The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1863-05-22

have insisted upon he jury trial where person
claimed as fugitive is on trial for his liberty
and, if convicted, punished by imprisonment for
the period OF ten years. We are clearly OF the
opinion that in every view, whether We consider
the theory Of orr Government and the spirit of
our institutions, or the lower considerations Of
policy and sxpediency, this method was the only
one which should have been pursued.
We are aware that it is not easy to judge this
case without allowing ourselves to DO influenced
by our detes,ation of yallandigham and our de-
sire that the pessilens fellow may in some way be
punished for bis dislcyalty; and there is danger
that we lose sight Of the principle involved in our
satisfaction in learning that this vile-mouthed
Northern sympathizer with treason has met pun
ishment, which we cannot feel is too severe for
him. But let Us remember that the facts Of to-day
become the presidents of tomorrow. We may
now feel safe, believing that those in office, both
civil and military, will not abuse the powers they
are using, and we may comfort ourselves with the
assurance that none butstraitor sympathizers will
be visited with these extraordinary methods of
trial and punishment. But the men now in
Office have less than two years more Of power,
and we do not yet know who will succeed them.
The next President may be a pro-slayery Demo-
crat who will be Of the opinion that words spo-
ken against slavery are treason to the Union; and
with the immense military power at bis command,
who can give US assurance that he will not erect
Vermont into military district, and try, by drum
head court.martial, all who express their detesta
ton of the peculiar institution. We may be the
citizens then who may wish to be protected in free
speech, and let US not, if il can be avoided, aid in
establishing precedents which can be bye and-bye
triumphantly quoted against US. Most of all, let
not those who fought the battles of the right. of
petition under John Quincy Adams, or those who,
LATER fought the battles of free speech under John
G. Fremont, now turn their backs upon their old
principles and arguments. 1T is by no means i'm
probable that we may have occasion to use them
hereafter, and we should be careful how we forge
weapons now which our adversaries may EN- ploy
against US in the future. .. ........
We had intended to make some quotations
from leading Republican journals, taking substan-
tally the same position with respect to this mat
ter whch'we have felt it our duty to occupy, but
we have already taken space enough about it,
We cannot forbear saying, however, that the New
York Tribune and the Euening Post, two staunch
and earnest Republican papers, have decidedly
disapproved of this method of Furnishing Vallan-
digham and majority of the influential Repub-
lican journals throughout the country, have taken
the same position. And we are glad to see even
pro-Slavery Democrats at last changed into the
warmest advocates of free speech, and hope Il ey
will never find it convenient hereafter to deny the
principles which they so earnestly contend for now
We certainly DOM covet their companionship,
but shall not give up our political bible because
such Old sinners have at last, in selfdeence, be-
come converts to its doctrines, and taken to quot
ing its everlasting truths.