Litchfield enquirer., 1848-03-23
No. As: WBoLs Ne. 1l47.
From the American Review.
A WORD ON TREACHERY.

4 A WORD ON TREACHERY. :.
Treachsry has always mixture of daplici4
4 y and dishonesty, and no man can Justly be
styled traitor, who maintains an open and
steady CppcsitiOntoany power. He, we think,
10 the zeal traitor who enters into cause in
order to betray it. or who yacillates in his du-
| ty and allows his affection to go over to the
enemy. He. too. is traitor of the blackest
dye. who abuses his countTy's confidence, or
employs ITS revenues or lite power in unlawful
enterprises his treachery is Of a character
more to be feared and abhorred than that Of an
Arnold, for it is more subtle, more difficult lo
detect and punish, and works evil on agrantisr
scale, He, too, is subtle traitor, who mis-
represents the finances or the designs Of the
government in his official correspondence with
the people: citizens do not vote men int OIL
fee togive them an opportun ity of carrying
cut their private schemes, they are there 10 Nc
their duty. to work for the people, and nus,ip +
manufacture false estimates or hatch sGhcn4,a
Of conqucsis. $3.50
! 1t is very common notion, that to be trais
tor one must have given upa fortress, or SUR
rendered body Of troops. or sent information
10 the enemy. or the like overt acts, but thus
| is only vulgar and visible kind OF treason
is no, he also your enemy who Injuries and III
suits you by false Information Of your affairs
| aud being in your confidence, and bound TO Tell
but the truth is he not true and geldne
betraysr of you, il he does otherwise The
information is necessary to you, you cannot ex-
ercise your prerogative as freeman to decide
in your private thoughts, or give your psblsc
opiaion upon the course government should
take you cannot vote correctly Or do aus.
thing rightly as a citizen without a true and
foil account Of the condition Of your govern
ment He, then, to me is a traitor. who de-
csives me in particulars so important to me.
and write him down as such in my remem-
brance. 4-.s.. r....
Or, to put another case, imagine that you
know Of man. who tor the sake Of pfocoil-
sulship over conquered province, will make
use of You and your Free'g overnment,s sGablisli-
cd for your benefit aud cOmfort. to defend You
against enemies from without and traitors
within--to urge you into war that you bate.
that brings no homer to yourself, and entails
debt and tyranny upon yonr children--does he
not stand in the shoes OF traitor 1t Is TOT
himself only, and not tor you. that he bestirs
himself so briskly, and putfs so many inc,
speeches in your ears, stuffed with epithets o.
honor and fame. a4fT
Ten thousand brave men and good soldiers
are led into the field against rabble Of thieves
and Indians, to be swept down BY grape-shots
or die Of fever and rheumatic cramps. and all
to please the vile ambili IN of a few aspiring
gentlemen. Was il for eur good that all this
ravsge was committed 4 Or was it to satisfy
private ambitioni But il to- satisfy apri-
vats ambition: then. Of what character was that
alnb,tionl Of trsacherous. Or Of arasrioiic
chasacteri Do these anbitioas gentlemen
suffer any Of the ills which they inaiet Did
likeylis down with cur brave tfoopsk spirited
.ofaesss inthe wet bitches. 20 die ihsse--or riss
from ssvefish couch al beat Of drum 20 BE-
swept Town BY the hateful shot Of the Msxi%
can He. We think, 10 the real traitor, who
deceives the people and bet, avs them to death:
and he the true patriot, who. when his country
10 10 danger, rushss to the front rank in her
| defence. fs.. ..,-,Fr,..
Never yet have this people endured 80 bit.
ter aa insult as that SPEECH addressed 10 them
By their President, when he stigmatized the
oppressoss Of this Mexican War with the name
oftraitor. His country will never forget nor
forgive it--NEVER ! Nor is this shutting 70.
port Of the Treasurer Q less disgraceful affair
Ia worthy fellow to the Message that pre-
coded il yet it sxcites less indignation, be
cause il discovers cowardly fear Of public o.
pinisn |; the Treasury 10 afraid to tell how
much money it has spent. and means to spend
and 50 gives the people an UNDER ESTI-
MATE. This 10 like the proceedings Of dis>
honest jabbers. who cheat bargainsf with
undertaking the cost; proof that they re-
spect neither themselves nor the man with
whom they havetc deal. 7'"