Ottumwa weekly courier. (Ottumwa, Wapello County, Iowa) 1872-1899, 1876-09-20

liz nC
reasury was as empty of coin Us the
party was of patriotism
md honor. We had to borrow mon
~ of whom we could. We had tn
issue bonds and grccnbacks, What
for? Why, to buy shetland shell and
muskets and cannon to shoot enough
enough democrats to save the Union.
There was a division then forced up
on the people of the country, not into
democrats and republicans, but into
patriots and traitors; aud thousands
and thousands went out Of the demo-
cratic party to aid the government to
put down the rebellion. But every
ono who thus went into the service of
the country was then known as a re-
publican, and those who were against
the government was known as dem
ocrats. These democrats went into
the markets Of the world, and they
maligned and they slandered those
efforts to raise money to sustain the
in its time of trial. They
said "Your bonds can never be paid,
and your grcenbaeks are uneonstitu-
tional;;" and tosuch an extent al i'll they
so SANDER and malIgn and ealumniatc
the government that at ono time
gold was 29O, which meant that u
greenback was worth "a cents on the
dollar. Where were the other sixty
six cents? They were slandered and
illuminated out by the democratic
party Of the North. Two-thirds of
the causes which have brought about
the prostration of American industry
to-day are to be traced to the demo-
cratic party of the North, and every
time you workingmcn blister your
hands to pay debt, take off tho blis-
ter and under it you will find dem
ocratic lie. .at
The republican party has done
nothing for sixteen years that it is
not proud Of. The democratic party
has done nothing for sixteen years
that it is not ashamed of. The rcpub-
lican party has not done one thing for
sixteen years that was not for the in
terest of the government.
The history of the democratic party
is an cpitaph. The democratic party
to-day Is searching around in tho old
political cemetery of the hygonc ages
for a standard-bearer. Thoy have
raised up in Massachusetts, that old
cemetery "reminiscences, Charles Fran
els Adams, who had his henchmcn n,
Cincinnati, hoping that he would get
the nomination from the republican
party there, and who was equally
willing to take it at st. Louis, and
who was also willing to be the nom.
ince of the republican party i'm Mass.
achusetts, but finally the democratic
party, wishing for some evidence OF
responsibility, and knowing that nc
live man would lend his name to
them for a moment, have CROPPED In
this old cemetery for responsibility
and have fished out Mr.. Adams. The
law against violating the sacredness
of the tomb ought to be enforced.
The democratic party was not vii.
ling that the country should be saved
unless slavery could be saved with it
There was never u democrat North
or Southland by that | mean those
who opposed the UniOn-who did not
think more of the existence of slavery
than of the government Of the United
States. They made brcastwork OF
the constitution for rebels 10 get be-
hind and shoot down loyal men. The
next thing they did was to discourage
en!istments in the North. They did
all in their power to prevent men
from going into the army, and that
great statesman, Samuel j. Tilden
gave ii as his opinion that the South
could sue, and that every soldier that
put bis foot on the sacred soil of the
South would be trcsspasscr, and
could be sued before q Justice of the
Peace. They denounced the war MS
an abolition war i'm their conventions.
and they denounced Abraham Lin
coin as q tyrant. OF all the men on
earth who had been clothed with
nearly absolute power, Abraham lin
coin was one, and know of no other
man living or in history, who used
that power without abusing it, except
on the side of mercy. They said to the
rebels: "IIold on; hold hard; fight
on until we get political possession
of the North, and then you can go in
peace"
There was man by the name of
Jacob thompson, a very nice man,
and a good democrat. This man had
the misfortune to be q vigorous dem
ocrat, and ] mean by that that during
the war n democrat who had a mus
kct was a rebel, and rebel who did
not have musket was democrat. i
call Mr.. Thompson vigorous demo-
crat because he did have muskct.
He was sent by the rebel government
rs their agent to Canada. When he
went there he took with him
between seven aud eight thousand
dollars in money for the purpose of
assisting The northern democracy. He
got himself acquainted with the dem
ocratic party in Ohio, Indians and
Illinois. The vigorous democrats or
real democrats Of those cities had or
ganized themselves under the heads
of ''Sons of Liberty" knights Of tile
Golden Circle, "Order of the STAR"
and various other names. They held
meetings in Chicago, indianapolis and
st. Louis, their object being to raise
fires in those places; in other words
to burn down the homes Of union SOL
diers while they were in the field
fighting for the preservation of the
country. This was their object and
they Immediately put themselves in
communication with Jacob Thomp-
son. On the 9th of August, 1864, they
held a meeting in Peoria, and there
were democrats there from every part
of the state. In that meeting letter
was read, received from the Hon.
Fernando Wood of New York, of
whom l think You have heard, i'm
which he said that, although not pres
cnt in body, he was there in spirit
George Pcndlcton, Geo. Il. Pugh, and
other prominent gentlemen, sent their