Juniata sentinel. [volume] (Mifflintown, Pa.) 1846-1873, 1872-10-16
The Situation.

In eighteen hundred and sixty when
tie leaders of the Democratic party
South raised the standard of rebellion
to break up the free system Of govern
ment in practical operation in the North
they had the hearty assurance of most
of the leaders of the Democracy North
that their masses in the Northern states
could be held in such a state that seces
-iou might become n rccoguizo1 fact -
That being accomplished they expected
to rtunIte the two sections in such a
manner that the free party that had just
elected Abraham Lincoln President
should be crushed out of existence, and
slavery, regardless of color, or, as the
Sou hen Senators at Washington used
to put If, THAT capital should own its
labor should become the controlling
principle or corner stone of the Govern
ment lmpeiftctly as the question was
understood, in its minute workings by
the people, their minds had been cult
waited enough through the free schools
and free press to understand that the
great object of the Southern. leaders in
rebellion was to perpetuate slavery and
slavery they knew endangered their so
cial condition aud every other condition
indeed. their own actual individual free
dom. The condition of the Southern
"wliie trash " so called was the true re-
hex OF their future condition if the cf.
forts Of the Southern men should prove
success Their intelligence taught them
further, namely, that if rebellion should |
establish a Government, in few years
the poor white people would be enslaved
with the negroes tor-reasOned they
flavery never before in the history of
the people of the world stopped at
color when it became powerful, and it
would be unreasonable in the face of all |
the past to believe that it would stop
here at color and ignore its past history
The mass of the Democratic party, with
this comprehensive view of the situation,
broke from their leaders. Men of the
political school of Mr.. Buchanan and
Mr.. Buckalew. who expected to hold the
people in the interests of the slave pow
er, were deserted and spurned, indeed, so
Indignant became the people when the
war was inaugurated that the prominent
men of their party, who sympathized
with rebellion, were barely safe in their
own homes. The great leaders OF the
Democracy were as powerless as children
Their influence was entirely gene 1t
was principle with the people not men,
particularly not men who were in sym
pathy with the people who sought to
crush out the condition of the Northern
States.
As the war for the maintenance of the
Government progressed. extravaganza,
peculation and fraud exhibited their ugly
forms in numerous places. 1t was not
to be expected that these qualities that
are hard to keep in check in the purest
of communities would remain inactive
amidst the turbulent times of war, such
state of society is best calculated to
develope them. The growth of corrup-
ton, of all kinds, during the war, was
large and offensive to every good citizen.
Upon this corruption the fallen leaders of
the Democracy opened a fierce 2enuncia-
ton which would have been all well
enough if they had also denounced the
fret great cause, namely, the rebellion
which their Southern friends had begun
and were then with an unabated zeal
carrying on; but they contented them
selves with denouncing that which they
expected would give them standing once
more among the people, and left untouch
ed the superior corruption and crimes of
Their co-workers in the South. These
men without single governmental prin-
ciple outside of those advocated by the
rebel Government as Richmond conmen
ced to reorganize their party under the
cry of corruption and the constitution
which their party had torn into shreds
and tramplss under foot. The cOnstitu-
tion latterly has been abandoned and the
cry centered entirely on corruption -
That has been their battle cry Under
it their old leaders seemed 10 revive, and
again prominently come before the pub
lie with such great expectations and
plausability that certain prominent Re-
publicans were induced by the political
pittance of a nomination to Office and the
promises of future honors to forsake
principle and friends and join hands with
them just in the midst of the last great