The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1877-09-27
are the comments of Gov. Palmer, himself

are the comments Of Gov. Palmer, himself. |
If the country has been pestered by the
b-proof rebels of the south and the
carpet baggers of the north, it has also
been tormented by the implasables and
sutler clerks of the north until there has
been, as MIR. Watterson suggests, a doubt
whether the war was not fought out by the
people who staid at home on each side.
In this state, to-day, we have brigade
OF colonies filling post Offices and state
offices, who arrogate to themselves all the
patriotism and loyalty of the country, and
who claim the life long privilege of holding
Office as but a portion of their reward for
gallant and meritorious service displayed
by holding Office in Illinois during the war.
If one of Watterson's comrades will come
north he shall hear daily the democrats
who fought at Belmont, Donelson. Vicks-
burg, Gettysburg, Stone River (Watterson
calls it ENTHUSIASTICALLY, Antietam, the
Peninsula, and the Wilderness, under the
union flag, denounced as traitors by the
men who never saw a rebel soldier with
gun in his hand.
Why, in this very city from which Abra-
ham Lincoln went forth to take his seat at
the white house; in this city where Douglas
made his great union speech, and where
he sent his letter declaring that until the
war was over there could be but two par
ties-patriots and rebels" there is pub
lished a paper, edited by the joint efforts
of an ex- United States marshal and present
postmaster, and an ex-carpet-bagger and
present non-mercenary, which denounced
Hon. Johu NJ. Corse, who held the for"
10
it, and while Sherman was coming, as a
TRAITOR" and rebel" Tom. Casey, of
the 10th Illinois, which regiment was cut
down to battalion by the rebel ire at Stone
River; Mike Lawler. of the 18th llliools,
who saved the battle at Black River
bridge; John A. McClernand, who pushed
a column mile and quarter into Vicks-
burg, on May 22d, 1864: John NJ. Palmer,
who held the left" at Stone River; Bill
Morrison, colonel of the 49th Illinois in
fantry; Gen. l.. B. Parsons, the greatest
organizer and mobilizer of transportation
the world ever saw; John f. FarnswOrth,
colonel of the Sth Illinois cavalry; Jesse
j. Phillips, lieutenant colonel of the 9th
Illinois infantry, who fought the second
battle of Iuka, and thousands of other
democrats of Illinois, were IN the war fol-
the union, and survived it to be assaulted
and traduced after it by sneaks whose
sword belts they were not worthy to IN
loose.
We fought the battles, we were the vic
tors: we, the democracy. We are glad Of
it, glad it is done, glad it is not to be done
again. We are glad the reign of the
carpet-bagger in the south is over, and we
wish that the reign of the peace sneak OF
the north was also over. We can shake
hands with the ex-rebels, whom we met in
the field, or in the camp, or where VIZ
wanted them all the time, in the parole(
prisoners camp. We bear no malice, anC
we are proud Of that We got the glory
and we are proud of that. We meant t,
save the union, and we did it. Now, if tn,
Lord and the democracy will deliver u
from the rule Of the suffers clerks and'tht
sneaks, the bomb proof rebels and tn,
limplacables, the Union Lacquer and tn
contractor, the man who holds the Bourbon
banner and the man who waves the bloody
shirt; in short, if we can get rid of tn,
whole army of belligerent non-com batant
which Mai. Gen. Scott foresaw, and which
has existed to prosecute veterans of bott
sides of the war for the union, we are
ready to depart in the peace for which we
fought more than four years.