The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1863-03-18
.ho action of the last Congress, the Exec

tho action of the last Congress, the Exee-
utive, and all those acting under his au
therity are to be indemuifod,for allillegal
arrests thus giving no redress to the citl-
zen who, guilty of no crime, may have
been dragged from his home and carried
hundreds of miles to a filthy prison at the
caprice and malice Of some personal or
political enemy; it has by the conscrip-
! ton law placed in the hands of the Exec
utiye the entire militia of the States, in
violation of State Constitutions and State
laws, and violated that provision of the
Constitution of the United States which
provides for "reserving to the States re-
spectively, the appointments of the officers y
of the militia that may be employed in
the service of the United States; and by
the same law the rich man by paying his
/ three hundred dollars can be exempted
from military service, unless he desires
and expects to go into the service as a
I General, Colonel, or as some other officer:
whilst our battles must be fought by the
poor drafted men who are not able to pay
The three hundred dollars, and whose
families are least able to spare them. Is
it for these reasons !" that we owe it 1.-THE
i Administration all that we hold sacred in
our blood bought Institutions ?' sit be
cause the Purse, the Sword, the Courts,
the freedom of Speech and the freedom OF
i the Press are in the hands of the Admin
istration that we must "give it such sup
port as, will enable US to hand down to
Il generations to come, intact, this glorious
| Union of ours?" The Union may be
I handed down to generations to come, with
the loss of all constitutional and civil lib
erty, with military despot ruling ovel
US with an iron hand. Is this the feast
TO which we are invited? Private soldiers
have you thought of these things?
, be Resoloea, That any party or set of mer
who by factious opposition to the admin
istration, the Government or the prosecu
tion of the war injure our noble cause, ,ci1
! isoct7soitA 0oeroI.et'sing l,opafttr andignd
tioa from the sotiiery both here and here
,tattcr. NJ s7ss-f.aa ~
No man proposes to make "factiou
oppositionto the Administration, the Gov
ernment, or the prosecution of the war.
D The soldiery understand this if the officer:
E do not, as was evidenced by those wht
!, were at home last fall on sick leave, ant
those discharged for disabilities incurred
piin the line of duty. The privatcs know
who are their friends; they know alst
! whether they have been placed under com
petent and skillful Generals by the Ad
, ministration; and they know, too, whethel
the lives of their comrades have beer
, ruthlessly sacrificed, and their own use
lessly risked.
Resolred, That we hear with regret
though seRh hearts faU of condemnation
and yepadiation, the murmurings and in
sane, disloyal conduct ofthe "copperheads
: $50 called by the soldiers-in our loya
and, gallant State.
Il At whom this resolution is aimed W,
r know not. sCopperheads y is rather
! nice term to use, and docs right we'll t.
fill up sentence, while Niggerheads
: will answer the same purpose. If by sin
sane, disloyal conduct it is meant t.
6 rebuke those civilians who dress them
O. selves up in soldiers clothes, and, in til
4 night time, mob printing Offices, as wa
done at Columbus, it is all we'll enough
n Resolred, That we regard the efforts O
these '1copperheads' in Ohio to demoral
ize the army by writing reasonable letter
to the soldiers in the field urging them't
d desert their flag, misrepresenting the ad
/ ministration and the objects of the war
much of which is done to cover up thci
own cowardice and justify their treason
as unworthy American citizens, and a
= more henious and execrable than tn
efforts of armed rebels who meet US i
: deadly conflict on the battle field.
= So far as we know, the charge that an
one in this County is writing treasonabl
e letters to the soldiers urging them to de
s sert their flag" is simply absurd an
t gratuitous. We can not speak for tn
J, other counties from which the rest Of tn
: 10th come What we have said abov
$ of the Administration is not nisrepre
d senting it, nor the objects of the war
: is simply historical truth, as all know VIII
r take the least pains to inform themselves
III The flourish of words about covering u
81 eowardice and iustifying treason is al
n well enough; but the officers will pleas
t to remember that the people at home hav
!? some interest in the perpetuity of our fre
y institutions, and that men do not act con
G trary to their own interests.
+ Resolved, That we regard any attemp
!, to injure or depreciate the value of tn
: currency of the Government, in which tn
$ soldier is paid, as direct blow at tn
0 soldier and his family, and stab at tn
!, very vitals of the Government itself, con
duct of which no one friendly to the per