The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-05-13
gLOODYsHIRTISM.

crushing out The democratic parry II ShNe
Morton another opportunity to haunt MS
bloody shirt before the country IN way ooth
offensive and sickening, yet in such way
that no decent man cared to resent the insult
which it involved.
Looking at the case from cool, candid,
unprciudiced standpoint, Mr. Morton's hlsto-
~ of the action, motives and animuS OF po.
| litical parties in his state and of his own &C
ton and anlmHs IN connection with those
$3.50, 600, in 1868, is as untruthful, unjust and
essentially infamous as any relation can pos.
sibly be. Says Morton, speaking of the re
fusal Ct the democratic Legislature of Indiana
to place some 100000 in his hands to be
used in raising and equipping soldiers Tor the
union army;
| could not and would not surrender my
powers as Governor under the Constitution
nor could the Government of the United
States afford to have me do SO, for the pur-
pose of the proceeding was to neutralze the
position OF Indiana In the war, and TO take
her out of the line of the loyal states north
west of the Ohio river. The very tendency
of the BILL and the avowed purpose 10 pass
it, caused the most intense comment and al
once threatened the peace and safety OF the
state.
We affirm that in its intent and purpose,
this statement is an Infamous falsehOod. The
assertion is, that the democrats of Indiana
were dislOyal to the Union cause, and IN
their action aimed to take that state tout of
the line OF loyal states" We take it there
was among the democrats of Indiana at that
time very much the same state of feeling as
among toe democrats of Illinois. The war
had been in progress about two years; the re.
publicans were in power everywhere; they
had found the war big job, that aboundcd
in fat contracts thousands Of fat offices and
ways aud by.ways lnnumerable to place,
power. and civil and military eminence and
glory When the tocsin of war was first
sounded democrats and republicans rushed
into the army with equal avidity and en,hu-
siasm. In the disposal of Offices, place and
power, IT was therefore but decent that no
discrimination should be made On the score
of party politics. Yet the republicans were
greedy for the offices, and it CALLED them to
see democrats get even official crumbs that
fell from the presidential table. The admin
istration, in ITS efforts to prosecute the war
with vIgor, was enthusiastically backed by the
entire people. II was even Infamous IN any
of the northern states TO be suspected OF dis,
loyalty. Why then should the republican
party, IN the bestowal of place and power, be
squeamish about giving democrats share
Couldn't they do as they pleased. The re
salt was, in about the beginning of 1869, a
universal prescription OF democrats was com
ncnccd Tho moot distinguished services
civil or military, were utterly Intellectual to Sc
cure prom 5tiOn in the army or civil service,
| if the unfortunate applicant was "a democrat
To Justify tins unjust prescription, the cry OF
disloyalty was raised against the whole dem.
ocratic party. Its press and orators had dar.
ed to censure some Of the acts Of the admin.
istration in the conduct OF the war; such as
the infamous treatment OF Mcclellan before
Richmond, by which his defeat which Lee
had given up as hopeless, was accomplished
by aid to Lee from Washington. "Thc Presi.
dent Is the government" was the cry the re-
publcans now raised and "to find fault with
Lincoln and Stanton Is to help the rebels"
Ii was under circumstances like these and
under the pressure of such "A popular indig.
nation against the high.handed, proscriptive
and unjust conduct Of the party in power
that Indiana had given 10000 majority
against the republican party, when Morton
asked the Legislature TO place 100000 in
his hands to be used in his discretion
to arm soldiers and "crush out dis
loyalty" in his state, when in his way
of thinking disloyalty consisted, not in
want of willingness or zeal to Sight for the
union cause, for in this there was never par
ticle of abatement among democrats or re-
publicans in Indiana, but in want of zeal
against putung democrats INTO Office, or Civ
ing them contracts, place or promotion in
the army.
Was the democratic legislature of Indiana
thus unreasonable In refusing To place "a club
in Morton's hand 10 beat out their brains
with? They were willing TO make specific
appropriations; 10 give 100000 10 raise and
equip regiments, 100000 to transport them
to the front, and so on; but they were not
willing TO place 100000 IN Morton's hands
To be used as he pleased, and especially to
crush democrats with under the villainously
and UNANIMOUSLY false plea that they were
"disloyal."
This subject is capable Of infinite enlarge.
meDt, and it Is time It was receiving more at.
tention on the part of democrats. The same
howl OF disloyalty was raised against the de.
mocracy Of Illinois, though every man OF
candor and common decency knows that ex.
cept few in Egypt inclted thereto by John
y. Logan, there never were, from the begin.
ming to the end Of the war, at one time 80
really antiunion or "dislOyal' democrats IN
4 Illinois. Yet unless the subject is taken hold
of and properly ventilated in time, republican
Ina. 4. f.4Faf 10, Ii.