American citizen. [volume] (Butler, Butler County, Pa.) 1863-1872, 1864-04-06
The Results Of Copperheaiism. c

We do not see how any man, who has {
spark of patriotism yet left to fire hi'
blood, cand read the proceedings of the
late Illinois rebellion without at least ad
mitting to himself, if he does not declare
openly, that the men who initiated these
proceedings are, in every sense Of the
word, traitors Nor can we see how any
truthful man. whether he possesses that
patriotic spark or not can for one moment
deny those traitors received their teach
ings of the leaders Of the Copperhead
party. All accounts agree in stating that
the riot" as it is mildly termed in some
quarters, was unprovoked and premedita-
ted that Union soldiers were shot down
by these miscreants merely because they
wore the national uniform; and that the
sole purpose which actuated the "rioters'
was defiance to the civil and military au-
thority of the government They meant
to assist the rebellion by creating, as did
the New York rioters last summer, a fire
in the rear And there is remarkable
correlation between the circumstances
which characterized the two riots. The
New York riGl was almost coincident, and
was intended to be-wholly so, with the
dvance Of Lee into Pennsylvania the
Coles county riot was commenced the very
day Forrest was besieging Paducah, Ken
lucky Southern Illinois, in which Coles
courty is situated is notoriously disloyal.
Had Forrest taken Paducah and crossed
into Illinois, there is every reason to be-
lieve that the Copperheads Of all that re-
giou would have risen as did those of
Coles county. They were only restrained
from doing so because Of Forests defeat at
Paducah.
That the Illinois riot was produced en-
tircly by Copperhead teachings is not put
ting the fact strong enough. The pur-
pose of the intense school of Copperhead-
ism is treason and treason only. Time
and again have prominent leaders of that
party shown their sympathy with the rob
els by words and acts, the disloyalty of
which no sophistry could conceal; time
and. again have bands of their deluded
followers. with arms on their shoulders
and blood on their hands, deficd the Off
GERS of the United States and attempted
to nulIify its laws The organization Of
the Golden Circle is as thoroughly in SYM
pathy with all the aims of the Southern
Conicderacy as if every member Of it
were South Carolinian.
The government at Washington has not
been severe enough with these domestic
traitors. Had it two years ago hung the
first dozen of them who were found in
arms against its authority, We would not
now be called upon to chronicle this Hi
nois "riot." We hope that every cop
porhead engaged in that ~ riot" will be
pursued until caught, and when caught
made to suffer the fate which should be
meted to all traitors. Halfway measures
with parricides will suffice no longer. We
must conquer them or they will conquer
us. They are assisting to-day to prolong
the war by encouraging the South to be-
lieve that. sooner or later, the North will
itself be divided house. They mean
that it shall be, and are now hard at work
in every Northern State endeavoring to
obtain control of the Democratic party,
that they may use it next fall to secure
the realization of their reasonable hopes.
Gentlemen of the Democratic. party
You are not all Copperheads. God for
bid We kRolo that some of you would
die in the " deadly breach before the
United States of America should cease to
constitute one nation. Coneeding this
much to your patriotism, will some of you
explain in a plain way the reason why
you should longer be found in company
with proved traitors ?-E,rchange,
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