2

"Traitor!" "Traitor!!".

Whenever a democrat in congress attempts an exposure of republican corruption, he is accused of "sympathizing with the rebellion." If he remonstrates against the squandering of the public money upon indolent, impudent, negroes, he is called a "traitor." If he express the opinion that army contractors are plundering our treasury, he is seeking to clog the operations of the government, and is, therefore, "disloyal." He sees thieves bleeding the treasury, at every pore, contractors pocketing their ill-gotten millions; a reckless waste, a damning extravagance on every hand, yet if he opens his mouth to condemn, the cry of "traitor!" "treason!" is raised, and the stealing and waste are continued as usual. Men in and out of congress, whose coffers have been filled by dishonest means, have found, thus far, this simple cry a sufficient protection. If accosted at the moment their hands are busy plundering, they will only turn half way round, bellow "treason," and then complete the theft. Old Lieb, with his million of dollars stolen from the government, called every democrat a "traitor" who attempts to bring him to an account for his villainy. Every government thief has at his tongue's end the word "treason" and "traitor," to hurl at democrats who would oppose the robberies that have been perpetrated since the inauguration of the present administration. But this sort of thing will not long shield our public plunderers. It is convenient now, and with this congress, all-powerful; but the time is nearly at hand when it will fail to stave off investigation. The people begin to see the enormities it has sought to conceal, and will soon place in power men who will lift the veil and expose them in all their hideous nakedness. They begin to see that the wrong side of the house is anathematized as "traitors" — that, if such men are "traitors," then traitors lead our armies, fight our battles, and stand most steadfastly by our constitution.

Time, a little time, and the avenging rod will descend, and loyal democracy will stand forth vindicated — republicanism condemned.