The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1863-08-13
The "BlueL Light" Democratic Platform.

- 10 HAN NSNH''l 1919 "''N 'N' 'N-N@->' -
people of Ohio from the Clifton House, Canad
has recently addressed scme Of his friends lie
ter in which he puts forth the following doctrines
The party of the administration declares thu
the states and people Of the South shall be force
to Icy down their arms and submit. What then
Contiscation of all property, emancipation of a
slaves. and the execution of all who, directly G
indirectly, have taken part in the rebeilion-nam
ly, nne-tenths of the whole population, for ger
eral amnesty has never as yet, been So much a
suggested by either Congress or the Executive
and unconstitutional submission is now the leas
which is demanded, though it would do more
not only for constitutional liberty, but for thu
Unicn, than such men could accomplish in a hun
bred years.
| need not repeat my often declared conviction
which time has always vindicated, that the south
cannot be conquered by force of arms but grant
mg,!tor arguments sake, the efect4al check ant
waning proportions Of the rebellion, as proclaim
ed now again for the hundredth time, by the or
gans Of the administration, and that by the seconl
Monday IN January next all the armies of the
contederates will have been captured or dispersed
and their remaining five hundred thousand square
miles of territory oyerrun and occupied, Their
the hour for the pacifcaton of the SoIh anC
Cancellation of her people will have arrived which
party will most readily be hearkened to by them
Who, as governor Of Ohio, will be the most ef
hclent agent Ia that great and arduous task
Hour candidate, committed wholly to the restor.
alton ct the Union as it was or the candidate oil
the administration, pledged to policy full, upon
the one hand, OF continued evaporation and hate,
and on the other Of inSurrection and revenge.
At nearly the same time Bion Bradbury, Of
Maine, addressed letter to the Convention,
which nominated him for Governor, in which he
enunciateS his principles as follows
1t seems to me that the hope of restoring the
Government rests in the united action of all con-
servatlve men IN resisting the tanatcal spirit of
radIcallsm largely pervading the land, which now
controls, with its revolutionary doctrines and per-
nclous influence the counses of the present ma
Ilonal administration, and in substituting ia its
stead an enlarged patriotism and a liberal states
manshlp which looks alone TO the conservation of
the Constitution, and the restoration of the
Union with all the rights of the states unimpared.
But opposition to the present war policy and
war measures of the administration is not opposi.
tlon TO the government. The administration is
not the government. Those in authority are but
the agents of the people to carry on the govern
ment under the Constitution. They may exceed
or pervert their constitutional powers-they may
destroy the Constitution ITSELF Under such cir
cumstances, to oppose the administration is to
support the government.
These are fair, and tolerably succnct statements
OF the bases Of operation from which the anti
war Democracy are making their campaign against
the Administration !; and as such we propose to
give them little attention.
The Administration is arraigned, as being wrong,
and radically SO, in its wer policy. MIR Bradbury
calls it radical" y" fanatcal," and revolutionary"
Vallandigham is more specific, and names the
confiScation measures, the emancipation proca-
nation, and the law which Furnishes treason with
death, as the crimes of those in power. As these
opponents of the war do not give the proof of their
operations, however, we must look up the evidence
for ourselves. We find, in the first place, that at
the outbreak of the rebellion very despotic and
wicked law was upon the statute book, which pro-
nounced the punishment of death upon all trai.
tors. Our heathenish foreiathers passed this law.
the stern men Of the early times who had no
bowels of compassion, as have the Valandighams
and the Seymours and the other great men of our
time The last Congress, however, knowing very
well that the millions of traitors at the South
would never be brought, through trials by
cour: and jury, to swing, as they richly deserved
to- and yet not quite willing that they should es-
cape without any punishment provided a lighter,
mider punishment, to wit: confscation of their
property. For this act, thus mitigating the pen
atty of the old law against treason, they have