The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1883-11-01
A Few Retrospective Remarks.

The Republican speaks of a time in
1861 when the stars and stripes were
denounced by peace Democrats as a
black Republican emblem" This is the
first intimation we have ever seen OF
heard that there was any party or fac
ton at the North in 1861, or at any
other time, that denounced the stars
and stripes"
There were Democrats as we'll as Re-
publicanS who, at various times during
the war, were dissatisfied with the Ad.
ministration, and complained of meas
ures adopted, or of the refusal of the
Government to do this, that or the other
thing. 1t will be remembered that Mr..
Greeley, whose influence had been more
potential than that of any other man in
precipitating the conflict, was opposed
to any resistance, and wanted 1.-the way
ward sisters to 90 in peace" And after
the fighting was ended and the Govern
ment found itself with white elephant
on its hands in the shape of a distin-
guished prisoner whom it did not dare
to bring to trial for fear of failure to
convict, it will be remembered that Mr..
Greeley came forward and helped the
Government out of a scrape by signing
a bail bond, for which act he was SUBJ
sequently denounced as "a rebel SYM
>pathizer.
We suppose the name of C. L. Val.
landigham, of Ohio, would occur to al
most any one as that of the most prom
inent peace Democrat" He thought,
as did Mr. Greeley, that 1.-The wayward
sisters should have been permitted to
''go in peace" He had the courage OF
his convictions and pushed his opposi-
ton to the war so far that unlawful and
utterly unjustifiable means were used to
Offset his influence.
But not even Vallandigham was so
heavy load to President Lincoln as
was Charles Summer, who constantly
threw cold water on the plans and pol
icy of the Government because it did not
come up to his advanced ideas.
In looking for men who opposed the
conduct of the war we can find them in
all parties, and can find, too, that their
opposition took various shapes. There
was that grand patriot General Scott,
whose statue has been set up in the Cap
itol, and whose name is enshrined in
the hearts of his countrymen-he, too,
was an opponent of a measure found in
dispenSable to the continuance of the
war, measure as just as any that ever
was adopted in war or peace. We re-
fer to the Income tax, against which
General Scott bitterly protested in a
memorable letter to the Secretary of the
Treasury.
The Republican press has uniformly
been unjust to the Democrats of the
North in that it has excluded them
from any honor or credit accruing from
the war of the rebellion. The truth is
that there were more Democrats than
Republicans in the rank and file of the
Union armies, and that at this time a
large majority of the disabled veterans
on the pension rolls and in the soldiers
homes are Democrats.
1t is probable that the Republican
will cheerfully concede that when the
war began the alleged right of a State
to step out of the Union of its own mo-
ton was onestly believed in by Gen.
eral Longstreet, General Malone, Col
onel MOsby, General Chalmers, Cap
tain Riddleberger, and their comrades
in arms. On any other theory those
COnfederates were great criminals.
COnceding that they were honest; that
they went into the war to fight for what
they believed to be sacred right. must
it not be also conceded that the same
view of the alleged right of a State to
secede could have been as honestly held
by Northern menu Washington Post.