Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-09-02

i1CNC ILdU VI di llClb VIII DO CICOlCu w Z
don't intend that any votes shall be
cast for Garfield here, and if you feel
as you talk, you had better run to the
North. !"
The old time fire eater and disun-
ionist, Robert Toombs, of Georgia, re-
Gently wrote letter which has been
published in the South in the interest
of Democratic harmony, in which
he expresses himself as follows:
IF Yank Hancock is elected the
old boys of the South will see that
he does the fair thing by them. He
will run the thing to suit them or they
will run the thing themselves"
And that language accurately ex-
presses the real situation The ''old
boys of the South are determined to
''run the thing" Rebel soldiers have
commenced to file claims against the
government for pensions, on account
Of wounds received in the rebel service.
The writer has in his possession an
exact copy of such a claim filed in
Jane last, by South Carolina rebel
soldier, who lost his arm while fg7stinq
against the Union. Legislation is
needed before such claims can be
allowed, but that is expected as soon
as the South comes into power; and
the southern soldiers have right to
expect such legislation as soon as their
party can give it to them, if they can
rely upon the sincerity Of their leaders,
who are constantly assuring them that
they were fright, were pursuing the
the path of sduty and HONOR when
fighting the battles of rebellion. IF
they were ''right,'' then the 'sboys in
blue were wrong. Both sides were
not right. The Republicans have
contended that the Union cause was
right, and are still SO contending. This
position is controverted by the South
''all along the line" and the South,
let it be repeated again and again, con-
trolls and will control the Democratic
party. They do so now in both
Houses of Congress. Of forty-three
Democratic Senators, twenty-three-
a clear majority of all-are southern
Senators, and were all prominent lead
ers of the rebellion. These twenty
three Senators control the Democratic
caucus, and the Democratic caucus
rules the Senate. The same is true Of
the House. In that body there are
ffty-union soldiers from twenty seven
States, and sirty-three who were rebel
from eleven southern States.
These ex-rebels rule the House caucus
and the House caucus rules the House.
No one of these ex-rebels in either
House was ever known to admit that
the rebellion was wrong with the single
exception perhaps, Of A. II. Stephens,
while many of them openly insist that
1t was entirely right. This is the re-
cord to-day presented for the consid-
Grafton Of thoughtful men, and it
shows in a manner that admits of no
question what party is responsible for
the existence of sectional parties"
1t is said by Democratic champions,
in reply to unanswerable facts such as
are here and have been before recited,
that we are "waving the bloody shirt"
that it is time all ill-feeling was ban
ished. and all references to the Gun
pleasant past omitted. In reply to
this we say: eve have heard clap
trap before that sounded very much
like that We accuse ourselves of
being quite as true to the country, and
quite as DESTROYS for peace as you.
We asked nothing Of rebels at the
close of the war, except that they
return to their allegiance to the gov
eminent and to their duty as citizens.
Their duty as citizens required of
them, among other things, that they
respect the rights of others. This
they have persistently refused to do.
They do not tolerate the free express
sion of political opinions in their
midst. They murder political oppo-
nents when they cannot silence them
in any othey way. They defy the
power and sovereignty of the national
government and deny its paramount
authority over them. They seek to
obtain control of the government for
the purpose Of administering it in the
interest of the "lost cause" They
do not deny this at the South, al
though they want their lick-spittles to
deny it for them, for the present, at
the North, to the end that they may
thus secure the necessary northern
votes which, added to the ''solid
South" are to secure their aims. They
are Just as hostile to every principle of
freedom, to every interest of good
government, to every impulse of ma
tionality, as when they inaugurated
rebellion. This is all clearly appar-
ent from their uniform conduct for the
last several years. You may play
lick-spittle for them if you want to,
but it will do neither Of you any good.