Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1847-06-18

III all attemptS 10 OTanOOn congress ana fOrCc II
to submission to the Executive will.
II there be such a thing in this country as a
Federal partv as there is certainly party ac-
ting upon Tory principles, the Washington
Union is its representative and organ.
Sccondly. OF the Tory principles TO which
we here refer, perhaps the most incompatible
with public liberty is that which represents as
moral treason" every difference of opinion
from the President and his minions on any qucs-
ton concerning our Foreign Relations. 1t has
been our fortune, AS it has been our pride and
our boast, to have opposed the mad attempt of II
former President to get our country into war
with France, and to have been, we trust, some
what instrumental in defeating that stupcndous
folly, Of which no man who processes any re-
spect for the memory Of Gen. Jackson ought
ever to revive the recollection. More recently,
IT has been source of present Joy, as it will be
OF lifelong happiness to us, to know that we
are identified with the body of the Nation, in
dlsapprobaton of the hectorng and bullying
tone Of the Union and its party during the
Oregon dispute, so ludicrously contrasted with
their subsequent gratuations and Qualifications
at having obtained by Treaty precisely the line
which we pointed ont to them as that which
comported equally with the public honor and the
public interest. With regard to the Texas An
nexation, it Is equally our pride to oppose that,
until, in defiance Of all we could do, it came to
be consummated; and we are now more than
ever confirmed in our antipathy to that unhappy
measure, when we find the country, as a con-
sequence, engaged in this Mexican War, 40
glorious to our arms, so dsgraceful to our poll
cy, and so dishonoring to those who have involv-
ed us in it. The Union" will perceive that 1t
is right in its infcrence-right for once-that we
do not mean to deny the facts in regard to our
course upon the Mexican war;" &c. any more
than it is practice to deny facts in any case.
AS to the union's'' doctrine of moral trea-
son." long before the Mexican War-was
dreamed of, we were going to say, but happily
remember in time that the march to the Rio
Grande, the shedding of blood tine war, the inva'
sion, thc'' second conquest of Mexico and all
were dreamed Of by the Editor of the Govern
ment paper in almost the first nap he took IL
MS editorial chair-but very soon AZ Ter the Mex
ican War was dreamed of, and before the Pres
ident had taken the initial step towards it, W.
treated the government paper and its mora
treason" doctrine in terms that are so particu
larry suitable at this moment, when a practica
application is attempted to be given to it, that w
cannot do better than to transcribe it, as we nov
do, from the National Intelligencer of the LII
OF May, 1915, requesting the Administration
and its organ to receive it as our reply to an!
thing they have to say now, or may have to say
hereafter on the subject of this amable, toler.
ant, and rery Republican doctrine of theirs:
From the National Latelligcneer of May II, 1915
"Trcason (thank Heaven } is defined by the
Constitution, or, under the rule of such men
rs those who profess and sustain the doctrines
of the Democratic Review, the office of ex-
ecutioner for the offence of treason might be
H.
mcnt. Treason against the United States,
says the Constitution, shall consist only in
'levying war against them, or in adherng to
their ennemics, giving them aid and comfort.
Yes, thank Heaven again! Treason is defined
by the Constitution; and when the makers of
that Constitution so defined it, well they knew
what they were about. They knew what
crimes against liberty ambitious Democrats
or ignorant demagogues would be too prone to
perp-trate under the pretence of furnishing
crime they knew, and they gave it as reason
for opposing to this peculiar danger the barrier
of the definition of treason, that ncw-fangled
'and artificial treasons have been the great en-
gincs by which violent factions. the natural
offspring OF free governments, have usually
80 wreakcd their alternate malignity on each
other What wisdom. and what forecast
guided all the deliberations and all the action,
tuition ! With what a prophetic eye thew look
ed into the future, how powerfully attests thi.
Infamous pretension of the organ of the De
'mocracy to brand all difference of opinion
from It as traitorons and anti-Amercan =
80 Moral treason, truly! Did we ever think
to live to hear this abominable heresy in free
government again broached Twice before in
our history has its horrid croak been heard
erst during the quasi war of 1898, and last in
the epoch of 1912, when--though in the midst
OF the excitement of a raging war--even then
1t was fairly hooted ont OF the House of Repre-.
sen'atives, the auther of it flying before the
storm which he himself had raised. In a free
government. the term Treason can have no
application whatever, as we have shown, except
during war nor even then can il have any IA,
tIonal application to the frcest use of speech OF
printing. If such an epthet as Moral Urea.
SON could ever apply, when could it apply with
more proprety that to those Democratic Ra-
viewers, and their chorus of echoes. proclaim.
ing deadly war against the most sacred prin-
ciplcs OF the Constitntion--those which protect
the freedom OF speech or of the press These
are principles which none but an anti Republic
an, or a zealot intoxicated with the fumes of
power, would ever think of openly assailing."
Thirdly. In the course of some remarks upon
the liability of a paper managed by many hands
to mislcGd the Public, we said, the other day as
quoted by the Union in its last number, What
follows
We have no sort Of doubt, further that he
never published any thing concerning the Ore
gon dispute which the Cabinet did not at the
time approve that there was, in a word. a per.
feet understanding between them on that point ~
Our meaning might have been more distinctly
expressed, we admit than it is in this quotation,
which j, has pleased the government editor to
represent as s. concedng the whole point in dis
pue." We must, we find, BE- more explicit.
What we meant to say was, that, though the
government paper nude representations Of a
contradictory nature, and statements well calcu-
lated to mislead the public mind, it did so with
IA perfect understanding with the Cabinet
whose object it may have been to conceal their
game in order to enable them TO play il with
the more success. The Government Editor. he.
ing the confidential friend and agent of the grea,
Chief of our Republic, has a part TO periorm
/ somewhat analogous to that of the c9gfI,n,,
upon the stage, as wittly described By Sherdar
in the play OF The Critic. "The conl;Jantc !
he says, is always to do what her mis,res,
does weep when she weeps, smile when sin,
smiles, go mad when she goes mad" So thq
government paper must always be eynccteJ IL
be pretty much in the mood of the Government
itself. Illustrations in abundance are TO b.
iound IN the columns of the government paper
OF this sympathy between the Administrations
and It's organ. We need 60 no further back
than last Tuesday for one On that day the