Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-06-04

Fernando Wood and his disciples held
"peace convention" in New York, yesterday.
We have by telegraph summary of the re-
solves adopted, which show that the copper
heads are making progress in bcldness OF
speech, and that Fernando Wood intends to
have an independent copperhead organization
in New York. Wood has not been fortunate
in his attempt to become the dictator and
oracle of the democratic party in that
state. He is great among the roughs
of New York city; but he failed en-.
tirely when he went up to Albany to secure
general recognition of his claim to prece-
dence. Perhaps the recollection of this fail
ure stimulates his copperheadism to greater
virulence, and makes him desire to brighten
the party leaders who would not accept him
as their law-giveR Be this as it may, he is a
most unprincipled and INSCRIPTIONS man,
and would not hesitate to deliver up the gov
eminent into the hands of the southern trail
tors, if he had power to do so.
Wood and the copperheads have constantly
denounced the war against the rebellion, and
done all they could to embarrass it. Some of
them, including Wood, have been engaged in
clandestine correspondence with the rebel
leaders, in direct violation of the laws of the
United States; but. they have not dared to
publish that correspondence. Their denun-
Citations of the government and the war have
been as bold and disloyal as they have dared
to make them; but they have not been straight
forward. Now, however, it appears, Wood
and his followers have openly declared in IA
vor of the principal doctrine of the secession
lists. Their resolves declare that war to put
down rebellion is unconstitutional, and that
the right of states to do what they will (and,
OF course, to secede,) should be recognized
and protected. All of which means that the
federal constitution, by virtue of which the
Union was organized, provides no means
for defending it against the violences of trea-
son. But the copperheads understand very
well what they do; and the doctrines they
put forth are intended, not to express
their convictions, but to justify or encourage
their disloyalty. Like the rebels, to whom
they belong. they adopt the doctrines and rea-
VI DSauoS al pSst dudpleu
to serve their purposes. 1t is not by reason
ing with such men, that their disloya behav-
ior can be corrected. Fernando Woods pro-
ceedings seem to repel rather than attract
large proportion of the democrats whom he
aims to control. Even the New York Jour
nal of Commerce talks to him as follows -
'There is no party in the north in favor of
a disunion peace, and none can now be con-
structed. What. then, is to be learned from
this plain statement of truth? We answer,
that gentlemen may learn their utter folly,
who talk about turning out all war men
from the democratic party. They might as
well talk of turning out all the inhabitants of
the north since it is the inevitable result that
if the south will not have union, the people
of the north, practically unanimous, will go
on with the war.
sit therefore matters very little whether
the peace convention meets or. not, except so
far as we may hope from its deliberations for |
some light on the plans for extricating the |
country from its difficulties. 1t will not do |
for that convention to claim that it represents
the democratic party, or to attempt the or
ganization of new party. If its platform
should be merely generality on the subject of
peace, it will fail to offer to public sentiment
any rallying point; while if it be peace and
disunion, it will vanish under public execra-
ton"