The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1863-06-26
Spirit Of the Democratic Press,
THE PRESIDENT AND vALLANDIGHAM.7 10

SPANs - 80 IeoyST1A AsrrS H,iOO1SNs'I
THE PRESIDENT AND vALLANDlGHAM.79
From the Chicago Post. '1'ob 10 feraon odj
The President has responded to an APP
pllcation by committee of New Workers,
for the release of Vallandigham. He ar
CUES at great length the question of power,
maintaining that he had the constitutional
right to make arrests by military force,
even in states where martial law has not
been proclaimed. He adds, however, that
he will cheerfully release Mr.. Vallandig-
ham when satisfied that the public interest
can be better promoted by that course
than by keeping him in exile; and he fur
ther declares that if he can be satisfied
that Vallandigham was guilty of no offense
against the public safety, he will gladly re-
verse the sentence.
Mr.. Lincoln, in our opinion, makes the
strongest argument that can be made in
defence of his side of the case; but the
mistake he makes is that if Vallandigham
committed airy crime it was crime under
the statutes of the last Congress, which
statutes imperatively require that he shall
be tried before civil court. The law was
passed for the especial purpose of restrain
ing the military power, and that Congress
had the constitutional power to limit the
exercise of martial or military law, or to
prohibit it altogether, is beyond all ques
ton. Congress having expressly declared
that all civilians arrested by military au-
thority for offences such as are attributed
to Vallandigham, shall be delivered over
by the military to the civil courts for trial,
the trial. of Vallandigham by military
tribunal was violation of the act of Con-
gress, and illegal.
Let the President, if he wishes to avoid
q revolution in Ohio, revoke the sentence,
and permit Vallandigham to return. Sup
pose Vallandgham be elected Governor of
Ohio, what then? Let the following from
the New York World, all of which we be-
lieve to be true, answer as to the cOnse-
quences:
Vallandigham will undoubtedly be elected
and what then? This is grave and weighty
question, on which it concerns the administrs-
ton more than it concerns the people to reflect
maturely. The determination of the people is
already formed and fixed. If Mr.. Vallandig-
ham were criminal, he would have to be sur
rendered, like any. other criminal, into the
hands of justice. His station, even as Cover
nor of a sovereign State would not shield him
from the just severity of the law. But Mr.. Val
landigham is no criminal; he has violated no
law; he is in all respects eligible to the Office
for which he has been nominated. If legally
elected, he will be duly installed in Office, or
we shall have a revolution. We trust the adj
ministration may be guided by spirit of JUS
tice. Certain it is, that in the pass to which
matters have now come, this question of free
elections is to be definitely decided; by peace.
FIJI ToO1 fho oAv 1iv,iS so l,f
whatever cost, decided ... t..
THE ISSUE RENDERED BY THE ADMINIsTRA-
TON.
From the Buffalo Courier.
Fernando Woods peace movement in New
York has completed the disruption of the Dem
ocratc party in that State. The Vallandigham
movement in Ohio will effect like result here.
All that is necessary for the Overwhelming
overthrow of the disuniOn peace-men, is for
the war Democrats to be met by the Republi-
cans on fair, square and simple war-platfom.
1t becomes the war-men to meet the great
question of peace or war, and that only. That
question is one of country or no country, and
must be kept before the people as such.-Cin-
cinnati Commercial. ... +
Ifthe democracy of the country will al
low the Administration organs and the
Administration political fuglemen to de-
termine their platform and nominate their
candidates, it would be strange indeed if,
with the enormous patronage at their dis
posal and the vast army OF servile Office
holders at their command, they could not
compass the defeat of the party at the
polls: 1t cannot have escaped the atten-
ton of any careful observer of events that
the efforts of the Administration, of late,
have been exclusively directed to placing
the democracy in false position. At
first, the policy of denouncing democrats
as ''traitor' and heaping verbal odium
upon them was adopted; but the democ-
racy carried the State elections last fall
by triumphant majorities. More recently,
an epithet designed to be still more OPP
probrious has been invented, and liberal
ly lavished upon the conservative MAORI
ty, and, to emphasize the purpose OF the
Administration to do their worst, Mr..
Vallandigham was seized and sent into
the rebel lines, in defiance OF law, and
without trial by any authority of compe-
tent jurisdiction, under either civil or mil
itary law.
This outrageous act was part of poll
tical programme, determined upon by
oOlHS OltC VI tllC StUtCSUtcH WIZ nave Tie
custody of Abraham Lincoln, and had no
more reference to the necessities of the
war against rebellion than the scheme OF
forming Leagues" pledged to surrender
the right of individual opinion to the Adj
ministraticn. Its object was to create pub
lie sympathy for victim of usurped and
tyrannical power to induce the people
who protested against the violation OF
fundamental principle Of our government
to accept q policy they do not approve in
the person of man whose claims upon
popular support are based upon the indig-
mites and wrongs he has suffered at the
hands of the Administration politicians
in short, to place Vallandigham at the head
of Peace Party, and so compel the issue
of peace or war in the political campaigns
in the Western States.
AS part of this grand political strate-
gy, the formation of an unconditional
Peace Party in this State was encouraged
by the Administration the New York !
Ne,cs, for twenty months unlawfully ex-