Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1863-05-01
MAHONY,s BOOK--"THE PRISONER
OF SrATE,S,

The Continental Monthly gives the follow.
ing review of Mahony's book of treason
VIZ may we'll ask what s,,stains the hopes
Of the rebels p when such mass of treason
rs this wretched volume contains is suffered
to be freely published and circulated. That
the Administration can find the force to 3D.
pose open foes in the field, and yet make no
exertions to suppress traitors at home who
are doing far more than any armed rebels to
reduce our country to ruin, is paradox for
whose solution we have for some time waited,
not by any means in patience +
That Copperhead. who from his own &C.
count richly deserves the halter, should have
the impudence to publish complaint of being
simply imprisoned, is indeed amusing. But
could the mass of vindictiveness, sopbstry,
and vulgarity which these pages contain be
simply submitted to impartial and intelligent
men, we should have little dread of any great
harm resulting from them. Unfortunately
this Copperhead poison, with its subtle false.
hoods and detestnble special pleading, its
habcas corpus side-issues and Golden Circle
slanders,is industriously circulated among
many who are still frightened by the old
bugbear Of Abolition and who. like the
majority in all wars whatever, have accus-
toned themselves to grunble Mt those who
conduct hostllities. Such persons do not re-
fleet that great crisis requires great meas
Ircs, and that in a war involving such a
tremendous issue as a preservation of the
Federal Union and the development of the
grandcst phase which human progress has
ever assumed, we are not to give up every
thing to our foes because Mr.. Mahony and
few congcnial traitors have, Justly or un.
justly, been kept on crackers and tough
beef. When a city burns and it is necessary
to blow up houses with gunpoyder, it is no
time to be talking of actions for trcspass.
1t we had ever had doubt of the right
fitness of the course which Government has
taken in imprisoning Copperheads, it would
nave occE removed on reading this miserable
book. A man who holds on one page that
every private soldier is to be guided by his
own will as regards obeying orders, and on
another sneerI at our army as demoralized.-
who calls himself a friend of the Union. and
il yet sympatlzer with the enemies of the
Onlon,- who abuse in the vest manner orr
Government and its officers in a crisis like
the present, is one who, according to all pre- |
ccdents OF justice, should be richly punished
under military law, if the civil arm be too
weak to grasp him. 1t was such Democrats
as Mahony, who yelled out Indignantly in
the beginning at every measure which was
taken to protect, us against the enemy, who,
when they had nearly ruined our cause by
their efforts, attributed the result of their
treason to the Administration, and who now.
changing their cry, instead of clamoring for
more vlgor against the rebels, boldly hurrah
ior the rebellion itself. 1t is strange that
they cannot see that they are now bringing
themselves out distinctly as tories, and men
70 De branded in history. Do they suppose
that such revolution as 1his-a revolution
OF human rights and free labor against the
last great form Of tyranny is going 6aek-
1ala' 10 the events of the last thirty
Years Indicate that Southern ar stocracv and
Copperhead ignorance and evil are to achieve
hnai victory over republicanisn Yet it
Is IN this faith, that deipngoguism will be
stronger than great principle, that such
Hell as Mahony. write and live. .a.