The Eaton Democrat. (Eaton, Ohio) 1875-1903, 1880-07-15

les Of the dreadful fight in the green
ofthe Cumberland. Reynolds
lad been killed on the I'd of July
along with thousands of others, and
lis brother, James T., came from
lancaster, in this state, bowed down
With terror at the sacrifice, and wo4
men were sobbing over the dispatch
ss already recording their losses. 1t
was a day of tears and despair. l
had been present at other scene of
but nothing like this 4th of
July, 1868. The commandant of this
department. was General j. A. J..
Dana and his office was in Girard
street near Twelfth, and 1 held a
position as a consulting member of
his staff. About noon Of that Satur-
day / saw his tall form crossing
Chestnut street to the League land
when his eye caught mine / saw he
was in tears. He handed me a dis
patch from General Meade, just re-
ceived. Iopenedit and tried to read
it but could not. I saw enough to
feel that we were saved. And soon
the good news became universal:-
Then all hearts exploded with Joy
owe the deliverance. 1t was a won
derful sight, that sudden change
from grief to gratitude. Some shed
tears, some shouted in joy, old foes
became friends and even infdels
Joined in the spontaneous prayers
of the preachers. Robert Browning's
thrilling poem describing the man
who carried the "good news to
Client" which broke the siege and
filed the souls of the Flemish peo-
pie with q deep thanksgiving TO God
might have been paraphrased in
honor of the messenger who brought
such happiness to oppressed and
terrified and despairing Philadel-
phia. ea.f.e q
Who won that great fight? Who
saved Philadelphia from fire and
spoil? Who drove back the enemy
and saved US from a fate of which
the burning of Chambersburgh and
Carlisle and the forced contributions
upon York were intended to be grim
preparations? A brave army Of pa.
triotic citizens led by three Penn.
sylvania Generals-George Gordon
Meade, of Philadelphia, John Fulton
Reynolds, of Lancaster, and Winfield
EScott Hancock, of Montgomery
Meade and Reynolds are both gone
Meade died on the 9th Of November
1872, in the house presented to hi:
wife by the people of Philadelphia
afterward supplemented by a contri
button of 100000 from the sam,
source. Reynolds was killed in bat
tie on the I'd of July and is buried
at Lancaster. Hancock is to-day tn,
Democratic candidate for Presiden
of the United States.
I do not stop to debate the othe
considerations that enter into thi
vital issue; the grave consideration
that demand the release of my dea
native State from the desperate me-
who for the last ten years have cold
ly crushed out the pride of our pee
pie and placed under the iron heel G
brutal inferiofity the hopes of GU
tiyouth and manhood, making of thi
fair commonwealth q vast politics
Golgotha and of our proud city c
Philadelphia an offensive roost &c
the most desperate and vulgar me
cenaries since the black days {
Tweed and Tammany in New Yorl
1 do not stop to debate these eonsiC
erations now. 1t is not the time
But this is the time to open to I'll
common mind u pledged word
the last of the great soldiers WI
: placed US under an obligation ths
we fastened to avow and repeato
) over and over again. My own plede
! binds me as my own note of han
E In law if it had been signed to tt
f promise to pay a money debt / coul
t be held by it, and my estate if I IA
4 ed to pay it. In morals it is as sc
E emn as if 1 had gone before a magi
trate and sworn to abide by it. Al
what is true of myself is equal
binding upon others. What my Fl
ed judgement, public and private,
of the the men who saved the Anne
lean Republic, I have not conceale
It is a passion that grows strong
the more / see the value, of what W
saved to ourselves and to all ma
kind. I feel it as the rescue of h
!. man freedom for the ages to con
:, l prize it., thisroverthrow of the l
. bellion, as the best blessing to +
y South which made the rebellion.
: cherish it, because the more I pc
: der the priceless value of the enc
:, nous destiny so saved, the mo
!, eager Lam to convince the Sou
: that they must aid to perpetuate
;, / am only one of the army of R
!. publicans who viii vote for Genel
). Hancock for these reasons; only o
- of many, of the Oldest Republica
in this city, who call upon me to S
y that theytwould be ashamed efthe
: selves if, after all their words
- praise and thanksgiving for the s
walton of Philadelphia from fire q
rebel contributions in 1863, til
~ should now vote against the m
who did the most of the work. G,
!, Garfield is a good man but we o
e him nothing compared to the dc
- to Hancock. When told that to v,
for Hancock is to vote for a Den
crat, I reply that the partition
tween the two parties is very tn
The only point on which we may
said to differ is protection and Il
cannot be a very strong one wi
a, Hancock comes from the great ia
n county of Montgomery, Pennsyl
mia, and all his friends are, open
IN vocates of protection, while CART
ly was elected O member of the COBB
lis Club, in London, the great free tr;