Sunbury American. [volume] (Sunbury, Pa.) 1848-1879, 1872-10-05
BucKALEw AND HIS RrcoRp.-A GREAT

BUCKALEw AND HIS RECoRD.-A great
many persons, who do not look very deeply
into public affairs. suppose that the attacks
| upon Mr.. Buckaew are mere campaign
abuse. But it is not so. He has been in
office all these years where we could not
reach him. lie has been State Senator.
| or n United States Senator, or foreign
envoy. He has never come prominently
| before the people of the Commonwealth in
| position where he could be punished by
the press for his delinquencies as he has
so richly deserved. And now, at last, he
! comes before us for promotion. and, in the
fancied security of Greeley's 'peace and
reconciliation" hopes for oblivion of his
disloyal record, not on account of any
! merits OF his own, but because Mr. Greeley
| is preaching n political millennium which
consists in the promotion of traitors, the
| condoning OF all war offences, and n ces-
sation of the Onward progress of Republi-
cansm.
There is no use Of mincng words about
such man as Buckalew at this time. In
the National Senate his disloyalty was that
of other men of the same kidney. But the
sympathy that leads United Senator, dur
ing n terrible civil war, TO Canada, to con-
fer with rebel emissaries, at a time when
they were sending out agents to burn New
Ioik and Philadelphia, and to infect the
nOthern States with smallpox, and to burn
the steamers at st. Louis, and that leads
such man to organize secret societies 20
resist the draft, and that mislcads citizens
into open revolt against the laws, is no
mere sentiment it is bold and dangerous
effort of treason. There is no abuse of
words in calling such man traitor
for it is not possible to conceive of more
clearly defined traitor than such one,
clothed with official authority, n member
of the highest representative body in the
land, sworn in the midst of the war to sup.
port the government, and yet engaged in
traitorous intercourse with the enemy and
in fomenting instructions against the laws
for the supplying of men for the army
What must be thought of such man pre-
siding at meeting at which the vilest,
most disgusting, and most disgracefully
treas0nable sentiments were openly preach
ed, such rs that Wirz, the Andersonyille
laller, was patriot deserving of reward !?
What must be thought OF the Senator who,
Knowing that these men had both artillery
and small arms aud had appointed rem
devious, yet endeavored to secure their
escape from punishment, and ever took the
desertcrs from prison to the election polls
to vote And he, too, sworn to support
the government in the enforcement of the
laws. Is it abuse or calumny to say that
he stands before us Il traitor 7 Is it abuse
to say that instead of promotion he
deserves punishment 1t it keeping alive
war memories unnecessarily to refuse to
vote for such man? Many Democrats
may have honestly differed from us during
the war. But how many of them are there
who would have challered with the enemy
as Buckalew is clearly proven to have done,
or who would have attempted to ferment
revolt against the draft, rs he did We
shall not insult the patriotism of our Dem
ocratic readers by supposing that any con-
siderable number would have done this
But il they now vote for Buckalew for
Governor, by what course Of logic can they
hold themselves free from responsibility
for his terrible record ? We cannot see it
ourselves. We may say the same of any
Republicans who may be seduccd into vot-
ing for such traitor. They may Halter
themselves as they please that, as the war
is over, things are past but if they vote
for this man for Governor, if they give him
another chance, they will stand responsible
for his Offences rs accessories. Others
heretofore voted fcr him for Senator, State
OF national, in ignorance of the true char.
actcr of the man. But there is no chance
now for ignorance. His full record is pub
lished all over the Commonwealth. Those
who do not choose to read must not thereby
hope to escape responsibility for his acts if
they vote for him.