The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1863-04-23
A New Conspiracy.

party are unable to cloak their determination
to resist by ceaseless Vaccinations the prose-
cution Of war begun and carried on by the
people, war for national existence, for the
restoration of enduring peace for ourselves
and those that shall dwell within these borders
after'us In thousand ways the secret leaks
out. After Burnside's repulse at Fredericks-
burg, it was spoken openly. 1t was whispered
to Lord Lyons, and repeated by him in dip
lo,natic stage whisper loud enough to wake a
European echo. 1t was indiscreetly blabbed
in the Connecticut canvass, and the anxious
ssHush, hushr OF more prudent managers
came too late; the People had heard and still
remember.
But why talk of the more or less guarded
utterance of this determination? The policy
of the Democratic chiefs admits no other ex-
PLANTATION. What measure designed to strength
en- the hands of the Government, have they
not consistently withstood? And of all acts
prompted by patriotism and founded in wise
counsels for the welfare of the country, the
one against which they have chiefly spent
their vain rage, is the act of CONSUMPTION, by
which free people, acting through their leg
islators, voluntarily pledged their lives for the
maintenance of the national honor. All the
world knew what this act meant, saw written
in its lines the doom of the embryonic Slave
Confederacy. The troops in the field took
fresh courage 1t was as if they were already
welcoming reinforcements in the heat of bat
tie with cheer on cheer. And the men at
home, who through their representatives had
enacted this law = did they finch? Not
hairsbreadthl 1t but interpreted their grim,
infexible purpose.
Democratic politicians, chiefly Of the small
beer variety, straightway commenced yaporing
in the most truculcnt and fatulent fashion
about forcible and, If you cometo that. bloody
resistance TO what they were pleased to style
tyranny. One in this vicinity, it will be re-
membered, made a conspicuous ass Of himself
by brayins in this key. A dull, many voiced
murmur OF resentment. rising on every hand,
taught these swash-bucklers to know the tenn
per of the people better. This war, which
they wage for their government and laws, is
not to be hindered by law-breakers here at
home These counselors of violence sing
small enough now. On the last day OF March
the Toronto Globe, looking calmly on, undis-
turbed by the hopes and fears which may well
make us distrust our own judgment, said,
"The conscrption bill, which appeared SO ter
or ible at first, is apparently accepted as me-
&C essity which it was impossible TO avoid, and
"the nation is ready TO make the sacrifice re-
'quired of it. The men who most fiercely de-
"nounced it have sunk into quietness. Not a
newspaper from Maine to California ventures
"to incucate resistance"
The next move was foolish but noiso eyre
giously asinine as the meodramatic swagger
Ii replaced. 1t was bold and naked advoca-
cy of State against National rights. The
troops must be raised by the State Govern
ments! The Constitution was violated! The
National Government must content itself with
q requistion upon each State for its quota of
m en-, As II that made any difference, and the
object were not plainly and Enthusiastically to
prevent recruiting for the armies of the Union
by any and all means! We have learned
pretty well what State rights mean. They
mean Rebellion, Modification, Secession, War.
When we hear that slogan, we know what to
expect; and touching this very point, we
know that the Constitution was framed ex-
pressly to limit State rights in this particular.
Says Hamilton, in The Federalst."
five are in earnest about giving the Union
energy and duration, We must abandon the vain
project of legislating upon the States in their
collective capacities; we must extend the laws
of the federal government to the individual cit
Gems of America; tre must discard the fdiidcioHs
schemes of quotas and acquisitions, as equally
impracftcd6ie and UNJUST. The Union ought to
be invested with full power TO levy troops, to
build and equip fleets, and TO raise the reye-
nues which will be required for the formation
and support of an army and navy, in the Gus
tomary and ordinary modes praefised in other
governments
This was the Union which Hamilton helped
to form, and which was designed to obviate
the disadvantages OF the Confederation for
which It was substituted. Il was thus, that
government worth fighting for was estab-
lished. 1t is too palpable subterfuge to claim,
In the face of such testimony, that the Union
is only Confederation STILL Nobody is de-
ceived by so shallow pretense. II was dead
failure.
Then began the exhibition of mock compass
sion for the suffering poor. The provision of
the law, which limits the price Of substitutes
TO three hundred dollars or less lit was five
hundred and fifty in France, during the Cri-
mean war; and alone renders it possible for
poor men TO procure exemption, was held up
as an odious discrimination in favor of the
rich. This crafty misrepresentation, as artful
as base, assumed new Importance after the
grounds of opposition previously selected had
proved treacherous and mry. About week
ago, the Advertiser of this city proposed
notable plan to "equalize the conscript law"
Tie State legislature last winter enacted that
every soldier mustered iato the service as
conscript, substitute, or volunteer, shall be en-
titled TO bounty of a hundred dollars from
the State. This is the Advertisers plan:
To make a clean and equal thing of it, every
town IN the State should vote $500 more TO ey-
cry soldier who goes-making 500 dollars
from the State and $500 from the town; or vote
$50O to the drafted man who don't choose to go
to the war and get the 500.
Now if this transparent and shameless prop
osition TO defeat the intent of the law and
plunge every town in the State into bottom
less pit of debt, were simply the Advertisers
We should be spared the necessity of referring
to it. The Advertiser is powerless for harm
Its readers are few, its friends fewer STILL But
we observe that bill embodying this PRECIOUS
scheme in substance is actually hpfore tho