The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1864-08-10
LincOln's Spies Tampering
with the Mails.

The New York World contains four
columns of expositions Of pilfering the
mails by Lincoln's spies in search of what
that old clown calls treason. The letters
of many prominent men are regularly
opened, examined, and sometimes for
warded and sometimes detained.
No man in writing to friend, especi-
ally if that friend be prominent oppo-
nent of the tyranny at Washington, has
any security that it will not GO into the
pocket of Lincoln spy, instead "f going
to his friend. The World gives large
number of names Of those who are reeu-
larly watched.
Chief among the victims of this con-
temptible pilfering are Mcclellan and
Fremont. Think of it! Fremont is al
ready candidate against Lincoln. and
she old tyrant thinks Mcclellan may be;
therefore he rifles the mail bags to learn
and take advantage of their political
movements. Can anything be more con-
temptibly mean? He, too, President of
the United States. and a candidate for re.
election. If the people re-eleetshim they
deserve the damning disgrace it would
put upon the country.
The following are a couple of para
graphs from the Worlds article:
ALL OF GENERAL M'CLELLANs LETTERS
OPENED.
1t has become notorious, and 1t is not
a matter Of one year bat Of several, that
Gen. McCleNan's letters are regularly
opened, and it is stated on pretty good
authority-not Gen. Mcclellan 3 author
ity, however. but by people who profess
to know-that the direct reason of his
supereedure after the battle of Antietam,
was letter which he wrote to friend in
the irritation he was under at the absurd
orders of Gen. Halleck and Nr. Lincoln.
in which some expression was construed
to be reflection upon the President; and
it is said that this also accounts in some
degree for the extraordinary personal
spite and malice manifested against him
by the Administration. Of the latter.
the recent removal Of Col. Bowman, and
reduction in rank of Lieutenant Colonel
Clitz, members of the committee which
invited Gen. Mcclellan to deliver the
West Point oration, are instances.
GEN fREMoNT's LETTERS OPENED.
In the case of Gen. Fremont, the tam
pering with his letters has become so
regular and palpable that he has found it
necessary to have his correspondence ad-
dressed to some fictitious name to receive
it in due time by the regular course of
the mail. kilograms to him are also de-
layed in the same way, and singular
fatality attends all kilograms relating to
the Fremont movement. When the great
meeting was held in st. Louis, it took
two DAYS for an account of it to 60 through
by telegraph. and two kilograms sent ar
rived barely in time to be read at the
Fremont meeting in this city 1t may
not be out of place to mention the fact,
though it may have no connection with
the subject, that when the Fremont con-
vention was iE session at Cleveland. a
telegraph operator at Buffalo shut up the
Office and went home, imagining that he
had heard ssgood night" said to him over
the wires from the West, and thus the
late Associated, Press dispatches and
dispatch of ever a column to The World
from our special correspondent, wsre de-
laysd at Buffalo all night. The next
night another column and half dispatch
was delayed owing to the same derangs-
msnt.
Mrs Frsmont's private letters to friends
are also opened. and it is stated that on
one occasion it became SO annoying that
she wrote to western postmaster, that
tif he would be kind enough to let her
letters pass through without delay she
would mail with them to him duplicate
of each for him to examine at his leisure.