It being a part of our business to notice events of a public character we trust we shall be pardoned if we have a word to say concerning the proceedings in this place Saturday last, when a welcome was extended by the leaders of the Democratic party of this County, to Jim Naylor, who with others was arrested last summer for disloyalty, and boarded with Uncle Sam till lately, when, as our special correspondent informs us, Uncle Sam becoming tired of him, analyzed his character and having come to the conclusion that he did not know enough to do much damage, let him go at large again. We will not say that his arrest was uncalled for, but there are those who think that he belongs to that class of persons whose insignificance not [infrequently] shields them from the punishment their misconduct merits.
He pretends to be loyal, and it is possible he does not desire the overthrow of the Government, but he certainly talks as no loyal man of good sense would talk. He has a great passion for becoming a public speaker, and evidently mistakes the term notoriety (taken in its ill sense) for celebrity. He reminds us of the man who tried to assassinate one of the crowned heads of Europe, who was loved by all his subjects. When asked why he tried to kill the King, he replied that he wished his name to go into history, and he knew of no other way to accomplish this object. We have believed from the first that he desired to be arrested, as such an event would bring him into public notice. His self-esteem looms up like a donkey’s ears, and when it comes in contact with his patriotism, (if he has any) the latter comes out of the little end of the horn. But to the reception.
Business prevented us from being present on the occasion, and we have had the misfortune to lo[o]se some notes given to us by a gentleman who was there, so we shall not go into particulars, but simply notice a few items, the authority for which is not confined to Republicans, or they might be pronounced abolition lies.
Mr. James Tompson was made president of the meeting, after which Mr. Parrot made an introductory speech, in which he labored to show that they were Lawfully assembled, and that the Constitution of the United States as well as that of the State of Iowa gave them the privalige [sic] of expressing their sentiments.
Now we wish to know the object of all this. Did Mr. Parrot suppose that he was to be interrupted for the expression of loyal sentiments? Not a bit of it. They intended to utter sentiments insulting to the Union people of this county, and they did it, as those who were present well know.
In conclusion, Mr. Parrot introduced the “injured” Naylor, who, amid the shouts of his sympathizers, proceeded to lay bare his injuries to the eager ears of his over true and loving brethren; and the recital was enough to bring fears of pity from a gate post.
He has been arrested, put in prison, had to lie on the floor, was called a Rebel, a traitor, a tory, a butternut, and many other names, which will in all probability injure his political health, for years to come, if not for life. Yet for all this his spirit was still unbroken, he had said that the President and a part of the Cabinet were guilty of the crime of perjury and he did not hesitate to repeat it on that occasion. Then came cries of “Good! Good! – That’s so.”
Now we would like to know what these expressions mean when defined by the Democratic dictionary. We often heard just such expression in Missouri at the commencement of this war; and most of those who used them, as well as those who applauded them, are today either in the Rebel army or in the devil’s army, though they were leaders or good members of the Democratic party at that time.
Another thing don’t look exactly right to loyal men, and that is the cheering of the Butternuts. We are told by both Republicans and Democrats that this was done, and that such men as Scovill and Parrot, leaders of the Democratic party in this county, threw up their hats as though their patriotic hearts would burst with joy at the mention of the name.
Is this Democracy? And do they propose to put down this rebellion by cursing the Administration and cheering the Butternuts? And will the democrat whose son is on the battle field applaud the hand that sends the bullet and bayonet through that son’s heart? Will you stoop to degradation on which the dog that licks the foot that kicks him, might look down with contempt? Is the tie that binds you to party stronger than your affection for him who is your own flesh and blood – your own son? Has consistency ceased to be a word in your language that you are to know it no more? Has manhood fled from our land that we dare not break the bands that bind us to party, the name of which, though once honored, is now used as a screen to hide the treachery of thousands of our country’s foe, who are among us? Will you withhold your applause and congratulations from the bleeding soldier who comes home to your door, maimed for life, to heap them upon BUTTERNUTS, and men whose [illegible] activities banished them for a time [missing text]. Why have not the soldiers [missing text] home from the army from [missing text] looking as though the thread [missing text] out to break – why have not they [missing text] recipients of such favors as are now heaped on these fellows? Oh, it is a very slight thing to be crippled for life, or have your constitution broken by exposure night and day to the winter’s storms and summer’s heat upon the battlefields by long marches, often destitute of food, water and sufficient clothing. It looks to us as though these were the fit subjects for the patriots applause, and we thank God that there are a few democrats who take the same view of matters, a few who cannot be taken by these gudgeon-fishers; a few who have witnessed the wool pulling operation too often to heed Mr. Scovill’s charge that the Republican party is the Disunion Party. What a charge! We wonder if there was one in all his crowd of loving friends that was soft enough to believe him.
We must confess that it was rather the weakest point we ever knew that gentleman to try to make. It is doubtless of his strategy. We [suppose] he had the same object in view, as did the thief who, when he was being pursued, pointed to another man and cried “Thief – Thief!”
This latter gentleman having relieved his stomach of about the usual amount of vituperation, with the usual amount of cheering at this or denunciation of the Administration and Republicans, the meeting, which was a disgrace to our country, broke up, many of them doubtless disappointed at not having been interrupted by the Republicans.
“Coming events cast their shadows before.” A cloud of indignation is assuming proportions, and ere long will find public expression.
– Published in The Union Sentinel, Osceola, Iowa, Saturday, January 3, 1863. Note, there was a tear in the newspaper resulting in several instances of missing text.
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