The Lansing state Republican. [volume] (Lansing, Mich.) 1855-1874, 1863-08-19
Who are Copperheadss

people, 4st a. We TAX OF farmers, mercod1Is, |
Dr. freenasoBs Every class is to be respected
Or dsliked according to the characteristics Of
hose who compose it.
The great fundamental principle Of belief
With every copperbead, ard that from which all
others are ouilt up is, that he class Of saVehold
ers IS born with the right to govern the United
States just as they please. On this point he
has 10 doubt. Here b, Fever changes
The second principle Of his creed Is that
Shareholders. as class, can do no wrong he
believes this as firmly a. a class Of people in
Europe formerly held that the King could do
no wrong. This profound veneration induces
the Copperhead to excuse or justify in a South
erner, what he would denounce in Yankee.
If you want proof Of this, just ask any Cop
perhead this simple question: Did the rebels
do right in seizing the forts and arsenals Of the
United States BIZ force, and trying to kill the
garrison of Sumpter with cannon ballss' In
stead of answering yes. like an honest man, be
will reply in this way: d" Well, they would
not have done so if the Abolitionists had not
begun TO steal their slaves" He always ex-
cuses OF apologies for their treason. Hence,
while he thinks he sees tremendous violations
Of the Constitution in the acts Of Lincoln and
the Federal Government. be sees nothing very
bad in the killing robbing, plundering aud
treason, by which JEFF Davis and his friends
are trying 10 overthrow the Government Itself :
To be sure, il makes a bad state of thing-; but
he argues it i no worse than we had reason to
expect. We should have been more careful
not to irritate Southern gentlemen, because
when they get angry, they always swear and
try to break things. Hence, Copperheads
always 90 in for cOnciliating these angry gen.
tlemen, and pleasing them as we'll as We can.
Hence many of them wear long faces, and
mourn on the receipt Of news Of Federal VIC
tories. They argue that it will prolong the
war, and bring greater calamities on the
country. by making the rebels more angry, and
stirring them up to fight he harder.
The third article in the creed OF all copper
heads is, that the negro was born to be always
d slave. and it is the duty of all white men,
by every means in their power, to hold him in
that place. The intensity of feeling they have
for the niger" in some cases, amounts al
most to insanity; for from their frequent talk
ings on the niger it is evident that their
brains are deeply sympathetic with his condi-
ton. There are some people who DO not care
anything about the colored man; let him take
care of himself, say they. The great body Of
Republicans are willing that negroes should
take their share in the business of the world,
doing whatever they can do well-should serve
as soldiers, carry the mail, learn to read, OBJ
tain a farm under the homestead law, or i'm
prove in whatever way they can; and if they
cannot improve much, why, let them improve
little. But a Copperhead is deeply moved
with sorrow to see him in any condition but
that Of slave, hat in hand. saying, " Yes.
Massa. to all the demands made upon him.
The model administrations Of the Republic, in
the view of Copperhead, would be those Of
Pierce and Buchanan, when the SHAREHOLDERS
lorded it unresisted over all the Nation; and
be is greatly exercised in his spirit lest the hal
cyOn days should never return, when the chiv
airy amused themselves by hunting men With
dogs; when women were sold on the auction
block. for prostitution, and children bargained
for by the pound. The certainty of a general
emanci patiOn dlsturbs his slumbers exceed
ingly; aud hence he is opposed to condscation
acts, and to the employment of the colored
man in the war, in any way, except to dig, and
even in that case, he would have all the wages
earned, carefully paid over to the master.
y ~
ing around the neighborhoods, prophesying
that the North will soon be laid waste like the
South-that we shall have civil war at home.
in which our fields will be desolated our cities
burnt, brother fighting against brother, &c.
In short, that the civil war at home will be
more bloody and destructive than that in the
rebel States. The orator may be heard hold
ing forth on these matters with zest and rel
ish that show that his heart is in the pictures
be craws, and that the traitor would like to
take part in making them realities
There is another class of Copperbeads-net
very numerous, we hope-of whom we scarcely
know in what terms to speak. They may be
heard, both in conversation and in public
meetings, sneering at and calling by the mean
est and most villainOus names they can invent.
the brave men who have gone at their country 8
call, and who have suffered and endured all
things. and have poured out their blood like
water. in its defense. How citizens, remaining
at home, can have the heart thus to abuse the
glorious dead, and insult the tears of bereaved
friends, is beyond our comprehension It
would seem as though they might be restrained
by common decency. Their course Of insult is
entirely gratuitous; there is no necessity for it;
1t does not proceed from any delusion of the
head; and all the explanation we can give of it
is that it is the malignity of those who are
very basely born-the boiling ouer of BAD
HEART
All copperheads. We belive. are unanimous in
opposing the prosecution of the war. They
have opposed the voting of men and money
opposed coniscation. emancipation, conscrip-
ton, arming the negroes-oppOsed everything
that would hurt their friends. the rebel slave.
holders; but if the war must be prosecuted.
they would like to have it protracted as long
as possible, in order that both sides NAV weary
each other to that extent that they will come
together and reestabish the darling institution
of slavery. Hence all Copperheads are unan-
imOusly for Mcclellan for General. because IN
der him no fatal blows upon the rebellion
would ever be struck