Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-10-05
T0THE UNRETURNING BRAVE
And May There be Million of Them

just or unjust it has been attributed T.
him in former years, and the memory O
it had clung to him like the memory o
his name itself.
1t is but justice to Mr.. Alexander t,
say that he now very emphatically de
nies that he ever uttered the Language
above quoted. He says that he neve
expressed sueh a sentiment We ar
glad that he feels free to deny it. for h,
said enough harsh and bitter things dur
ing the war, the Lord knows, witheu
going TO the extreme depth that is i'm
piled in the quotation that has been 81
long attributed to him.
There is no Democrat who took thu
Extremely bitter position occupied BY
Mr.. Ross Alexander during the war, bu
4 is ashamed now of his course and Of
many things that he said, and would
gladly have the people forget them. Il
would be more manly in him, however
and he would command tine respect OF
more Republicans, if he would come Out
openly and acknowledge that he was or
the wrong side during the war, and that
he said many things that were foolish
and unpatriotic, if not actually treaSona.
BILE, but that the result OF the war and
the continued success of the Republican
party had taught him some valuable
lessons, that he is heartily ashamed of
his past record, and hopes that an indul-
gent public will forgive and forget.
But it seems to be the policy of Mr.
Alexander, and especially of the Demo
cratic papers of the District supporting
him, tn deny with vehemence the one
particular expression about the "unre-
turning braves" and to raise terrible
hellabelloo against everybody that darcs
quote it. They are not able to see that
they are in Il position where ~ odesty
would be more becoming than denuncia-
ton. They have attracted so much at
tention by the vehement manner of their
denials that the public has been COM
PEELED TO ask: why, what sort of man
was this Ross Alexander, during the
war? Was he good true Union man,
and was he in active and hearty sympa-
thy With the Union soldiers, and did he
do all that man who aSpires to be d
Congressman should have done toward
the suppression of the rebellion? What
was his position during the dark hours
of the war? On which side was he
making speeches then? Why do they
quote such a saying about him if he was
all right and in sympathy with Union
soldiers? Of course all these questions
have to be answered. and of course it
necessltates that all of Ross Alexander's
dark and ugly record shall be laid open
before the people.
We should not have thought of giving
the matter much attention if 1t had not
been for the terrible howl that has re-
Gently been made on the subject by the
Democratic press of the District.
We don't want to paint Mr.. Alexan-
der in blacker colors than he deserves.
He has personally many good traits of
character, but politically he is not the
kind of man that Republicans can.
support, and just now it is Republican
votes that he is asking for. He is ask
ing to be sent to Congress from Re-
publican District by Republican votes,
and in order to get these the Democratic
press of the District is terribly, filthily
abusive, of every Republican that dares
to bring up Ross Alexanders war record,
or to refer to the sentiment that has
been attributed to him ever since his
speeches during the war. But what was
Ross Alexander's position during the
war? Let US state it briefly, and plain
ly, and fairly:
Mr.. Alexander was Vallandigham
Democrat. not only in the sense of voting
for Eallandigham, as many an honest
Democrat did, but in the sense of hold
ing to Vallandigham's ideas of opposi-
tien to the war, and of going to the Bit
terest extremes of opposition to all that
was done by the Republican party in
support of the Union army, of the abo-
litlon of slavery, and of the restoration
of the Union itself. If Mr.. Alexanders
political sentiments had prevailed, the
war would have been failure, and the
Union army would have returned home
IN shame and sorrow. If Mr.. Alexan-
der's political theories had been carried
out there would be to-day a divided
Union, half free and half slave, each
side maintaining AN immense standing
army to maintain peace between the
unTecOnciled sections. This is the kind
of man that is asking now to be sent
to Congress from Republican District
by Republican votesl
Now if Ross Alexander did not hap
pen to get off the particular expression
about the "unreturning braves" he did
in fact express sentiments on every pub
lie occasion wherever he made speeches,
or wherever he conversed on the sub
ject of the war, that were calculated to
discourage Union soldiers and to give
aid and comfort to the enemy. 1t is a
mere qnibble to deny the utterance of
one political sentiment, when he ex-
praSSnA fhnnc.nH hnt H.
meant the same thing.
Mr.. Alexander is going around over
the District bowling and scraping to Re
publicans, and asking them to vote for
him, while the Democratic press is try
ing to make out to Republicans that
Ross has always been and is now be-
lever in all that Republicans believe in
They say that he is in favor of tariff for
protection, just as Republicans are,-l
(Which is Il lIe),-and they would like if |
Republicans would forget, until after
the election, that he ever had any Dem
Ocratic principles. 1t is because that
this kind of work is being done through
out the District that we now call the at
tention of the Republicans of Harrison
county to it. We know that they, at
least, are not to be fooled by this sort of
stuff.
Here is man who during the war
was rebel at heart,-whO never had
good word to say for anything that the
Republican party did, from the begin
ming of the war until the rebellion was
crushed out. Here is man who since
the war has been opposed to the recon-
structlon of the Union on the basis of
free men; who opposed the enfranchise-
ment of the colOred race; who favored
the widest schemes of imitation, and op-
posed specific resumption to the bitter
end, and then predicted its failure; a
man who, in short, has opposed every
hing that the Republican party has i
ever favored; and now he is going
around the District, bowling to Republi-
Il. L. L.. l.. L.