Valley Spirit

The Harrisburg Patriot and Union calls upon us for information relative to Hosea Carpenter, the father of the Loyal Union, or Union League, which that paper exposed a week or two since. We will give the Patriot and the public the benefit of what information we can gather with reference thereto.

Hosea Carpenter is a resident of Greenfield, this county, and is decidedly a specimen brick. He is now from forty to forty-five years of age, and we cannot learn that he ever distinguished himself previous to embarking in the Union League business, save as Captain of the "Greenfield Greens," a military company the organization of which, we believe, has been disbanded, since the war broke out at least. He was the President of a Know Nothing Lodge during the palmy days of that order, and says that he still adheres to the principles of that order--that while his party left him en masse for the Republican party, he remained firm and steadfast till Lincoln was nominated, when he too joined the fortunes of the rail-splitter.

He was in Wilkes-Barre all last week, hard at work in the business of his new order. The expose of the Patriot and Union reached him here, much to his own mortification and the chagrin of his followers whose names appeared with his papers published by the Patriot. For some days he was very quiet, pretending to know nothing of the order of the League, or of its existence. Finally, however, the waters broke loose and Hosea found himself unable to restrain them. About as often as he approached men for the purposes of leading them within the sanctum sanctorum of the order, he found that they betrayed him. Enough were ready to examine his "cards," but when he came to the oath, before informing them where "Abe lived and travelled," they generally backed out and promised to see him again. Finally, several copies of his documents found their way to the public--Longstreet, the Chairman of the Republican County Committee, and others whom he vowed were High Priests of the order, seeing the ridiculous position in which they were placed, turned their backs upon him. He wrote an article in defence of the order against the expose of the Patriot and Union and took it to Miner the editor of the Republican organ, who refused to publish it telling Hosea that he had made a great fool of himself and was ruining the Republican party by his indiscretions in allowing the thing to be exposed. Hose told Miner and Longstreet, according to his own story, that they were renegades, and threatened them with expulsion from the order. He also says that he was threatened with personal violence if he did not leave town. Nevertheless he kept on at his work, much to the amusement of the Democrats and the mortification and annoyance of the Republicans. On Thursday he made the "cards," constitution and pledges public to every one that he approached, keeping secret on the oaths, pass words, grips and names of members of the order. He exhibited a list of over thirty Lodges in this county, and declared that through the Legislative Union at Harrisburg about one-half the counties of the State were already organized; that he should first attend to a sufficient number of counties to make up two-thirds of the State, and then he should travel through Maryland and other States for the purpose of organizing them. all persons who oppose the order or refuse to subscribe to its tenets, are to be reported to head quarters as traitors and "spotted" accordingly.

He admits that the constitution as printed in the Patriot and Union is correct--says that it was printed at the office of the Harrisburg Telegraph, and was stolen from the desk of Mr. Capron, Assistant Clerk of the House, who drew it up, and was handed over to the Patriot and Union for publication. He threatens Bergner with the terrors of the order if he dares to recant the faith or turn his back upon the order as Longstreet has. Failing to procure the publication of his defence, he endeavored to get the Court Room, on Thursday evening, for the purpose of personal explanation, but he says the Commissioners refused. So on Friday morning Hosea left town, saying that he should go to Harrisburg in a few days to look after the interests of the order there, punish the Patriot and Union and make Bergner stand up to his work. So the Patriot and Union may expect to see the illustrious personage soon.

Of the names published by the Patriot and Union as the Committee of the League to Luzerne county, all are leading Republicans, and most of them, if not all, members of the Republican County Committee--S.P. Longstreet, Chairman. Four of them are Post Masters under Lincoln's appointment, among the very best offices in the county, viz.: D. N. Lathrop, Carbondale; J.T. Fellows, Hyde Park; D.H. Jay, Scranton; and D.G. Driedsbaugh, Beach Haven. C.J. Baldwin was late Clerk of the Courts of this county. Northrup and Strong are influential and active Republicans, but hold no office. Longstreet is a lawyer, and aspires, we understand, to the place of Mr. Ketcham in the Senate. Carpenter says that he had considerable trouble to get Senator Ketcham into the ring, but he finally yielded. The Senator aspires to be the next candidate for Congress from this District on the Republican side.

