The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1885-11-06
1.-THE BLOODY SHIRT

This is the ghost that haunts the
Democracy, and it ought to haunt them
their whole lifetime, for it vas the
Democratic party that filed the land
with bloody shirts and crippled men
from 1861 to 1865.
The solid southern Democracy, for
years the despotic master Of the north
ern Democrats, determined TO destroy
the Union, and reasonably expected and
hoped for the assistance of their north
ern serfs for aid in the undertaking,
and il was not TILL the thunders of rebel
guns IN Sumpter rem the Democratic
party in twain that the southern Demo-
Gratis ceased to rely upon their dough-
face allies ut the north for L united
Democracy in support of the purpose To
destroy the American Republic. The
minority of the Democratic party, led
10y Stephen \. Douglas were Mortified
by the shocking proposal, but the fol-
lowers of Hendricks, Nallandingham
and other kindred spirits, too cowardly
Ia join their rebel masters in open war
fare, compromised by remaining safe
" in their own States and giving what
aid and comfort they could by playing
the part of obstructionists To the govern
ment in every way they could devise,
and III this gained for themselves the
contempt of both loyal and disloyal
men, the soubriquet of ''copperheads,"
which strikes in the dark and without
warming, and we presume there is not
an intelligent, well posted man IN the
country that doubts in the least tina the
~copperheap serfs of the solid south con-
tributed largely to the multitude of
bloody shirts and crippled men, caused
by the democratic effort la destroy the
Republic. As Greeley said of horse
thieves, we say of the same party, il
every Democrat was not Al traitor, every
traitor was Il Democrat, and il is a kind
Of inmate consciousness oi their guilt
that makes IA bloody shirt as terrible to
Il copper bottomed Democrat as u red
shawl is Ia II Jersey bull, and like their
old masters they hate everything with
the prefix free from II free school Ia free
ballot, and Republicans should not be
surprised nj the tender feelings of these
coppcrheadS. Democrats are sorely
lacerated when Senator Sherman dares
To demand for every citizen of our vast
Republic u free ballot, and Ia have his
ballot honestly counted. Had this been
the uniform practice IN the southern
portion of the Republic, and in some of
our large cities, now controlled by Demo-
Gratis. through the denial of these rights,
President Cleveland would not have
Haunted the bloody shirt in the face Of
the crippled soldiers and loyal people of
the nation by lowering the flag to half
mast, and drapingthe department of the
interior in somber hues in memory Of a
traitor Ia both parties, who violated his
oath. stole the funds in his custody from
the national government, then stole the
avails from the confederacv, fled to
England Ia squanier his Ill gotten gains
and then returned to the land he had
betrayed, to die, that his memory might
be honored by 4 Democratic administra-
ton. But of course this is not Haunting
the bloody shirt. That great sin consists
simply IN demanding a free ballot and
All honest count. For tins Senator Sher-
man should, in Democratic estimation,
share the fate of Judge Chisholm, MUIR
dered with his children by a band of
Democrats led by the Guelley, whose
brutality would have put to shame
Alaric and his Gotbs i'll their most bar
barous career of slaughter and destruc-
ton. No democratic journal of the
north has denounced the authors of the
Chisholm outrage, Hambugh Buffers
butchery nj Hamburger, and the hum
dreds of similar outrages down to the
Danyille Gutrages, the nomination or
election of Hendricks, the pal of Nallan-
bingham as Haunting the bloody shirt in
the faces of loyal men; nos do they dare
To intimate or %insinuate that Gen. Lees
canvass of Virginia at the head of q troop
| of cavalry, clad IN the confederate uni
form and cheering him ON with the old
rebel yell, are anything out of the way,
tho all the world knows that all these
outrages and Lees demonstrations are
intended TO prevent free men from cast
ing II free ballot and having it honestly
counted. They dare not denounce these
outrages on free men or Lees insulting
plan of campaign, because they are all
perpetratcd by their southern masters,
who long before the war denounced
them a. dough faces. 4 democratic party
without a boss, would be as impossible as
the creation Of two opposite mountain
ranges without a valley between. We
hope our democratic friends will not be
angered at this assertion, for 1t is I'M
necessary 10 go out of the State for proof
of this assertion. The most devoted
Catholic iii the country is more firm in
his belief that st. Peter holds in his
hand the keys 10 the pearly gates of the
kingdom of glory, than is the average
Democrat of Minnesota. that 81. Patrick
Kelley holds the keys 10 the sanctum
sanctorum at Washington, presided owe
by the august lord Grover, and that a
card from Saint Patrick is the open
sesame to the favor of the grand high
priest of Democracy. Now if this is Of
fensivc nariiZanshin. SO mote il be.