, 1863-09-30
Qhtto9o 4rtbnne.
C0ppKRREAD mRANNESs.

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 80. 1868.
COPPEREEAD mEANNEss.
There never yet existed people, civil
lied enough to take in the idea OF couu
try, by whom the obligation to stand by
their country, and defend it with their
lives and their all, was not held 10 be one
Of the highest duties. No crime is baser
than his who turns lis back against his
country in her hour Of need, and the un-
dying irfamy which the word traitor ex-
presses, is one form in which a people de-
clare their detestation and loathing Of him
who lifts his hand against his country, OF
lends help and comfort to those who are
in arms against her. And Of the men
who are 50 sunken and vile as to torsake
the cause Of their country, and league With
her foes. the lowest and most detested are
those who, lacking manly courage to take
an open and bold stand in the hostile
ranks. under the profession Of patriotic !
zeal and true loyalty, do all they can to |
assist the enemy, distract and divide their |
own people, and weaken and destroy its !
roycrnmcut. The heaviest load Of odium |
and infany is sure to be heaped upon the |
heads Of this class Of traitors, because they |
add the meancst fraud and yilest treachery |
to the usual guilt Of rebellion. They pro-
fess loyalty that they may thereby work
the more deadly injury to the country; |
they remain in the midst Of true men, put
on their looks, initiate their action and
profess loudly their sentiments, that By SO
doing they may render greater help to the
Toe. They add to the guilt Of ordinary
traitors the foul and loathsome character
OF spies. And however worthy Of the
1eprobation Of all good men, and the Sc
vercst penalty Of the law, those may be
who are in open rebellion with arms in
their hands, still sterner and bitterer
doom, deeper and more lasting infamy,
should oyertake all those who. under the
mask Of loyalty, are doing in our midst
the work Of treason, and, processing devo-
lion to the Union, are struggling for the
triumph Of rebellion.
No language can express the meanness
Of the Copperheads, who, protected By the
Government, are thus laboring and striv-
ing to overthrow it. There are no words
to stigmatise the sneahng and cowardly
villainy Of those who, lacking the manli-
ness to boldly attack the Government, seek
to stab it under the guise Of friendship,
nnd, getting under its shield orsafety, then
aim deadly blows at its life. These trcach.
.erous Copperheads know very well how
important to the rebellion, and how fatal
to the Union, their covert, perfdious and
malignant efforts may be made; and hence
they pusl them with enYenomed energy
and zeal, end underneath every disguise
and fraud that the most subtle and unscru
pu1ous art and cunning can devise They
know very well that the great hope Of the
rebellion is in distracting and dividing the
: North, and so they make every effort tt
infiame and enibatter party strife; 10 teach
the ignorant and simple that their right!
are infringed, and so push them into pas
sionate and rash collision with authority
to organize riots, mobs and instructions
and SO army our people in hostile ranks
and incite conflict in our midst. The Cop
perheads know tliat another most etfectiy.
way to help their rebel friends and secur,
the victory for them, is to prevent the re
cruiting OF the army, thinned by dseas'
and death; to encourage lesertion and for
bid enlistments; to magnify our losses
disparage our victories; deny the unchang
ing patriotism and undying devotion o
the people, and lying1y declare that tht
great body Of the North is worn out eni
sick OF war, and longs for peace, even al
the expense Of all that makes peace worth
having.
That these are the professions, the acts
and the hopes Of the Copperheads, We all
see and know; and surely in all the his
tory Of human affairs there is no record o!
meanness more degraded and utter. One
might retain some respect for the courage
and character Of the rebels, who hav'
openly thrown off their allegiance, tram
pied its obligations under foot, and bold.
deiied the Government. There is som
show of manliness and spirit in them. ]
they are rebels, they are not, in this, a
least, liars, cheats and spies. But the Cop
perheads are just all these three together
The trinity which makes up their persona
substance is exactly that They are liarf
because they are doing all they can or dar,
do to help the rebellion, and say they ar
not. They are cheats, because any maj
who trusts them to help the cause Of th
Union is always deceived They are spies
because they are in our midst, finding ou
all they can Of our plans and resources
and who doubts they send all they know
to the rebels, just as often as they can O
dare? If the Government should fail t
subduc the rebellion and save the country
we all know it will be solely because til
Copperheads are able to tie its hands, tet
ter its movements, and break the force q
its blows. # secession triu1nphs and dis
Union becomes perpetual, it will be du'
not to their strength, but to the treacher..
persistent undermining, v1llainous an
cowardly embarrassing and weakening
the power Of the nation, BY this mean az
pestileat faction Of home traitors.
unuEr DER Rxnv