In conversation with several gentlemen when here, Carpenter stated that he got the idea of the order from the Know Nothing organization, the books and papers of which belonging to the Greenfield Lodge he still has. The truth is, he is more crazy than foolish on this subject, and we judge from all the circumstances and facts we can gather, that after hitting upon the idea of forming the order, he confided it to party friends who seized hold of it with the intention of running the machine themselves, not giving him full honors as its founder. Becoming elated with the prospect of success in the enterprise, he will not give it up and relinquish the honors to others; and not having the capacity nor shrewdness to carry it on himself, he has spoiled the whole affair by his indiscretions, running the craft clean ashore, and leaving the politicians who embarked in it as another edition of Know Nothingism, promising like fruits, high and dry on the beach. The poor fellows are to be pitied. What next will they get up in this transformation state of their party? Hosea should be forthwith cannonized [sic] a Saint, and we suggest to them that they should alter their pass-word from "where does Abe live and travel," to that of Hosea Abe and Hosea--a glorious pair--the country is safe in their hands!--Luzerne Union.

As much as the Democratic party desire to see an end put to this horrible and unnatural war, and peace again restored to the country, it would not have our Government humble itself before an armed rebellion, or accede to terms that would be dishonorable, or in contravention to the Constitution upon which our institutions are founded, merely for the sake of peace. We want no peace short of a restoration of the Union. Our Flag must again float over every inch of our former territory, and be honored and respected as in days past, before the war can end. Let the war be pushed vigorously forward to attain that end, and when that is accomplished, and the friendship of the Union men of the South regained and their confidence in the Government reassured, the war ought to terminate and life and property be spared. Our Government should leave nothing undone to reassure the Union men of the South that their rights under the Constitution will not be trampled upon for to them it must look for aid in re-establishing the Union and maintaining and administering the laws when the war ends. We see how well this is working in Tennessee under Hon. Andrew Johnson, and the same good results are manifesting themselves every day, under the lead of Southern Union men, in other parts of the rebel States. Nobly have the Union men of the South stood side by side with the Democracy of the North and battled all through these trying times for the Union, the whole Union and nothing but the Union. The Southern Union men have risked all--suffered all--to show to the world that they were honest in the principles they professed of being as much opposed to a sectional party South as they were to a sectional party North. It matters not whether that party take the name of "Secession" or "Abolition," or is marshaled under the leadership of Jeff. Davis in the South or Abraham Lincoln at the North, its aim is disunion and its fruits Civil War, but while the Democratic party is true to itself its hellish purposes can never be consummated. Jackson said--"The Union must and shall be preserved," and his words will ever find a response in the heart of every true Democrat.

The Democratic party has heartily supported the Administration, as the representative head of the Government, in all its just efforts to put down the rebellion and re-establish the supremacy of the laws over the entire country. It knows no other issue than the restoration of the Union upon the eternal principles of justice, and a regard for the constitutional rights of the South as well as the North. That is the sole object for which he Democratic party is pouring out its best blood on our battle-fields. To fight to establish negro equality, or to back up the Administration in its abolition schemes, is no part of the programme of the Democracy in the present war, nor can it be held in any way accountable for the enormous taxation imposed upon the people to cover up the corruptions and pay the expenses of the plunderings and extravagance of this Administration.

