The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1863-06-25
NUMBER 2f-WHOLE No. IL.

can be no doubt that the idea of DESTROYING
this politician hati been entertained before
it was known that he had said ANYTHING
worthy of censure. The meeting took
place, and at it Mr. VaIandigham made
speech. OF this we can only cay that
there is not one word that an, jury in
this country would find to be seditious if
it were uttered by an Englishman agains,
the Queen'a ministers. In the .'speclfics-
lion Itself, prepared by the Judge Ad-
vocate, the inculpatory passages of the
speech, as reported by the two spies, are
given. and they are simply such political
defamation as a number Of dssentients
used habitually with respect to this country
during every war in which she has been
engaged. Mr.. Vallandigham declared
that this was 'a wicked, cruel, aud un-
necessary war, "a war not being waged
10: the preservation Of the Union;" "a war
for the purpose Of crushing out liberty and
erecting 1espo!ism;' Il war for the free
dom of the blacks, and. the enslavement of
the Whites he declared that. '.if the ad-
ministration bad so wished. the war could
have been honorably terminated months
ago" that "peace might have been hon
orably obtained by listening t. the pro-
posed mediation of France He Sd Ike of
"Llncoln and his miuions;" characterized
General Order No s." as a "base u.s.
nrpation Of arbitrary authority" and said
that ''the sooner the people inform the
minlons of usurped power that they will
not submit TO such restrictions on their
liberties the better These and some
other expressions of the same kind were
charged against him as an oifcnse against
Order No. 3S. inasmuch as be knew that
such language "coHld not but induce in
his hearers distrust OF their own govern
ment, and sympathy for those in arms
against it, AMI disposition to resist the
idWo Vi tLe Itiu
The expressions were proved. and, III
deed, were toI the most part not denied
by the speaker. Bat he brought evidence
TO show that his whole speech contem
plated simply Constitutional opposition to
the government, and that, moreover he
had expressly declared in favor OF main
tanning The Union in all events. All re
sistance to Mr.. Lincoln was to be made
in 1.-The courts and bj The ballot box In
short, any one who reads the trial mus.
admit that Mr.. Vallandiyham, whether
right or wrong, only used suca legitimate
'strong language as has been used by
An9 9lo-Saxon politicians on both sides OF
the ocean at any time for a century past.
10 call such a speech sediIiolls and Il
comfort to the enemy is to say that un-
der no circumstance is national war to
be opposed at all. The chiefs ot the
whig party sixty years ago, and The peace
society during the Rus>i,n war, might
have been seized and transported with
just as much justice as Mr. Nallandis cham
In spite Of an able protest, 10 which the
accused declared that. not being in the
military service Of the United States. a
court-martal could have no jurisdiction
over him, he was condemed to two year
imprisomen! IN Dry Tortugas--a sentence
SO scandaousIy severe as TO show the
spirit of the court which tried him. lie
has appealed to the United States Court at
Cincinnati, but this tribunal hesitated To
grant "a writ OF habeas corpus, and Gen.
Burnside attempts to forbid il to act. In
the meantime, though il is said that the
press condems the conduct of the Gen
era, there is SO much apathy that we
cannot doubt that Mr. Lincoln may ban
ish or impri>on his critic at his pleasure.
A government with such power ought to
do something great; yet it appears every
day more pla;r ttat the Cabinet at Wash
ington is formidable only to It's own help
less citizens