Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-09-20

that you transcend your bounds as an
editor when you claim under it a license
to SANDER and falsify your neighbour
Had your charge against me been less
serious l should not have asked for
space to respond. For your ridicule l
care nothing. l do claim some love of
country, and feel some pride in being an
American citizen. And am not entirely
indifferent to the good opinions of the
people of this county, yet l should feel
that had forfeited it all if your state
mcnt was true.
Hoping that you viii coltine yourself
to the point in issue, viz: That | sat
tempted to justify secession" and answer
as candidly as / have endcavored to
write the above, remain,
Yours, &c,
d. ID. IIoLDRIDGE
REMARKS.
We arc glad to give place to the above
communication for two reasons; first lc
cause it gives us an opportunity to show
that we have done the writer no inius-
tice, aud second, that il indicates that
our friend IIollrdgc, after some inlcci
sion, has concluded to use the legitimate
weapons of political discussion, and
foregonc his much-debated intent to
"puncb" the editor We arc glad Of this
later and wiser resolution. as much on
his own account as on our own for AL
though it is not agreeable to be punched"
it often happens that such enterprises do
not terminate precisely rs projected by
the authors, and he that goes out for
wool sometimes comes back shern Bat
truce to this.
Before proceeding to comply with Mr.
Holdridge's request to point out the por-
tons Of his speech which justified seccs-
sion. we will say that the statement which
seems to have caused him such dis
| quietude, was made on the authority of
| hearers, whom lie would not accuse of Il
disposition to misreprcsent him and that
it tallies precisely with the recolections
| of dozens with whom we have conversed
| who heard his speech One more sug.
gestion aad we proceed to the point
The readers of Mr. Holdridge's letter will
notice that the corollary Of the charge
in the BULLETIN, that he also excused
the atrocities of the ku-klux, is not quo
ted or denied
Now, regarding the language of Mr.
Holdridgc in attempting to justify seces-
zion. In the first place, he quoted the
secession sentiments of Horace Greeley,
and unqualiiiedly Endorsed them. Re.
peating from memory Mr. Greeey's Ian.
guage: Gas to secession, have said re,
peatedly, and here repeat, that if the peo-
pie Of tile sldoe States, or Of tie cotton
States alone, reaNg scisA to get oM Of tie
Union. am IN .facor of letting item ont
as soon as the result can be peacefully
and constitutionally attained" Mr.. Hold
ridge insulted his hearers by assn
ming that they all admitted the soundness
of the above sentiments, and then based
his argument against secession upon the
fact that the Southern people did not 90
about it in the "constitutionar' and
peaceful way prescribed by Mr. Greeley
We repeat that in this Mr.. Holdgridge
admitted the rightfulness Of secession
and justified it in certain cases, and when
attempted under certain specified forms
and in so doing went back on the funda
mental doctrine Of the Republican party
established by the war: that secession il
justifiablc under no possible circum
stances or conditions.
Again, Mr.. Holdridge is very fast to tel
us that he never thought that secession
admitted of any palliation whatever
4 when in the same speech to which refer
ence has been made, he used words te
this effect: "rhc Southern people hat
presented to them on The one hand thcil
country, and on the other their States
their homes, fircsides, and the assoeia
lions of their lives. They embraced til,
latter, and can we say that we woult
have done otherwise under like circum
stances?" This is net quoted as Tho
exact language of Mr.. Uoldrdgc, but thu
sentiment is substantially what was I'M
derstood by scores Of bis audience. So
Does he pretend to say that this DISPOSE
ton to excuse Southern treason is not
palliation of secession? Mr. lloldridgt
tells us that during the war he "denoun
ccd secession in nearly every schoo
house in this county" We were aware
: of the fact, but the "Reminiscences is not {
fortunate one for him, in view of hi
, present position and associations Whcl
Mr.. Holdridge was thus battling secession
, in the school houses of the county IL
was also in antagonism to the mel
. north and south who upheld it, and wh'
waited, watched and prayed for its sue
cess. They boast that they have no
changed, and yet we see Mr. lloldridg
/, hand and glove with them, being used b.
them for their own purposes, and stand
ing up before them in public, dilutin
. the sentiments he uttered during the wal
+ We do not believe that our friend in hi
!, heart hates secession any less than cvel
n but his is conspicuous instance Of tn
dcmoralizing influence Of evil politics
associations. 1t is necessity of hi