We published in our last issue an expose from the Patriot and Union, of a new secret political organization, gotten up by political tricksters and broken down Horse Contractors, to save the sinking fortunes of the Abolition Republican party. It seems that this new scheme to cheat the honest portion of the people out of their votes, was first started in this State by a certain Hosea Carpenter, of Luzerne County. This enterprising individual we are informed, having organized a League in his own county, came to Harrisburg during the winter, and with the assistance of a number of Abolition Senators and Representatives, organized a "Legislative Loyal Union League," which deputized him to travel the State and organize a League in every country at the rate of five dollars each. This is a new dodge but it wont win. The people were sufficiently dosed with secret political parties in the rise and fall of "Know Nothingism" to last them half a century. "Where does Abe live and travel?" will meet the same fate at the hands of the people that was meted out to that somewhat classic salutation of "How's Sam?" The people in this enlightened nineteenth century, living under a Republican form of government, will not tolerate a set of midnight conspirators who must resort to dodging into lanes and alleys after nightfall, and climb up dark stairways with the aid of dark lanterns in order to carry out their nefarious purposes. If there is one thing more than another that citizens of a free country should guard against and denounce, it is a secret political party, no matter what name it may assume, whether "Know Nothing," "Loyal League," or "Knights of the Golden Circle" or any other, the danger is the same. There is nothing so dangerous to the liberties of the people as the secret machinations of designing and corrupt politicians, and hence we raise our warning voice against them in all their forms and phases. Of this the people may feel assured that it is not their good these men have at heart, but the accomplishment of their own selfish and ambitious ends. Why should honest men with honest aims seek to conceal their movements and avoid the discussion of their sentiments in open day? Or why should honest men, like robbers and counterfeiters, seek out some out of the way place to hold their meetings and take upon themselves extra-judicial oaths, pledging themselves not to reveal any thing that transpires there, and even to utter positive falsehoods if necessary, to prevent themselves from being detected and exposed to the public? These are pertinent questions, and no political ingenuity can answer them satisfactorily. Such doings are so utterly at variance with the spirit and genius of our free institutions, that we cannot for the life of us understand how sensible and intelligent men, having the smallest grain of patriotism in their hearts, (not to say anything of self respect,) can have anything to do with them. This movement of Hosea Carpenter & Co. we look upon as the last shift of a set of desperate trading politicians to keep themselves from sinking, and to obtain a new lease from the people to plunder the government and rob the treasury a little while longer. We are much mistaken, however, if the people will gratify the wishes of these patriotic politicians. No, gentlemen, your doom is sealed; your day of grace is fast drawing to a close, your speculations in spavined, ring-boned, and blind horses, shoddy clothing, linen pantaloons and straw hats are about wound up. The bottom of the treasury has been reached and the people cry enough. The thunder tones of the people will ring in your ears about the second Tuesday of next October and cause you to skulk back to your secret hiding places like convicted criminals to their gloomy cells. The decree has gone forth and the people will execute it. Vox Populi, Vox Dei.

A reconnoissance [sic] in force of the enemy's position on the Corinth road was made on the morning of the 24th ult., in which the 77th regiment P.V. took part. This regiment was in advance of the Division and when about nine miles from the landing they came upon a rebel encampment. The rebels formed in line of battle, delivered volley and fired. Our troops took possession of their camp, and a force was detailed to follow them up. The 77th formed part of the detail and in the evening heavy firing was heard in front and some sharp work was supposed to be progressing. The result was not known when the account of the reconnoissance was written. A letter from Col. Housum, dated 28th makes no mention of any of the Franklin county men being killed or wounded.

Spring has come upon us so stealthily that we can hardly realize the fact that the season of blossoms is at hand. The genial weather of the past week has had a magic effect upon vegetation. Never have the blossoms and foliage of the fruit trees been developed more rapidly. The air already comes freighted with the odor of sweet scented blossoms and the grain and grass fields never looked more luxuriant. The prospect for abundant crops was never better and more favorable weather could not be desired. While a fierce and bloody war rages in our country we have great reason to be thankful that God promises to bless our land with an abundant harvest and that we need have no fears of famine or want.