Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1863-05-18
Northumberland and his Friends.

II was not to be supposed that Vallsndig-
ham would be suffered to go through his trial
and sentence without SOME expression OF
sympathy from the Copperheads. he has
been too long their recognized leader for
them to quietly bid him farewell. Accord
-ingly, it is not strange that an indigna-
ton meeting is reported at Albany, held
for no other purpose than to denOunce the
arrest as illegal, unconstitutional and I'M
just. Albany has been one Of the toet OF
Copperheadism. Fernando and Ben. Wood
are as much at home there as in New York
City while Governor HOratiO Seymour
(who vouched for Thomas II. Seymour,
Democratic candidate for G~OvernOrin Con-
necticut, as one Of the truest men of the
North Of course has his headquarters
there. He was present at this meetingan and
spoke vehemently against the arrest, as a
dishonOr to the country. This point can
not be better answered than by the words
Of General Burnside, in his statement sub
mitted to the court in reply to an appliea-
| ton for a writ of hdbeas corpus. He says :;
ave are in a state of civil war. One
of the States Of this Department is at this
moment invaded, and three others have
been threatened. 1 command the Depart
| ment, anditismy dntytO my country and to
| this army to keep it il the best possible con-
dition; to see that it is fed, clad, armed,
and, as far as possible, to see that 1t Is en-
couraged. If it is my duty and the duty
Of the troops to avoid saying anything that
would weaken the army, by preventing a
single recruit from joining the ranks, by
bringing the laws of Congress into disre'
pute, or by causing dissatisfaction in the
ranks, it is equally the duty Of every cItl'
zen in the Department 10 avoid the sam'
evil. If it is my dutyto prevent the prop.
acation Of this evil in the army, or in 6
portion of my Department. it is equally
nv duty in all portions Of it and 1t ismy
duty to use all the force in my power II
stop it.
If I we're to find a man from the enc
my's country, distributing in my camp
speeches Of their public men that TENDED
to demoralize the troops, or to destro!
their confidence in the constituted authorl
ties Of the Government, 1 would have then
tried and hung if found guilty, and all tn
rules Of modern warfare would sustain
me. Why should such speeches from GU
own public men be allowed2
1t is gratifying to learn that the COuT
before whom the application was made
took the same ground, and decided that
was not its duty to grant the writ.
Il is we'll that this meeting at Alban
was held. It shows who are the support
ers of a man whom a cOurt-martial find
guilty Of high crimes against his Govern
ment. OF these Governor Seymour seem
to have been at the head. He had no he
itation in d~enouncing the arrest, and thu
ranging himself alongside of Vallandil
ham. In this, hedeclared himself in syn
pathy with one who has persistently r
fused to vote for a man or a dollar wi
which to help preserve the GOvernmer
from destruction. No true friend of t
Government would do this. This meetiI
c also showed who were not V~allandighsm
! friends or supporters. The soldiers were
] this class. They had risked their livesf
the country, and they justly considered
an outrage and an insult to them t
j. expressions Of sympathy with one who
heart was with the enemy they had fac
= in battle. A soldier is a foe to any rebI
u North or South, and he knows that sp
cies of reptile wherever he sees it.
COpperhead's hiss has the same signifcan
to him as a rebels battle-cry, and he ms
! urally seeks to quelch the author of eaC
These same soldiers, and all their bra
fellows, will not neglect upon their retul
= to their homes to remember these men W
now shout for Vallandigham.