Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1863-06-04
Erem the Daily Herald OF June 3.
Consistency.

are sun oent,We notce,u upon DeinS lhe apoI-
ogists of rebels, and throwing the onus of
causing the war upon northern opponents
of the democratic party, 1t is of no con-
sequence that the traitors in arms claim
nothing ofthe kind; that they admit they
did not inaagurate the war because Of the
infringement of any right in the Union
that the democratic party was in power
until after secession commenced that they,
the rebel leaders, substantially confess
their motive was only to establish slave
ocracy, wherein they could exercise their
aristocratic propensities to their hearts
| content. 1t matters not the Union is IN
imminent peril that its greatest danger
lies in northern divisions that al, Re
pubhcans, Democrast, Copperheads and
all other heads,-must sink or swim, sur
vive or perish together; nor that this
charge against northern loyal men, instead
of traitors, has been too often and too
Z
thoroughly exploded to require again any
serious refutation. No amount of insult
ing rejection of their tender advances to-
wards their late political allies; no i'm
pulse of duty or patriotism, seems sufh-
clent to turn tn; II energies to putting
down traitors, instead of the opponents of
treason. Republicans caused the war;
clear the skirts of traitors in arms, is
their chief endeavor.
Now, in the same paper in which you
find this charge against the loyal people of
the north, you will see labored, jealous,
violent articles in vindieation of the con-
stitutional right of free speech. These
partizans have suddenly, wonderfully,
become the Mortified champions of this
right, violated in the military trial and
sentence of treason preacher.
Did Republicans ever do anything, at
tas very worst, but exercise the right of
free speech, and the certainly no less sa-
cred right of free sufrage2 Did the most
ed-mouthed " abolitionist even. who used
to dsnounce the Republican party even
more bitterly than the democratic, ever do
more than this ?-What delight, by the
way, the mobbing of these abolitionists, in
| significant in numbers and in influence,
used to occasion these now sudden con-
verts to free speech. What charming fun
it was for them when bully Brooks cud-
gelled and nearly murdered Senator Sum-
ner on the floor of the U. S. Senate for his
exercise of the righ, of free speech. In
what a delightful way they exemplifed
their disinterested love for the right of free
speech in Kansas? How they condemed
! (2) the utter extinction of " free speech
in the South? What conscientious cham
pions of this right they have been with
their plug-ugly demonstrations their
bludgeons and pistols, tar and feathers,
whips, mobs and murders
"A prominent rebel sympathiser is
arrested for using nis influence to obstruct
the military authorities in their efforts to
crush southern traitors and save the I'm
ion. He is tried and sentenced by court
martial, in time of great internal war and
danger. Immediately we see such zeal
for " free speech y as threatens, for this
alleged violation, to inaugurate lnsurrectlon
at the north, introduce anarchy, and de-
stroy freedom of speech and every other
kind of freedom altogether Yet the Re-
publican party, forsooth, caused the war,
for exercising this constitutional right of
having an opinion of their own upon po-
litical question, and the southern traitors
are guiltless for resorting to arms because
of that party's daring to maintain that
opinion in constitutional way, and in
time of profound peace. Charming con-
sistency. If they wish to inspire respect
for their sincerity in their newborn zeal
for " free speech, they must certainly drop
! the other elamor that the blame of the war
lies at the door of the Republican party.
The two do not harmonlze well.
We charge no party with causing the
war, except the secession party OF the
South, whose treason was brewing long
before the existence of the Republican
organization. But it may be said in
word, that the final outbreak of the re-
bellion is owing to the strength which
the slave power gradually acquired, while
its party was for years in possession of the
government, down to the end of Buchan-
ans NAL Administration.