Year: 1874

their Cincinnati platform-and surely


these were and are Democratic doc


trlnes. Indeed upon all the vital is


sues of the day which affect popular


rights aud constitutional liberty, l


tbouht there was but very little.differ-


ence between Democrats and Liberal


Republicans, and so the New York


Democracy seems TO think; but if We


unbury the past, then there is a diff


erence not only with the Liberal Re-


publicans, but even amongst those


who are called Democrats; and here


lies the hidden meaning of the ad-


dress.


The St. Louis Times and Dispatch


are the accredited organs of the DEM


ocracy in the State-no other Metro


politan journal claims the right to


speak for the Democracy. The Dis


patch, few days ago. in speaking of


General Cockrell says:


Whosoever can be moved by the ap-


peals of man who fought four years


for his Democracy who


ever believes IN his party as in his re-


ligion, and would take arms for it as


he would for his own honor


will be refreshed by Cockrell's speech


es.


And in the Dispatch of September


10th, that paper says:


Home-Guard Gentry sounds well in


Jackson, Clay, Platte, Cass. Ray, Sa


line, Lafayette, Howard, Randolph,


Lincoln, Boone. etc.


| And in another issue OF that paper


there is another head 'Old Home


Guard Gentry Fails TO Blow His
Horn and so the St. Louis Times


again and again in terms of derision


speaks of Major Gentry as H ONE


Guard, with the evident purpose of


bringing him into disfavor and con-


tempt, because he was home guard
| These are only few illustrations of
the spirit which animates the organs
| of the Missouri Democracy.


Major Gentry was an officer of the
enrolled militia of Missouri during
| the war Is it any disgrace to him in
the eyes of Union men that he was SO?
| Surely not. 1t was a regularly and


legally organized military force, in


tended to do its part in preserving


Missouri to the Union, and. for the


most part, it performed its duty we'll.
| Will Union men who favored such or
| CARNATIONS during the war in defense
| of their friends and of the cause which
they espoused, so stultify themselves
as to consent to act with party which
is denouncing them and holding them
up to public ridicule?


[ make no issue with confederates
upon the question of the war, and l
am glad to know that most of the gal
liant officers of the Confederate army
in this State desire no such issues
they have had their fight, and with
them the questions are settled; but If
their friends choose to revive them
they must be met and will be met. |
had supposed that it was the desire of
all lovers of order and peace and good
government, that they should not be
revived; the Democratic PARTY has
time and again declared that We
should put the past behind US; that
we should meet the living issues Of
the day; that the memories Of the civil
war should be blotted out, and peace
and fraternal feeling should be re-
stored. But now in the hour of it's
expected triumph upon purely Demo
cratic principles, it revives the issues
of the war, and sneers at its former
friends without whose aid it would
yet be groaning under the provisions
of the registration law, for no other
conceivable reason than that they were
Union men When before in any po-
litical contest since the war has it
been urged as an objection against a
candidate Republican or Democrat,
that he was a Uoion man, or that he
was soldier in the Federal army?
And yet those expressions of the
leading organs of the party in the
State, deliberate, persistent and oft
repeated. mean this and nothing more.
They were not used against Mr. Hen
derson. the Republican candidate in
the last canvass, and yet lie was a
general of home guards" The fact
afforded no reason why Democrats
should not support Gratz Brown, and
yet he was colonel of one of the first
regiments of home guards" raised
in the State during the war. The
etfrontory of traducing home guards
would then have been too shameless,
and besides the Democratic party in
Missouri was then too week to indulge
in such luxury: They could not afford
it. But now that it has grown strong
pure Democracy for which General
Cockerell fought for years, and put
none but true Democrats on duty. In
the language ofthe Central Committee:
1T advances the Democratic standard,
placing around it Democrats only"


1t may be true that the political
party in power at the close of the war
has used its power harshly. have vio-
lated the constitution and outraged
the rights of the Southern people, and
for these acts it should be held ac-
countable. 1t may be true that the
results of the war has been misru,e,
and tyrany. and from the
very constitution of human nature it |
could scarcely have been otherwise
| and those Union men who have acted |
with me have not ceased to denounce |
the oppression and TO stand by its |
victims; but the war being the cause
of all this calamity we can never for
get who brought it on. who fred the
hrst gun, who committed the first
breach of the national peace, and
resisted with arms the authority of
government which. up to that time at
least, had been mild and paternal.
And are We who thought that the gov
should be sustained and the
Union preserved to be taunted with
,ur devotion to what We conceived to
De right, and told that Democracy
means war upon them and the acts
lone to maintain them and vet asked
o support the Democratic ticket?
The power of party discipline, which
.auses so many to lose their manhood.
% be silent when they ought to speak
md to speak when they should be
silent, Is not strong enough to enforce
'ueh an allegiance. Whilst | can
never justify the acts of reconstrue-
Ion or the plunder ,e A.. S-.L