Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1879-03-19
TIE EALIANT HOAR

whenever Republican OF the visit
ing-statesman type feels the need Of
venting his noble rage upon somebody
who cannot strike back and of giving
his patriotism an airing, be rises ma
jestically and makes an assault upon
Jefferson Davis. When the bill was
up in the Senate on the morning OF
March Sd TO pension the veterans OF
the Mexican war, Mr.. Hoar, formerly
of the Electoral Commission, arose and
moved that Jefferson Davis be exclud-
ed from the benefits of the bill abe-
cause he had made himself odious.
This, Mr.. Hoar doubtless thought, was
fine and heroic stand TO take. To
make Mr.. Davis the "arch.traitor" has
certain advantage--it gives the
"Stalwart Republicans" something tan
giblo to fling their spite at. Why he
should be hated more than General
Lee or Stonewall Jackson or General
Joseph L. Johnston has never appear
ed. He was not the author Of Seces-
sion. He was only the fly on the
wheel of a great movement. 1t carried
him as it did others. The causes which
led to the war of Secession were root
cd in the events of fifty years before.
Nay, when the New England ships
first began to bring slaves from Africa
TO the Colony of Virginia the seeds of
the war were planted. To make JEFF
ferson DAVIS the cause of the war is
about as rational as to make Washing
ton the cause of the Revolution. Sin
gle men count for little in great eras
like these. Jefferson Davis acted his
part according to his ideas of duty
Just as Robert E. Lee and Stonewall
Jackson did. Mistakes he may have
made in policy, as they did in the field
of war, but he never stained his hands
with useless blood and never dirtied
them with any participation in frauds.
He did what he could to ameliorate
the horrors of the war and since its
close has accepted imprisonment, de-
traction, calumny, with mistaken tor
titude. Sometimes, stuDg by unmerit-
ed reproach and SANDER he has bro
ken silence and every word that he
has uttered has been distorted and
misinterpreted by his enemies for po-
litical effect. For this reason we have
ourselves severely criticised bis utter.
ances, knowing that they would thus
be used by an INSCRIPTIONS adversary.
A magnanimous foe would be content
to let him live out the remnant of his
days in peace. The hand of God has
been heavy enough upon him. Death
has invaded his family and taken its
most cherished members his fortune
has been impaired; his health is in
firm. Is not this enough Yet when
the United States is considering the
payment of pensions to.the veterans Of
the Mexican warm which Jefferson
Davis rendered knightly service
Electoral Commission Hoar, stained
through and through with the infa.
mics and perjuries of the Great Fraud,
arises to say that Jefferson Davis has
made himself odious and should be ex.
cluded from the benefit Of the act. The
Fraudulent Administration that he
helped to count in has given offices to
General Longstreet and Mosby. 1t
has given a Cabinet Office to Key.
There was no principle at stake with
Hoar. He merely wished to make a
cheap sensation by striking broken
old man whose chief offense is the pa
tient dignity with which he has borne
the bootings and ISLANDERS of his enc
mics and who, despite all that may be
said OF him, is as much entitled to
gratitude for bis services on the fields
of NJ cxico as though he bad never rcp-
resented the people Of the South in
their war for Independence - BALI
more Gazate.