trying to convince the other
half that there is nothing wrong in the party,
and that it isn't really going to pieces.
A less uncertain test Of fealty 70 the party
is clearly intimated in the recent publication
made by Judge Bond and others, OF Mary
land. in reply to the statement that they
were favoring the movement to make Mr..
Chase President. This statement having
been very generally circulated and by many
believed, and Judge Bond and his contreres
being Office holders under Grant, it became
necessary that no ordinary contradiction
should be made, and no ordinary declaration
of fealty promulgated. Hence these gentle
men in the course of their address use the
following emphatic language:
ave brand all these charges of our com.
phcity ia the Chase movement, or any move
ments not in true personal fidelity to the
administration and the Republican party, as
false from beginning to end, and we warn al
persons and newspapers who shall, after
knowledge Of this specific denial, made OF
our own personal honor and responsibility
repeat or publish these charges, that we shal
hold them subject to be treated as liars an'
libelers."
The words talicised by US contain thu
germ of a new test of loyalty, particular,
for those holding Office or hoping to hole
Office under the Grant Administration. II
the opinion Of these gentlemen the DANCE
was too great for SO tame declaration a
that they were in full sympathy and harmc
NY with the present administration. The
therefore cover the ground fully and say tht
their fidelity to it is a personal fidelity
that they not only believe in, accept an
support the doiLgs of the standardization
bat they are personally devoted to its head
and that they love and admire the Presiden
in his personal habits and official character
They like his nepotism, they approve his
fondness for cigar and his passion for u
horse that they emulate his private cbarac
ter, and applaud his public services, one
and all that they are personally attached tc
him as they could be to no other individual
and that they will take him as their cxem
plar and standard it all things, be firm with
him when he is firm and change with him
when he changes. This is evidently to be
the test of loyalty in future, and our Repub,
hcan friends might as well as prepare for it.
OF course Democrats are pitched in too low
II key for any such flight and must be con
tent to admire such ordinary men a. Wash
ington, Jefferson, Marshall, &c.