The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1904-06-09
LOTS OF LOYAL DEMOCRATS
Writer Declares That Senator Is
i'm Error I'm Charging Dis
ciples of Jefferson
With Infidellty.

fought against the flag In the civil
war. Mr.. Allen takes exception TO
the speech OF Senator Fulton deliver
ed at Fishers opera house on Satur-
day night last at the rally of the re-
publicans. The senator's remarks were
published In The Astorian, although,
however, merely the substance OF his
statement appeared. no effort having
been made to give an exact quotation.
Senator Fulton stated that democrats
were true patriots--as good citizens as
republicans--and that they had but
once failed TO rally to the support OF
the flag. He charged that they lined
up against the Union in the civil war.
and later on In his address. describing
the principles which the two great par
ties had stood for. asserted that the
first inscription which he saw on the
democratic banner was one to the eff
feet that there was no power to up
hold the constitution. To this state
ment Mr.. Allen objects. His letter Is
as follows:
Astoria. June s.--Edltor OF The AS
torian: AS democrat, having served
my country for the full term Of en-
listment, with an honorable discharge
and vote of thanks signed by the
president, Abraham Lincoln. and the
secretary of war, for service rendered
our government, / ask the privilege
Of replying to statement of Senator
Fulton. as quoted in Sundays Asto-
rian, made during his address on Sat-
urday evening. was not at the meet
ing. therefore can not say whether
the statement as 1t appeared In The
Astorian was a correct quotation or
not. l will quote The Astorian, as
follows:
'The only time the democrats neg
lected to gather round the flag was
at the time OF the war OF the rebellion.
Mr.. Fulton did not wish II
understood that he was scoring indl-
vldual democrats"
Well, II he was scoring democrats
as party. then the Douglas democrats
must come in for the greatest con-
demnation, as they were the main
body. 1t is history that the Douglas
wing was by all odds the largest
First came the Douglas wing. then the
Bell; third the Breckenridge. The
Douglas branch, being larger than both
the Bell and the Breckenridge com.
bined, was the main opponent Of the
republican party in the campaign OF
1860.
When 1t became evident that war
between the north and the south must
take place, Stephen A. Douglas ap-
pealed to his party-mind you, the
democratic party-to stand by the
Union. Now, did they stand by the
flag or not? ask you, Mr.. Fulton,
to look up the Douglas democratic par
ty record and see, If you have not al
ready done so, before accusing us again
of being traitors to our flag. At least
two-t thirds Of our leading democrats
went into the service Of the Union as
democrats, among them, and the great
est of all, Grant. New York before the
war was democratic; during the war
republican, and directly after the war,
when the soldiers had returned home
democratic.
Another fact will mention. In my
own state, Illinois, every county Civ
ing a majority to Douglas filled her
full quota of volunteers and was ex-
empt from draft. The counties giving
republican majority failed to do SO,
and the draft took place in those
counties. I lived In a county, Dekalb,
that gave handsome majority to Lin
coin. We had the draft there, and
had the honor to act as one of the
guards, with fixed bayonets, to march
some Of my republican friends-substi-
tutes-through the streets of Chicago
to the train, on which they were placed
and guarded to the front, while hun
dreds Of people were asking us all
along the way If they were prisoners
went to the front volunteer as
a democrat with many other demo-
Gratis as companions and now must
hear the cry again, as in the days Of
the bloody shirt, "Traitors!" without
drawing the line of distinction between
the true and the false-the old familiar
republican cry for republican votes
only.
The veterans Of the civil war are