Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1876-11-01
SHALL BYGOAES BE BTGONESP
AN ELOQUENT APPEAL.

Il :"
At the monster mass meeting held ct Read
ing on Thursday evening, the 2Gth inst, Major
/ 4. Wilson Norris, secretary of the Republican
/ State Committee, was one Of the speakers.
After discussing the issues of the campaign, ar
raigning the Democratic party for its crimes OF
the past and criminal intents in the future, he
( closed with the following eloquent and brilliant
appeal TO the Republicans Of Pennsylvania:
Seyenty-fiye rebel officers are now in the
United States Congress. Veterans, you of the
old Potomac army. YOU gallant SONS of the Re
public, who followed SheruIzn TO the sea, is it
not time 10 cry halt /. II eleven years after
these traitors laid down their arms and begged
for mercy they are 70 be given possession OF the
Government, what Is 70 become of your victor
les and your triuInphs: Have the leaves of the
laurels YOU won at Gettysburg and Atlanta
already iaded. OF what avail were yOU- great
saeriiices, your chiyalric deeds your patient en-
dGrance through the long years of the war,
your heroic suffering in prison pens, if, while
the noise Of the strife yet stuns your ears and
the poison Of prison life IS tainting your blood,
the men who were your jailers, and who
shotted and pOiatesi the guns in that strife, are
10 be raised over your heads and given the Gus
tody of your property and lives Politicians
who, asSassin-lise, stabbed the country n the
back when you had your faces to the foe, who
refused money 10 Duy you bread when hunger
was enawlIg at your very yitalS in your long
and exhaustive campaign; who refused YOU
money 10 ouy clothing when, almost naked, you
stool shiyerinc in TIE trenches who refused
yon money 70 buy bullets when your cartridge
boxes were empty, because the Government
commanded YOU to shoot Democrats with these
bnllets; whose faces were covered with gloom
when You won, and rOseate with JOY when you
lost ? hattie these politicians who are hanging
fFa
iclling their lips, waiting till the bags are
tied these birds o. prey, whose every talon and
beak Is sharpeued for the feast; these honest
men, these retormeEs, are giO1ting over the long
waited opportunity of reyenCing themselves
upon you tor your valor; Of getting some re-
comPensc for the stripes you laid on the backs
OF their brethren wher they attempted to 90 out
OF the Union vithoU, leave. When they rcmeu-
Der Your heroism how il Will delight them 10
degrade anu hu.nil2tc yCu. Don't yCu believe
il. II not, let some soldier Who was in of
the pT!scH-pens of the war whistle down The
past, and see hos many memories viii come
trOoping up TO answer bis call, every
one fcighted with reeolleetions of ilean,
cOvGrdly inili-nitiss and cTueitics heaVed upon
MIN when ne was = helpless captive. What Jos
VIII be YOURS when YOU ioO!s On anu see these
politicians crown with honor the men who shot
down your comrades IN aT1ns Vel Your faces,
my teilov-soitiers, that You may not see your
shame and witness the reward offered TO trca-
sOa Put on sGelclo;k and ashes, for the men
Tho starved and murdered our brothers are 30
invested with distinction Where Is the
heritage of glory left Us by our Meade, Thomas,
Reynolds, >edgSick, and Mcpherson: Cover
Your scars: conceal your sabre cuts lest they
invite insult and scC-n; remove from YOUR
blood-stained flags the golden letters that tell
OF YOUR brave deeds and the victories you won,
and keep from sight these sheil-torn and bullet
pierced banners lest our reprnlant and return
Ing brethren, who are coming back 10 rule Us.
be oieLdcd al the spCe,ac,c Efiace from the
tcu;hs of your comrades the Inscriptions they
bear lest the record stir up UNI plesgI memories
aud hai with blessings those Of cur nr1thers /
who sleep ia unknown sTGves, for the soil that /
covers them viii be sacred from the touch o. 7
the Southern martyr. Take down the dear old /
sabre and trUSty musset that hang On YOUR |
walls, aud which you hopel 10 show TO YOUR 1
children. ana tell them how their father bore IL 1
Ia tile fight, for even nov You and YOUR cril-
GTen are i1sul.eG by the outrage offered 20 Your
valo- Men who iougEt you, robbed YOU, i'm /
priSoned sou, starved you, are nov TO legisldie /
Tor ycu. Shades Of our fathers, must VIC ac-
eept the condition they viii impose: Ny eour-
trrmen, can you vote Tor these men whose
hands are red with the blood Of yoJr sons Can
you vote for them with the pale, euacilted ieS-
tures OF YOUR poor, starved boys staring you IN
the face! The spectrcs OF our dead soldiers
beekon Us on in this fight, and their
sladowy fingers point the way lor every
honest man and patriot. In their name
IN The name Of the men Tho fell a
Gettysburg, OF the thousands whose homes are
bleaching a. ChancelloTsFiile and around Peters |
burg, the myr.ads v hose dust niIic.Us with th-t
about Port HUDSON, OF the keGatonbs Of the I
starved who sleep in n2rneless graves 1t ARder-
sonvilie and under the shadows Of Libby. in the
rame Of the widow. the fatherless children, the
crippled soldier who begs for bread in your
streets, IN the name Of 2li that i noble. Eeaer-
ous, 2ad brave, q justice aud humanity. of re
irion anu God, 1 beg yoU 20 De true 70 the
principles that inspired these men TO die that
Our Republic might HEe. Shall il be said that
YOUR patriotism was a lie {; sha.i it be said that
YOUR belief in unse.fshness and vllOr was Z
Trick, that your protessed admiration for brave
ncn was snare 20 entrap them into fighting
o- Your countTy, and that after the fight was
won YOU desy:sed those who shed their
'iood Or gave their lives in such
,ause Vengeance viii be slow indeed # it
ioes not oyeriGke US if we forget the blood
hat reddens and the ghastly remains tina:
ghiten the soil Of the Saath. Do YOU believe
hat the Almighty viii perpetuate government
whose people are recre,lnt 10 the memory OF the
len who bleG Or died icr it. integrity. Il brave
leeds arr 70 20 ulrecOGnizcd in This land of
'urs il patriotism is to become q crime and
reason a virtue: If all that is great, good, and
manly in our nature is TO give way 20 a snii-
mental and mistaken sympathy for rebels II
ou take the manhood Of your country. depiete
on. workshops OF their bone aud sineT
nd nerve, take away the strong arm that
.irecis the plough, Gull out the GoFer OF your
Ou.h, take fiOm the mother her hearts jeg.sl.
Ter bcsTdless boy, and from the aged father his
taivart son. the pride and support OF lis tot
ering age-take all these and send them forth !
0 affirm the unity OF the Government and vim
cale the supremacy of law, and then sing
'a-dns over the victory OF their foe, then the
ooner such country is rent into fragments
nd made the prey Of faction and tyranny the
et;e- for civilization and humanity.