1 Bucks County Intelligencer, COL.
DAVIS AND HIS “CARD.” May 5, 1863 Page 2
Col. 3 1
For
the Bucks County Intelligencer.
COL. DAVIS AND HIS “CARD.”
The article of your correspondent “TOBY”, seems to have
made quite a fluttering in the Copperhead camp of the Doyles-
town Democrat. Quite a number of lame ducks seem to be flap-
ping their wings, with a terrible hissing among the Copper-
heads. Even Colonel Davis comes to the relief of Sergeant
Mendenhall with “A Card.” From the tenor of the “criticisms”
of the Colonel, I judge he is pretty much “hand and glove”
with his deputy editor, and literally endorses his entire course
in abusing the Administration. Col. Davis seems like a man car-
rying water on both shoulders. As an officer of Uncle Abe, he
receives government pay to line his pockets with ‘green backs,’
while he employs his home-deputy to please the readers of his
paper, in keeping up a fire in the rear, by abusing the only admin-
istration that is capable of putting down the rebellion. He who
supports the Administration supports the government, and he
who opposes the Adminstration opposes the government, and
really strives to strike down the only legitimate power capable of
putting an end to this war. Does Col. Davis deny this? Does it
not appear to be the prominent aim of the Doylestown Democrat
to publish everything likely to weaken or destroy the confidence
of the people in the Administration or government ? for the terms
are synonymous, and mean the same thing. Destroy the Admin-
istration now, even with its faults, (and what Administration
never had faults?) and the government is ruined. Jeff. Davis
would then speedily occupy the White House by the united efforts
of the Butternuts of the South and the Copperheads of the North.
Can’t Col. Davis see this? He must be a fool who cannot. Well
then ; don’t Col. Davis see that, while he may lead his regiment
to battle in South Carolina, with professed “loyalty,” Dr. Men-
denhall at home is striving to knock the props from under the
Ship of State, and if successful, all Col. Davis’s loyalty cannot
save that ship from the breakers into which such papers as his
own are seemingly striving to pilot her. I have none but the
kindliest feeling for Col. Davis as a fellow citizen and a soldier.
I love every man who willingly shoulders his musket to aid in
putting down this rebellion. From personal friendship I might
desire to see him occupy a higher post of honor ; but the inte-
rests of my bleeding and suffering country, and the blood of her
murdered sons upon the gory fields of battle, will not let me shut
my eyes to the glaring inconsistency of lynx-eyed politicians.
Does Col. Davis pretend to deny that the publication of such arti-
cles as “Mr. Lang’s Speech,” with an editorial endorsement, in
his paper, and A PAPER TOO OWNED BY A GOVERNMENT OFFICER,
will do more harm to the efforts now making to put down the re-
bellion, than all the blood of the noble sons of Bucks county,
poured out upon the soil of the South, can counterbalance? Does
Col. Davis not know that a draft is soon to be made in this county,
and that the publication of such articles will certainly tend to
discourage the effort? I will not say the articles are published
for that purpose ; but as sure as consequences follow causes, they
will certaintly do it if continued, and the Colonel’s own regi-
ment may be needed to quell an insurrection in his native coun-
ty, caused by the political articles in the columns of a paper
owned by him. I will cite a case in point. A Judge of a Court,
in a neighboring State, last week, in charging the Grand Jury,
so severely reflected upon the Administration, that as soon as
Court adjourned, a shout was got up for Jeff. Davis, which, how-
ever, was soon stilled by the Union men.
Col. Davis in his “Card” pleads for great latitude of the
press to criticize the acts of “the administration.” I always
looked upon Col. Davis as a gentlemen. His acts as a soldier as
the owner of a public political journal should be an index of
what he is. Does Col. Davis think it gentlemanly, I will not
say patriotic, to assail the President of the United States, with such
language as the following ; “ No tyrant in Europe dare un-
dertake what President Lincoln has done.” This language is
trumpeted through the length and breadth of Bucks county by
the Doylestown Democrat. Does Col. Davis believe this to be
true of his Commander-in-Chief? He so publishes in his pa-
per which bears his name. If Col. Davis dare assert this lan-
guage in the army, in the presence of his loyal regiment, I
know what ought to be done ; but I leave that for the reflection
of another tribunal. “Knowing Mr. Valiandigham, as I do, I
would prefer him and trust his loyalty a thousand times before
I would any man who justifies the course of this Administra-
tion.” Are these the loyal sentiments of Col. Davis? “The
President of a mighty Republic, just elected by a free people,
STEALING INTO WASHINGTON CITY LIKE A THIEF IN THE NIGHT.” &c.
Col. Davis is a gentlemen and a loyal soldier. These sentiments
appear in his paper also.
Does the Colonel think these
gentle-
manly, if even loyal? Now all these coarse and undignified re-
marks, and a great many more of like import, which I have not
time to copy, appeared in a paper owned by Col. Davis, and were
published a considerable time before the appearance of his
“Card.”
Such being the case and Col. D. not having pointed them out
as objectionable nor having censured Dr. Mendenhall for their
publication, I take it for granted they meet his views. Were
these, then, the kind of articles that Dr. M. had “ general di-
rections” to publish ? And so popular were these sentiments with
the readers of the Democrat, that the edition containing them
became exhausted, and Dr. M. came out next week with an edi-
torial flourish about it. Will Col. D. and Dr. M. read the late
speech of John Van Buren, delivered in New York, and see what
he thinks about such sentiments? Or will they deny that he is
a Democrat, and denounce him as they do Daniel S. Dickinson
as a “renegade?” Strange patriotism! Abuse the loyal Dick-
inson and laud Valliandigham! What kind of a soldier would
Vallandigham make? Jeff. Davis desires many like him.
I write with no partisan object. I wish to see this unhappy
war ended, and care not whose head is uppermost when peace
does come, whether Democrat or Republican, so that he is true
to the UNION. But I will not shut my eyes to the sophistry of
Col. Davis and his Deputy in throwing dust into the eyes of the
people. Honesty is the best policy. Let Col. Davis adhere to
the sentiments promalgated by him while editing the “ Doyles-
town Democrat,” in opposition to the Breckinridge “Standard,”
and he will secure the confidence and respect of all loyal parties
in Bucks county. It will not do for Col. Davis to wrap the folds
of the “Breckinridge Standard” around his original paper, turn
it over to the Breckinridgers to edit and manage, and then talk
about consistency and “loyalty.” Will this constitute him a
Democrat? The Colonel is no doubt very loyal and patriotic ;
but how can he mingle the blood of Douglas and Breckinridge
together ? He might as well to mix oil and water. The noble
blood of the loyal Douglas will never coalesce with that of the
traitor Breckinridge. YARITAS.