Democratic Sentinel, Volume 17, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 August 1893 — DEMOCRACY IN THE WAR. [ARTICLE]

DEMOCRACY IN THE WAR.

It has been long the boast of the republican party that it furnished the|Northern Army, who went in as republicans, fought as republicans and oame out as republicans when they came out at all. That had it not been for the republican party there would have been no Northern army. That a very large per cent, of Northern soldiers were republicans, that not to ex„ ceed twenty per c lit. of all the soldiers of the Northern army were democrats. [T This is the gag and lathers oread on for years. As the fog has lifted the figures in the gra s are discovered to bd standing out so plainly ana boldly that every person who wishes cm see for himself as te how much truth or how rnuoi of falsehood there has been in these many years made and repeated from one end of the country to the other, as to the numerical ; strength of the republicans in nort ern armies.— Here are a few figures obtained at the War Department at Washington and from the records in different states, as the 3ame are now being oveihauled, worth noting.and putting aside for future reference. From April. 1861, to April, 1865, the New England states furnisled a total of 365,162 soldiers of whom 144, 040 were democrats and 219,122 were republicans. Taking 1864 as an average the republican vote of New England 325,747 and the aemocratic vote 189,904. Compare the number of democratic solders in the northern army from New Englana with the number of deocratic votes in the six New Engl nd states and compare these with the republican votes and republican soldiers, and the reader will see which of the two, in proportion to their strength, furnished the most fighting material. The total number of volunteers and enlistments as soldiers in the Northern army from April, 1861 to April 1865 was 2,678,967. Of these soldiers in the Northern army 1,222,006 were republicans and 1,456,907 were democrats.

The democratic volunteers from what is called the “solid south" in the Union armv and navy during the late war were 314,832*. The republican volunteers from the "solid south” Wore 35,230. Of those who volunteered into the Northern army duriug the war over all other than the southern states, 767,698 were republicans and 988,045 were democrats. The democratic majority of all who volunteered or went into the Northern army was 234,847 showing that the democratic party of the north had a larger representation in the field by more than a quarter ofi a million than did the republican, arty. The .otal Union troops from the slave states was 433,503 of whom 93,441 were blacks.

During the late war 29,000 Union prisoners died in rebel prisons, and 26,000 rebel prisoners died in Union prisons. The state of New Tork seat to the war as her portion of the troops 245,639 democrats and 203,201 republicans, making a total of 448,850 of her citizens who went forth to fight for the preservation of the Union. New Jersey sent 42,818 democrats and 33,906 republicans. Ohio sent 154,248 democrats and 158,932 republicans. Pennsylvania with her immense republican majority sc Dt 167,998 democrats ana 169,963 republicans. Wisconsin, another strong repnblioan state, was represented in the Union army by 42,035 democrats and 48,832 republicans. Illinois, another republican state, was represented in the northern army by 235,001 democrats, and 124,002 republicans. Indiana sent 109,398 democrats and 95,. 995 republicans iuto the Union army. lowa, an intense republican state, where all democrats were classed as rebels, trai tors, copperheads, lickspittles, etc., sent into th northern army 33,495 democrats and 42,747 republicans. Michigan, another very heavy republican state, was represented in the northern army by 49,803 democrats and 43,561 republicans.

Minnesota, another strong republican state, sent into the Union army 10,187 democrats and 13,833 reoub'icans. The South, or so called, furnished democrats to the northern army as follows: Florida, 1,290;] Keniucky, 74,390; Louisiana, a,224; Maryland, 44,434; Mississippi, j 545; North Carolina, 3,156; Texas, 1,965; j Virginia and West Virginia were repre-; sen ted by 30,139 democrats; while Missouri had in the northern army 02,053 democrats The total “solid south” furnished to the northern army 314,832 democrats vnd 35,- j 230 republicans, including blacks—being but 15,102 less t :an the number furnished by the super-loyal New England states. Some one has said that truth crushed to the earth will rise igain. That the eternal years of God are hers. So it is that as the returns come in or are opened so that they may be got at by those who are curious to know the facts in the case the republican party is proven to have been a great big brag and bluster from the first, even as it is a very rotten, stinking carcass at the last Hereafter, in the lace'of facts collected by the adjutant generals of the states, transmitted tothe War department for verification and examination, let no republican again say that the democrctsso’t to destroy the Union or failed in the work of preserving it.

Another thing in tils connection worthy of thought and bearing in mind for future reference. The repu> lioans have been contin ally talking of a Solid Democratic i South. They oave pounded it into the mind , of the people from every republican | platform, pulpit and news paper office in the north that the south has ever been solidly democratic and therefore all bad j continually. These persons forget that previous to the war it was the custom of the Bouthto , give whig majorities That the demand for the nomination of Bell aad Everett as j whig candidates came up from the south. That in many of the southern states and localities it was no uncommon thing for the democrats to find themselves in a mi-1 noritv, and that so-called “whigarery” had a stronger footing south of M°sou and Dixon’s line than it ever did north. Another fact worthy of remembrance is this: The popular majority against Lin- I coin and Hamlin in 1860 was 890,024; the j populai majority against McClellan and ! Pendleton in 1864 was 4<'6,812. Thenumj ber of democrats in the army shortened | the democratic vote in theJnorth,»while i the number of republicans who staid at j home swelled the republican vote in 1864. The total vote of all parties Nov. 1860, being 4,573,823. The total vote in 1864 was 4,850,000 at which time there was a large excess of democrats in the northern army operating in the south or sleeping in southern soil after hard fought battled

In 1864,| too other causes added to the republican vote. Take Indiana for instance. Provost marshals were sent into nearly every election precinct in the state; democrats were arrested o » trumped up charges and held until the electioh had passed, and were then discharged without a hearing; in many republican strongholds democrats were driven from the polls and were not permitted to vote; regiments of soldiery from ot er states, encamped jwithin this state, voted all aloeg the line.| |And these were.the methods which secured the republican majority that year.