, 1863-02-17
Qbitooo Urib,11re.


that no partisan rewards, except i'll so far
as they nre the acknowledgement Of patri-
otic service, can repay. Composing the
minority in each house; Of themselves
powerlcss 10 pass single legislative act !;
at the mercy Of majority that was at once
iactious, ignorant and Indignantly dis.
loyal; discouraged and abashcd by the
rcyerees that have met our arms in the wal
against rebellion; unacquainted with each
other; nearly all ofthem without lesisla,
tive experience; worried and tortured by
a mass Of business requiring the most de-
iberate and careful thought, in the face
Of all these difficulties our Senators and
Representatives have attained series ol
ttiunphs which reach beyond all partisan.
ship and make the heart Of every true man
glad.
We need not refer to the minor schemes
TINT were hatchcd in such numbers by tlle
enemies of the Government, because the
ono object greater than all the others, and
most ardcntly pressed by the majority
that which looked to the opening OF neso
tiations with a confident and defiant en-
envy. and 10 IN arnistice which should
make the further prosecution Of the war
an impossibi1ity-was that which cnsrossed
the most attention, and drew from our
friends the most earnest exertion. Hap
piIy, it was defeated, and our Illinois was
saved from infinite humiliation and dlslton-
or But our readers, who have daily
Glanced at the report Of Legislative doings,
and who have been gradually making up
their minds to endure crthe treason
and ma1ignity Of tile enemy could int1ict,
hare little idea Of the watchfulness, the
caution, the skill in negotiation, tue dez-
ferrous use Of tho poor means at command,
the courage and the determination that
were necessary to battle and finally defeat
the infamous plot to which the majority
were committed. That it was done, and
that the majority were forced to confess
their eirharm}essncss by impotent cursing and
enashing Of teeth, and to accept the ruin
of their most cherished scheme-that for
which every malignant in the North,
from Fernando Wood, in New York,
to Green Of Alassac, has been plotting
is an assurance that every man
who bears the Republican name is
entitled to praise, and that where each,
according to his experience and strength,
bore Ills part, it would be inyidious to say
who deserves the most. It is not often
that majority, compact, unscrupulous
and determined, come to grief such as
that which the Coppcrheads bore away,
Illinois, thank Heaven has not lent the
shield Of her sovereignty to cover treason
able plotting. The Commissioners, if any
are sent to tell the Border States, and
through them. JEFF. Davis and lis piratica1
crew, that this State, which has won such
imperishablc honors Oh the field by tic
heroisnl Of her sons, and which nothing
less than The conquest, or, as the a1terna
tive, the determination of the enemies o
the Republic, will satisfy, is tired Of tht
war for the Union and is ready to submit
TO any indignity that treason, danket
by hatred, can invent, will 60, no
as the representatives Of Illinois, bu
as the exponcnts and types Of nlinoi
Copperheads. They will 60 as individuals
and the madness of their partisanship vii
not save them from the penal operation q
that old law Of Congress, made for anothe
class Of offenders, that has stringent pun
isbments for such unauthorized, vagrau
and disloyal diplomacy as theirs. An
when they return, if they are ever rpermitte
to find the way buck through our lines, the
will be compelled to report, not to the rel
rcsentatives Of the people in General 4
sembly, but to some conclaye or cahal
which Illinois loyalty will claim no shat
4 great danger has been passed.
week ago to-day, Illinois stood on the brir
ofrevolution. The immincnce Of the da
ger was marked BY the loudness Of the e.
u1taion and the atrociousness Of Il
threats in which the most malignant il
dulgcd. They felt that the foothold f
some show Of popular authorization
their action was sure to be attained-th
they had effected lodgment in the citad
Unpopular freedom, and that the rest ";
now easy. We say boldly, and the chara
Ter Of the ,mreported speeches Of the Sc
ate and House-of tile latter particularly:
bear us out in what we say, that the obje
not ayoWed in terms, was to detacll Il
State from the Onion, and 10 make it
ally, if not an active member, Of the ma
selling Confederacy. We hazard the
sertion with regret, because it impcact
the loyalty Of the State which has Civ
the highest md the nohlest proofs Of !
devotion to the great cause. We do l
mean thereby to detract from The loya
ofpcrhaps the majority Of the members
the party : That is responsible
what the copperheads attempted to 1
Strip these Peace Resolutions Of their pa
endorsement, put them upon their mer;
and submit them 10 the people, and t
Democracy themselves would hoot tht
down. It is not IN effort to be magma
nous when we exempt the party as su
from the censure which the movers
these resolutions have earned; because
dicatlons too numerous to be disrcgart
and too plain to be misunderstood, point
the fact that the majority Of the Lcgi:
ture were elected by secret but pot
organization with extensive ramifcati
and perfect discipline, the aim Of viii
is the -disenteg1ation Of the Union!
string which, when pulled, caused cv
Copperhcad 10 hiss, led back into
lodges Of the enemies of the Government
the would-bc assassins Of human liberty
this its last stronghold.
twill be seen, then, what our fric
in the Legislature did, and how well t
deserve the thanks Of those who put Il
upon the duty that they have so ably
tai1hfully performed. Before long,
hope before June {the end Of the lcci
tive recese) q succession Of Union trium
will cause dsloyalty 10 take refuge Of
behind the mask that it put on II
Sumter was attacked, and that IN impro
sentiment, strengthened and assured
victory, will find penalties for the trea
1atcly and even now SO rampant r
here at home. Should this hope fail
day Of trial is yet to come, and prel,ara
therefor is now in order.