The Union Meeting At Marietta

Marietta Intelligencer, January 30, 1861

Mr. Editor:

I am amazed at the course of the Democratic paper of this place in regard to the late Union meeting.  The object of that meeting was, to show to our Southern brethren that there was no hostility of feeling toward them, but a willingness to do all in our power to bring about a state of peace.  The call was for a meeting of citizens, without reference to party.  In this capacity the people met.  The Mayor was the chairman.  After a number of Union speeches, a large Committee was appointed to report resolutions at an adjourned meeting.

At this second meeting, the resolutions agreed on by the Committee of nine, were reported.  While these were under consideration, the publisher of the Democratic paper, and the editor, tried to change them.  But the meeting refused to make the substitution these gentlemen wished, and the original resolutions, as reported by the Committee, were adopted.  The resolutions were good, even in the opinions of these men, for one of them was on the Committee that reported them; but on the day of the meeting they thought something better might be substituted.  But the people thought the resolutions of the Committee were better than the substitutes proposed, and so rejected the latter.  What, now, is the course of that paper?  It admits into its columns, from the Cincinnati Enquirer, an account of that meeting, which is an insult to the people of Marietta and Washington county.  The loss of the resolutions referred to, is attributed to Abolition influence.  The idea of its being a Union meeting is hooted at.

This is the way some people take to restore quiet to the country!  They get up meetings "without reference to party," and then, if the people do not adopt all their recommendations, they turn about and abuse those who attended by calling them Abolitionists, &c., &c.  If the people in attendance on the meeting in the Court House, Saturday, January 12, were under Abolition influence, then the whole North is under such influence.

It is such wretched caricatures of Northern people, as this article in the Enquirer copied into the Republican, that has made the trouble between the North and the South.  The writer of this signed that call at the request of Mr. McCormick, and he did it supposing a fair account of the meeting would be given to the public in the Demicratic paper.  He acknowledges himself disappointed.

X.