The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1863-06-02
Free Speech.


Mr.. EDITOR Il have Just been reading Jndg,
Leavitt's reasons for refusing writ of ha6ea
corpus in the case of C.. L. Vallandigham, and to
me they appear sound, notwithstanding yourself
and other editors seem to take different view O
the case ; view precisely agreeing with that 0
traitors and copperheadS, both North and South
which does not, of course, prove it ansound
Nevertheless it is well to examine our foundation
gay, " Gen. Burnside is as much bound to respec
the rights of Mr. Vaandigham, as citizen 0
Ohio, as Mr.. Vallandigham is to respect the orde
of Gen. Burnside"
Allow me to ask if Mr.. Vallandigham has any
rights, as citizen Of Ohio, or any other State
while engaged in preaching treason, or in any wa,
giving aid and comfort TO the rebellion P |
Southern traitors have forfeited their right to lib
erty, and life even by their treason, what shall b.
said of traitors at the North who are aiding ant
comforting them ? Is not secret treason in Ohio
as bad as open treason in Virginia Is it not in
fnitely worse, because done under the garb o.
loyalty? .set .r. ..s... ....... ....
Said Mr. Chandler, " have some respect fol
Southern traitors, who come out openly, and take
the chances Of the bullet and the halter, but
have the most superative contempt for Northern
traitors, who, under the garb of 10y atty, stab
bling their country in the dark" You seem to
think Mr.. Vaandigham has not periled the
country, and therefore should not have been ar.
rested. Really, and shall we wait until treason
has become more formidable before arrestiug it
Nseems to me we had quite enough of that in
Buchanan's time. But is not the Nation most
sn1nenly in peril, and quite as much from North
ern as Southern treason? ...-
You prefer that be should have been arrested,
If at all, by the civil law. But was he not arrested
virtually by the civil law, for it seems the Legs-
sature of Ohio had passed law sanctionng Just
such arrests by military authority. You seem to
think he will gain sort of martyrs crown. l
fhink it will be very much like that gained by
Benedict Arnold. 1t may have been bad policy,
but some of US fail to see the consistency of send
ing our boys to bleed on the battlefield, and at
the same time camor for the right of citizenship
to our neighbors at home, who are giving aid and
comfort to the rebels they are fighting. There
seems to be afear thata large portion of the people
will not support the Government in such string
ent measures. Sir, if the people are not pre-
pared to support the Government in putting down
treason, both North and Soath, the sooner it is
known the better, for then we had better call
home our army and make peace with the traitors
as best we may.
Yours for putting down traitors to Freedom
wherever found. aG S. NJ. SEAyER.
ilamstown, June |, 1861. fh
REMARKS,
b We IRE quite glad to receive the above commu-
nicaton and to give tia place in our columns
for, If we are wrong, either in principle OF policy,
in our position respecting the immuultles of free
speech in Democratic and constitutional form of
Government, We Shall most cheerfully confess it
when our error is Clearly shown TO is. We can
not a..sw our correspondent, however, to pat US
10 any false position in this matter. Our OBJ sction
Vas not to yaltandigham's punishment, but to the
method through which he was punished. The
question is not whether traitors in Ohio shall be
put down, but hOt0 they shall be put down. We
are in favor of dealing with them by the civil law
and the courts Instead Of the military, where it
can be done, as in Ohio and Vermont, and we be-
leve this to be strictly in accordance with the lib
critics of the people, to preserve which our free
Government was organized.