The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1863-06-25
The New York World Addresses
the President Oh Mr. sailanffg-
ham's Arrest.

through lis editorial columns a personal
address to YOU under the proper signature
OF It's editor. and YOU honored it by re-
specttul. argumentatlyc reply, the dignity
that hedges around the First Magistrate
of the country was SO tar relaxed, by
your gratuitous coudescension, aS to re
lieve a similar address by another pubic
journal from the imputation OF presumptu-
Gus imper.inence which might otherwise
attach TO 1t. Our purpose IN taking recourse
to This umnatut al form OF comment ON i
public transaction Is not to make an inso-
Ieiit claim to address you on an assumed
level OF equality, unmindfa OF the respec;
due to your high office, but simply to
avail ourselves of Il sort of conventional
support in the difficult observance Of the
decorum which BELTS discussion Of the
public acts OF The President of the United
States. The form OF direct address
brings u., as It were, into the executive
presence, and puts us, by not very dill
cult effort Of the Imagination, under the
restraints which good breeding would ion.
posc Oh citizen demonstrating with you
10 your lace against proceedings OF which
it is difficult for a FREEMAN to speak with
becoming command OF temper.
Your revision OF Tie proceedings Of tie
military commission BY whici Mr.. Val
landigLam was tried and sentenced has re-
suited in an act which amounts To an ex-
preston oiyour full approval of the whole
course OF these proceedings from their IN
cep;ion in setting disguised officers as spies
on his track, through the dragging him
from his bed the light time, The trial
without ndlctment 81 Juiy, ;dd he protest
AGAINST The issue OF IA witt oi ''ha.eas cot
pu>. down "a lie dec.afatIon %, "a heavy
pena.,y Tor an aci Nhici = Io. onl, 10
NO aioil oi ,,n5 tx tip. ia~, bu. l. right
>acicdls guai-ale-, b, "a Constitution
winch IL your lnau4 4ifsltO.. Aiih Il bccou-
ipS appearance ot sens b,ly 20 lis o0iYa-
tons, you took a solemn oaih 10 preserve,
protect AID defend Tie fact that YOU
have changed the sentence. changes 10
essential aspect oi he east. 1t Is merely
Tie difference b tween co. iineinent and
traus por:aiion. draw an il usiration
from English history, it i, substitution
oi liotany BAY for the rowyr. The essen
tisi Ia. r~tnains unchanged that CITIZEN
i IN isii,d for Tie eAefeise u q right; tn;.t
The law has been Violated not by hiln
who Suffers the pei:a!t} bul 10y him who
declares il. Your approval Of the proceed
ings iml.ed II ycur fixing the penalty.
sbsoi,es al ih, lesser agents and brings
home The Who.e responsi billy 10 you. =
Their a"rs thus become Your acts; their
spies. your spie~; their soldiers, skuiking
III darkness - perpetrate a deed which
shuns the / ght ot day, your instruments;
their mIitary commission Your ). r
Chamber; General Burnside sly protest,
your exposition II tAe nullily, under your
administrator, oI the mo>s sacred guaran
tees OF the Constitution. BY max iug the
sentence aud its execution Your sole act.
YOU lndorse, ana give the sanction Of your
high oilice TO all the extraordinary pro-
ceetIngs which terminated in Mr. Vallan-
dI.ham 5 conviction.
You have read, Mr. Lincoln. in the qui-
e shades of Springfield, where you passed
81 large portion OF your life In the un-
o,tentatlouS practice of the private virtues
which gained you the esteem Of your
he ghbors, aud in tie honest performance
OF useiul duties which gave them 50 f.-
yorable opinion OF your abiliiies-ln that
ranIuI retreat, sir, with ihr horror natu-
raj TO an Ingenious mind, You have read
of the Roman Emperor who placed his
edIcts 60 hlgh III the air that they could
not b, dcciphered by the keenest eye. aud
yet severely punished any breach Of them.
Why was it, sir. that 5y a sure moral in
sta CT, producing all instant conviction
which resources Of logic could either
shake or coniirm-why was it tia. your
SENSE Of justice rcvoltod. with the whole
strength OF your honest nature, against SO
execreabie an Instance ot tyrauny? Pray,
sir, do not be Startled. but, with tie siead-
mess OF perception oi which We know you
10 be capable, analyze The JuG cement you
spontaneously Pronounced against ;he l,o-
man iyrant, and define to yourself what Is
in this act Of his that made it SO abhorrent
to your moral sense. When the Roman
ruler fixed his code the hight of col
umn there was still a possibility that, by
extraordinary pains. men might come to
know what il contained. But how are
men, i'll this free country. and under your
well meaning administration. TO know what