Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1863-05-16
@ortesttr Daily Syn.
THE DAILY spy.
The Arrest of MI. am,
STATEMENT OF GEN. BURNSIDE,

headquarters, DEPARTMENT OF THE ONO,
CINCINNATI, 0, May IL, 1868.
To the Honorable the Circuit Court of the
United States acithin and for the Southern
District of Ohio:
The undersigned, commanding the depart
ment OF the Ohio, having received notice from
the clerk OF said court that an application for
the allowance of II writ of habeus corpus will
be made this morning before your hon0rs ON
behalf Of G L. Vallandigham, now prisoner
in my custody, asks leave to submit to the
court the following statement -
II L were to indulge in wholesale criticisms
OF the policy of the government it would de-
moralize the army under my command and
every friend OF his country would call me
traitor Ii the officers or soldiers were to in.
dulse in such criticisms it would weaken the
army to the extent OF their influence; and if
this criticism were universal in the army il
would cause it to be broken to pieces, the
government to be divided, cur homes to be in
raded, and anarchy to reign. My duty to
my government torbids me to indulge in such
criticisms; officers and soldiers are not allow
ed to SO indulge, and this course will be sus-
tanned by all honest men.
Now will 60 farther. We are in a state
OF civil war. One Of the states of this de-
partment is at this moment invaded, and three
Others have been threatened | command the
department, and it is my duty to my country
and to this army, to keep it in the best posi-
bic condition: to see that is ted, clad armed.
and as far as possible, TO see that it is encour-
aged. If it is my duty and the duty of the
troops to avoid saying anything that would
weaken the army, by preventing a single re-
crult from joining the ranks, by bringing the
laws Of congress into disrepute, or by causing
s-.4',.. A.,
duty Of every citizen in the department to
avoid the same evil Ifit is my duty to pre-
vent the propagation Of this evil in the
army, or in any portion of my department,
it is equally my duty in all portions of it; and
it is my duty to use all the force in my power
to stop it.
If | were to find man from the enemy's
country distributing in my camps speeches of
their public men, that tended to dem0ralze
the troops, or to destroy their confidence in
the constituted authorities of the government,
would have him tried, and hung if found
guilty, and all the rules of modern war
fare would sustain me. Why should such
speeches from our own public men be al
lowed?
The press and public men. in great emer-
gency like the present, should avoid the use
of party epithets and hit,erl invectives, and
discourage inc VI SECRET pOlIllCal
societies, which are always undigntied and
disgracetul to a free people, but now they
are absolutely wrong and injurious; they
create discussions and discord, which Just
now amounts to treason. The simple names
Patriot" and "Traitor" are comprehensive
enough.
As | said before, we are in a state of
civil war; and an emergency is upon us which
requires the operations Of some power that
moves more quickly than the civil.
There never was a war carried on success
fully without the exercise of that power
1t is said that the speeches winch are con-
demned have been delivered in the presence
of large bodies of citizens, who, if they
thought them wrong, would have then and
there condemned them. That is no argument.
These citizens do not realize the effect upon
the army of the country, VINO are its defend
ers. They have never been in the field
never faced the enemies of their country
never underwent the priyatonS of our SOL
diers in the field; and, besides, they have
been in the habit Of hearing their public men
speak, and, us a general thing, of approving
OF what they say-theretore the greater re-
sponsiOility rests upon the public men and
upon the public press, and it behOoves them
to be careful to what they say. They
must not use license, and plead that they are
exercising liberty. In this department. it cam
not be done. | shall use all the power have
to break down such license, and l am sure |
will be sustained in this course by all honest
men. At all events, will have the conscious
ness, before God, of having done my duty to
my country and when | am swerved from
the performance of that duty by any pressure,
public or private, or by any prejudice, | will
no longer be man or patriot.
/ again assert, that every power | possess
on earth, or that is given me from above, will
be used in defence OF my government, on all
occasions al all times, and in all places with
in this department. There is no party, no
community, no state government, no state
legislative body, no corporation, or body of
men that have the power to inaugurate a war
policy that has the validity of law and power
but the constituted authorities of the govern
ment of the United States; and | am deter
mined to support their policy. If the people
do not approve that policy, they can change
the Constitutional authorities Of that govern
ment. at the proper time and by the proper
method. Let them freely discuss the policy
in proper tone; but my duty requires me to
stop license, and incorporate discussion,
which tends to weaken the authority Of the
government aud army; while the latter is in
the presence Of the enemy it is cowardly so
to weaken it. This license could not be used
in our camps; the man would be torn in pieces
who 'uld use it.
There Is no fear Of the people losing their
liberties; we all know that to be the cry Of
demagOgues, and none but the ignorant will
listen to 1t; all intelligent men know that our
people are too far advanced in the scale of
religion, civilization, educaton and freedom,
to allow any power on earth to interfere with
their liberties; but this same advancement in
these great characteristics of our people
teaches them to make all the necessary sacri-
fees Tor their country when an emergency
REQUIRES. They will support the constituted
authorities of the government, whether they
agree with them or not. Indeed, the army it.
self is a part of the people, aud is SO thor
ouphlv educated in the love OF civil liberty,
which is the best guaranty for the permanence
of our republic an institutions, that 1t would it.
self be the first to oppose any attempt to con-
tinue the exercise OF military authority after
the establishment Of peace by the overthrow
of the rebellion. No man on earth can lead
our citizen soldiery to the establishment of a
military despotisn, and no man living would
have the folly TO attempt it. 70 do so would
be TO seal his own doom. On this point there
can be no ground for apprehension on the
part of the people.
Ii is said that we can have peace if we lay
down our arms. All sensible men know this
to be untrue. Were it SO, ought we to be SO
cowardly as to lay them down until the au-
thority Of the government is acknowledged.
l beg to call upon the fathers, mothers, sis
tiers, brothers, sons, daughters, relatives,