Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1876-08-17
The Democratic Soldiers.

! The Democratic Soldiers.
WHERE MOST OF THEM STAND Now-THEiR IN
| ABILITY TO AFFILIATE WITH THE CoPPERHEADs
| OF THE WAR.
Gen. Noyes, of Ohio. noble man well a
SCARED veteran of the Union Army, made an elo-
quent and effective speech at Buffalo. The follow
ing magnanimous tribute to the loyalty of War
Democrats, and thrilling appeal to the memories
of the boys in blue, in behalf of the cause for
which they fought and so many of their comrades
died, will be found to he good reading
"Let me not be misunderstood. don't arraign
the grea, democratic party as being disloyal. l am
here willing to admit that the great body of that
party Just patriotic and honest as the party to
which belong. Applause.l l do not forget that
| when in 1861, the buglcs of war were sounding,
there came from every hillside and valley IN ii Is
| land tens of thousands of patriotic young demo-
Gratis who shoudered their muskets and went and
fought side by side and shoulder to shoulder with
! us; and that many made the last great sacrifice
which a freeman can make-lald down his HE Tor
his country. Loud applause | should do great
injustice to my own feelings if failed to recognize
the services and the sacrifices which these demo-
| cratic soldiers performed and made on behalf of
an imperilcd country; but, my friends, 1t is also
gratifying to me to know that the great body of
these boys in blue these democratic soldiers,
are now standing side by side with me, and have
no doubt tonight, if l should look over these be-
fore me, l would find many an old comrade.
Cheers. But while these democratic soldiers
were helping to save the country, l beg to ask
what the leaders of the democratic party were do
ing to sustain our imperiled cause, or to sustain
our Government, when called to grapple with
rcbelli ; They nominated convicted traitor
for Governor of Ohio, and did they not, from the
beginning to the end, year after year, call us
Lncoln's hirengs,' when we were fighting the
battles of our country and even after Grant went
into the Wilderness and Sherman was marching
from Atlauta to the sea- did they not continue to
call us such names? Applause. And then they
went into a national convention at Chicago, and
there they declared the a failure. And | beg
the pardon of my democratic friends, If l have to
remind them that the Chairman of the subcom-
mittee who reported the infamous resolution was
Samuel j Tilden. Loud applause. Now, gen.
tlemen, suppose the republican party had takan
the same view of affairs in 1861 that Samuel j..
Tllden and the democratic leaders took at Chicago,
where would have been your country-rent asun-
der, divided into many small confederacies or
principalties, without honor at home or respect
| abroad Applause, Is it nothing to have saved
ones country When democratic politicians said
there was no power under the Constitution to do
it, Abraham Lincoln [cheers -God rest his soul !
finds power to coerce the rebels, and thanks to
him and the boys in blue who rallied to his sup
port, we have now country prosperous at home
and Government that commands the respect OF
every civilized nation on the earth. lCheers.l
Now, when the war was over and We had re-
organized the South and reunited our country,
from the lakes to the gulf, and from the great
river to the sea, from that time to this there has
not been single drop Of blood shed for the
crime of treason. There have been no disabilities
imposed, except very few, and these have been
nearly all removed Cheers. Can you say that
We have not been magnanimous Believe me,
the history of the world shows no such magnani-
nifty. [Cheers. Some time ago went to Wash
ington, and had to go on my wooden leg, which
somehow have come to have sort OF pride III
Applause perhaps pardonable in me; bat at
least it was sort of refuge from that unpleasant
conspicuousness which cripples have to endure.
However, went to Washington, and was there
ushered into the House of Representatives by the
Sergeant at Arms of the Confederate Congress
looked all over who were there illing the subor-
dinate places formerly filled by republicans, in
many Instances by crippled soldiersi Not North
ern democratic soldiers! If l had seen them there
| would never have uttered a word of complaint.
| would have made no objection to democratic
soldiers had l found them filling the places OF
those turned out; but found their places sup
piled by ex-memhers Of the Confederate Army
| looked over the floor of the House, and found
seventy-thr Major and Brigadier Generals of
the late Confederate Army sitting there making
laws for the country which only eleven years ago
they moved heaven and earth to destroy! Loud
applause.] Then | heard Ben Hill of Georgia,
rise mp and excuse the atrocities OF Andersonvllie
know all about them. l heard him arraign the
Northern people for atrocities which he said were
worse than those of Libby or Andersonville.
saw him advance with his finger raised and warn
the Northern men to abide by the Constitution,
which they had so often violated, and saw Sam
Cox of New York, come and congratulate him on
the speech he had made. did not like it. was
not proud of it; and are you, my democratic
friends Voice, MOI Is there democrat in
here who likes it? If we look at the democratic
papers, what will they say about it! They will
say demagogue got up and waved the bloody
shirt! Well, gentlemen, it was no disgrace to
Rutherford d. Hayes to wear the bloody shirt
when the rebel bullets went crushing through his
blood and bone, and q broken arm hung by his
side and he led his brave boys on. lGreat cheer
ing 1t was no disgrace to 100000 of your dead
comrades who laid down their lives and made their
bloody shirts their winding sheets. say to you
democrats, have you no sacred memories OF this
bloody war j, Have you no dear ones sleeping
them in their graves in the Spring-time with
green grass, and scatters His beautiful flowers
above and around their nameless graves Don't
you remember the time when there came thrilling
over the wires the news of great battle fought
and that ten thousand brave fellows had gone
down, and that the struggle would be renewed at
daylight and when you went to your chamber you
knelt before your God and prayed that some dear
one might be saved through the terrible fight, and
brought back safe to you when the war was over !
Remembering all this, do you think it respectful
to the one million living boys in blue-without
saving ANYTHING about the five hundred thousand
dead ones-that we should hand over within
eleven years after the close of the war the control
of this Government to the very men who under
took to destroy p Loud applause.