Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1871-03-23
W0sd's Labor Lost.


IT is lu1.cronsly useless for the gentle
men who were the most notorious of the
peace oopperheads during the war, te
| attempt V pose do patriotic Union men
now In recent debate in the House oil
Representatives, AIr. Fernando Wood
whose faithful contemporary portrait Ii
preserved in tue new Gospel Of Peace,
rose TO inform Congress and the country
that he was really the first man who had
practically responded 10 the summons OIL
the President. 1t was he who called the
Union Square meeting. It was he and
Senator Baker who made the speeches
upon that occasion. 1t was he who raised
the Mozart regiment, and paid for it money
which has noyei been repaid to him. So
ardent was his zeal, that II is only wonder
tul that he did not lead the regiment in
person. Undoubtedly Mr. Wood made a
speech at the Sumter meeting in New
York, as certainly as he regretted to Rob
ert Toombs that he could not send him
arms to be used against loyal citizens. Tn
doubleday he said, 10 Union Square, that
the Union must be maintained, as certain
ly az he said, in message TO the Common
Council, that the dissolution of the Union
was inevitable. And undoubtedly, if Mr.
Fernando Wood and his friends could have
had their way, the rebellion would have
succeeded, and the government have been
overthrow
Mr.. Wood was too astute politician
not 10 surround himself at such time
with technical defeDses to which he could
recur in pressing emergency; and he is
now so wholly political figure Of the
past that he Is only useful as an illustra.
ton. But the noble army of Copperheads
may spare their pains. The people of this
country know very well who were loyal.
They have not forgotten whose souls sup
ported Abraham Lincoln in the stern trial,
and whose tongues Kissed treason and
doubt, They remember very well whose
" friends" burned orphan asylums, and
hunted negroes, and stroye to array the
city ana the State Of New York against
the war They may even recall Mr.. Fer
nando Woods Peace Convention at SYRIA
cuse as they do the speech of the Worlds
great War Governor" Seymour, at the
Academy of Music, Why do these
modern Tories vince? Arc they ashamed
of their cause and OF themselves? The
Tories Of the Revolution did not try to
dodge history. The Woods and Vailan-
diy hams and Seymours of those days did
not claim that they secured American in,
dependence, because they knew that their
sympathies and attitude were well under
stood
Let the Copperheads of the rebellion
save their labor. They could as easily
prove Abraham Lincoln to have been a
rebel as persuade the country Of their own
loyalty. Who denounced the President at
every step, and decried the policy Of Con
grcss as unconstitutional and anarchical Z
Who resisted every vigorous measure,
and rnaligned every patriotic motive2 Who
adopted with aeclamation the surrender
platform at Chicago, and pronounced the
war for the Union q failufe2 Who
sneered at the black soldiers, and canon
lied the rebel chiefs as Christian gentle
meny Who were those for whose success
at the election of 1854 rebels prayed and
rebel agents plotted? Mr.. Fernando
Wood and his political friends may have
forgotten. But loyal hearts have long
memories. And while they accurately re-
call the mien and tone Of the Copperheads,
they also perceive that the party to which
the men of that name now belong has not
yet honestly accepted the result of the
war, nor acquiesced in the settlement of
the Union, and through its organs, derides
those OF the late rebels who have done
both while in Virginia, by strict party
vote, 1T orders a portrait Of General Lee
Carrying water in sieve is easy labor
compared with that of proving the pa.
tiotism Of Copperhead. -Huper's
He6hGY