Lewistown Gazette

Hard Run for Something to Say.

Whoever will pick up the Lewistown Democrat, or any of the papers in this district advocating Johnson's new party, cannot but mark the want of sensible political argument in their columns. Negro suffrage is the main feature, yet he must indeed be a silly fool who does not know that even if the republican party desired it no such question can be submitted to the voters of this State before 1869—three years hence. But the republicans do not desire it, and we venture to say that if, at this day, the naked question was submitted to the people, not ten men in Lewistown would vote to extend that right to the blacks. To those who served in the army a better feeling prevailed among all parties a year ago, and had the question then come up, we believe a majority of republicans and democrats would have sustained it; but by 1869 this feeling will wear away altogether, and with the prejudice created by political papers against that race, we look for the time when every negro soldier will be cursed by ignorant men for having served in the war against rebellion at all.

So too with all the measures called for by the suppression of the rebellion. A Christian man, or any one having the common feeling of humanity, would suppose that it is the duty of government to extend its fostering care to the weak and oppressed, but instead of this we find every leading measure, and especially the Freedmen's Bureau, which has relieved thousands of poor whites as well as blacks from starvation, and is in charge of the Christian General Howard, stigmatized from Andrew Johnson down as engines of oppression and corruption. Does it not sound strangely to hear a President thus denounce a law administered under his own supervision, whose officers he can remove at pleasure, or is the whole thing mere claptrap? It strikes us if there is anything wrong, a certain Executive officer is in fault, and that he is not doing what he swore he would do.