The Hazel Green herald. [volume] (Hazel Green, Wolfe County, Ky.) 1885-19??, 1892-03-04
HAZEL GREEN WOLFE COUNTY, KY, FRIDAY, MARCH
KENTUCKY SINCE THE WAR,
Aud Its Loyalty tn the Union During that
bloody struggle.

/ Aud Its Loyalty tn the Union During that
bloody struggle.
The Northern people have never been able
TO understand what became of the Union
party in Kentucky at the close of the war.
II vanished with u sudderness aud complete.
ness that beat any Of the tricks of magician
Hermann, and in It's stead appeared an
overwhelming majority for the party that
had in Northern minds become identified
with Southern sympathy--the Democracy.
that, as Kentucky's proposed neutrality at
the beginning of the war showed her the
most thoughtful, deliberate, coolheaded
and logical of the States at that trying time,
so her political attitude at its close displayed
the clearest understanding and the most lib.
eral acceptance of its results.
When the war ended, il ended, as far as
Kentucky was concerned. am proud of
many things in the history Of this pioneer
Commonwealth, but of none am prouder
than that Kentucky's voice was the first to
cry peace" and pardon" when the guns
ceased to thunder and the sabres were
sheathed. There was no lingering bitterness
here, and the Union men who had held the
State in lihe were in advance of all other
States, and / u advance of Congress, in ex-
tending a general amnesty to the returning
Confederates. All honor to the Union men
ofKentucky. Nopeople ever gave IA grander
exhibition of magna.iimity than did they
when, with the State government in their
hands, they wiped from the statute books
every trace of war legislation, and restored
to full citizenship the men who for princi.
ciple's sake had been in arms against the
policy of the State.
1t was an example that was thrown away
on the North-not on its returning soldiers
but on its stay.at.home politicians, whose
hatred against the South rose higher AS the
Confederacy crumbled, aud who had en-
trenched themselves in power while others
were fighting the cOuntry's battles. They
South could not leave the Union, and when
the South lay helpless they treated 1t as no
longer part of the Union. Waging war
to prevent secession, they grounded their
reconstruction policy on a theory that the
South had seeded and was no longer in the
Union, but had TO be re.admitted to State
hood as the North saw ft
To the magnanimous Union men Of Ken.
tucky--Of a State whose socialties were with
the south-this theory and procedure were
repusive. Logically, they held that the
South had never left the Union. Phey had
fought to keep il in, and were not disposed
to deny their own victory in order to feed a
vicious grudge. They resented, too, the pol
icy of treating Kentucky, Union State, as
if she had seeded. The tyranny of Palmer
and Burbridge aud the Federal authorities
was resented as an unwarrantable interfer.
ence with the rights of u State that was as
These things drove many of the returning
Union soldiers and Union men Of Kentucky
into the Democratic party, because In this
State that party represented the logical NC.
ceptance Of the result of the war, aud there
they have remained ever since.
And that was the great vanishing act that
made Kentucky Overwhelmingly n Demo
cratic State, and so confused the Northern
mind as to Kentucky's attitude toward the
Union thai Mr.. Carlisle is to-day not consid
cred an " available candidate for the Pres
dency because a river divides his home from
the State of Ohio.
It is about time Kentucky was getting
credit for her loyalty, II loyalty IN TO con
tinue factor In politics when all are loyal
Instead Of laying IL up against Mr.. Car
isle that he is from this side Of the Ohio, II
there is any sincerity In this loyalty business
at the North and there isn't for IL is al
political buncombe 10 extingnish a risinl
Presidential possibility-he should ratheI
be rewarded. Had II not been for such mel
as Mr.. Carlisle. Kentucky and Missouri and
Maryland might have made different story
of the war.-Morgan, In Owensboro In
quirer.
lie wants IL Every Week.