Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-04-22

Mr. Madison Y Johnson of Galena,
delivered a speech before the Copperhead
Club of this place on Thursday evening
last The speaker had been announced
for several days by pli-cards, stating also
that DR.. OLDs, Ohio, wo Id he present
and speak on the occasion, and the wealth
er being fine, crowd of very respectable
numbers ~ere present
The speaker 10 a dark complicated
man, of cry fair address lie COM
msnced with, and indeed the most part
of his speech was devoted to narrative
Of his arrest and IL i,onment in Fort
Lafayette last year. 1t his rather SOM
bre picture OF life in the American Bas-
tile, us he termed it, had been intended
to point out To his hearers the penalty of
the mIider type of treason, and 10 warn
them of the probable consequences of a
blatant sympathy with the enemies of our
Common Country, it would have been
we'll enough aud not entirely out of
place But the speaker claiming no such
merit in the object of his speech, and be-
lng put SUI tC4lVh ms
perienoe' scarcely equaled that of Booth
in the Custom House at Milwaukee, or of
Moses NJ Strong in the county Jail If
Dane County. As to tho small portion of
the speech which wac devoted to argu-
ment we confess to some disappointment,
~ we had considered Mr.. johnson rs
rather an astute Lawyer and we were
some what surprised when he thanked
God that six OF our brave Union Colonels
were now confined on bread and water in
Libby Prison, Richmond, hostages for
certain unmitigated scoundrel confined
at Fort LaFayette for going abnsrd of a
government vessel ut Baltimore disguised
as French Lady" for the purpose of
destroying the vessel But we proud
to say that altho' the speaker intended.
this a one of his happest periods and al
though the audience were fully under the
lead of the comm ttee on applause, he
waited IN vain for response to these
timents There are depths to which even
Copperhead audience OF Mineral Point
Will not descend.
The speaker INDUCED in many loose
sertions; among others, that in 1850 a
bill was introduced by the Quakers of
Pennsylvania fer peaceable dissolu-
ton of the Union &c. and that three
prominent Republican Senators vo~
ted for it Upon this text he became quite
sloq uent over this broad lanl, aud whis
dealing heavy blows upon the Republican
party completely did the business for the
cerb 10 see We suspect that had he been
questioned ho would some wn .t reluctant
ly have admitted thatthe Qu1kers, instead
Of a bill had pr sented a petition to the
Senate of the United States, and that the
obnoxious vote of Seward and others Was
only in favor Of the right of petition,
right guaranteed to them by ::ie same con
stitution which Mr.. Johnson declares was
grossly violated in his person. For this
vote the sp aker declared tha. these Ser>
ators, Seward, and Chase and H'.ie, should
have been hung as nigh Hannah, and
In almost the same breath he s. id that as
90 this rebellion he would treat it as
family quarrel These men are our own
brethren. Ic.
The Speaker often declared. that he
would obey the laws, and advised against
anything like revolution or resistance, vet
ii was plain that his sole objection WAS to
prepare the public mind for resistance 70
all measures which the Government might
take to punish his friends-the other par
ties 10 this little family quarrel
Mr. Johnson claimed that he had
right to talk as he did, having paid the
penalty, thus bv implication DENYING that
right to the small fry Copperheads, who
UP to this time have not arisen to the nc
sice of the Government Perhaps as the
draft approaches the Government may
fancy tha he has taken more than his
paw, and NAV reopen the books and deb
il him to another inside view of Fort La
Fayette
1t may be that the Constitution guarsn-
tees to such men the right to travel over
the country and sow broadcast the seeds
of treason and disorder, in the interests
of his friends and cousins down in Nir-
ginia- But we don't believe that it does;
and for the sake of the good name ofour
community, the welfere o the rising gem
Grafton and the safety of our firesides. we
sincerely pray that the teachings of last
Thursday night may have no worse effect
than to point to that goal which awaits
shose. who, forgetting their allegiance as
citizens, and their duty as patriots, raise
their puny hands or hosrse voices against
their country this her hour of peril
The Banner DIsTEicr.-ln School Dis
trict NJ. 3, in the Town of Lindsn. every
nm urhn .rnS u rnt..r IN rr Di...... .