The Portland daily press., 1863-10-08
The Consistency of the Copperheads.

she year.
The Consistency of the COpperheads.
Last year nearly every democratic copper
head paper at the North, was accustomed to
blazon its columns with the resolution passed
at the extra session of Congress in '6l, com
mencing with these words:
The present deplorable civil war has been forced
upon the country by the disunionsts of the South,
ern States now in arms against the constitutional
government.
1t is but few weeks since the democratic
State Convention of New York re-affirmed
this very resolution, and yet, while the demo-
Gratis of that State like the democrats of this,
are desiring the success of Vallandigham, and
endorsing his position and action, he was one
of the only two members of the House of
Representatives who voted against this very
resolution. To him and Ben. Wood in the
House, belongs the exclusive honor of voting
that the present deplorable civil war had not
been forced upon the country by the disun-
ionists of the Southern States. This is copper
head consistency; to applaud resolution and
then adopt as representative men those who
oppose It'll
We have another illustration of this cop
perhead consistency. The same class of
papers that so lately blazoned their columns
with the resolution referred to- holding the
disunionists of the Southern States alone re-
sponsible for the present deplorable civil war,
with all its bloody catalogue of horrors, are
now seizing upon with remarkable gusto, and
publishing with evident satisfaction, the fol-
lowing delectable morsel from the Manches-
ter IN. H. Union:
Ifan Aboitionist possessed the common sensib-
ties Of humanity be would 60 and hang himself
and feels that he did It,
Setting aside the beautiful consistency of
such course as the copperhead papers have
pursued in this matter, it is really instructive
to reflect upon the character of the spirit
which could prompt such paragraph as the
last of those above quoted. The abolitionist
made the par! This is the implied declara-
ton. The abolitionist has ventured to think.
Finding no law at the North against it he has
even dared learn to read, and having learned
he has read. He has read in the Declaration
of Independence that all men are created
equal-that all are endowed with the inalicna-
bic right TO liberty. He has also read his BIZ
BILE: that God "hath made of one blood all
nations of men to dwell on all the face of the
earth" that the Son of God came into the
world ito break every yoke and to let the op-
pressed 60 free;" that if made free by him
they shall be free indeed; that no man should
be called Master; that all men are brethren I;
firmities of the weak; that they should remem-
Der those that are in bonds as bound with
them, and much more of kindred character.
Having read such things he has dared believe
that slavery is wrong; that it is contrary to
nature and Gods law; that no man has right
to own his brother, and that it is his duty to
exert his influence in favor of universal free
dom. This has made him an abolitionist, and
by believing the Declaration of Independence
and the Gospel of the New Testament he has
cause.-the acdr helhas caused the shareholders
to rise up In rebellion, with purpose to SUBJ
vert the government and defeat the last hope
Of the friends of liberty and selfgoverment
throughout the world! The abolitionist has
dared to be honest, and to vote for men who
entertain views kindred to his own; he has
succeeded in electing such man to the chief
magistracy of the nation, and in this is his sin.
His confessedly constitutional act has caused
the shareholders to break and trample upon
the Constitution! 1t has caused the demo-
cratic party to inaugurate this rebellion, and
TO deluge the land with blood!
This is the logic. 1t has become dangerous
to aslaye-holding democracy for men to read
Ito read their Bibles and be honest! Men
have no right to think. They must suppress
their thoughts, lest the expression of them
should lead peaceable democratic patriots to
rise up in anger and commence a wholesale
system of throat-cutting and murder! How
long can men of sense be humbugged by such
miserable apologies for rebellion and treason |
In our judgment the writer of the paragraph
above quoted from the New Hampshire paper
is an arrant traitor; as much SO as JEFF. Davis,
and those who endorse it are precisely like
him,