New-York daily tribune., 1864-04-11
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS..

On Friday morning last, nearly ali our City
iournals-THE TRIBUNE among them-publshet
an elaborate written Charge, delivered the day
before to "a Grand Jury of our City by Mr.
George G.. Barnard, Justice of our Supreme
Court, and leading manager of the Demo
cratic politics Of our city. In that Charge, along
with much other notable matter, Judge Bar.
nard says:
tice Of a portion of the individuals connected
with the city press 10 stigmatize all who dihered
with them in their views TO any acts Of the National
Administration as Socessionists with tho intent TO
degrade them in the eyes OF the community by hold
ing them ont traitors TO their country. aud so To
leave them with reputation as sued as that Of Bene'
dict Arnold This charge you. constitutes libel Per-
baps in few instances out Of thousand the charge
may Be true and publication Of be for nsttabe pur-
pose but this does not the parndng before the
world OF man as traitor because he dissents from
some views entertained by newspaper ventures to
doubt the proprety OF some measure OF the Adminstr'
| ton"
| On that very day, Mr.. Alexandey Long-an
Ohio Democrat, elected to the present House
of Representatives in October, 1862, by a strict
party vote, ousting John A. Gurley, the late
Republican member-rOse in the House and de-
liyered carefully prepared fully written speech,
which he had already dispatched to this city, so
that it should appear next morning in Mr.. Ben.
Woods Daily Neps, from which we quote the
most vital portion Of it as follows:
'The very idea upon which this war is founded
coercion of States--leads TO desposm To preserve
republican form Of governments under any constitution,
under the prevalence of the doctrines now in vogue Is
clearly impossible These convictions Of the complete
overthrow Of our Government are as unwecome and
unpleasant TO me as they are to any member OF this
House. Would 10 God the facts were such that could
cherish other convictions Imay be denounced as dis.
oyal and unpatrotlc for entertaining them but IL will
only be by shallow fools and arrant kDaves who do not
know or will admit the difference between recognz
ing fact and creating its existence may not de.
sire TO die; but nevertheless his BELIEF VIII not alter the
fact OF his mortality shall not in these remarks,
yye the unpleasant and acrimonious controversy Of
who responsible for the death and destruction OF
Republic. 1 do not see that any such discussion now
would be productive Of good. l entertain clear and
strong convictions upon that point convictions that
torian Of the future For the present, am willing to
let the past with all its recoecons rest provided
can snatch from the common ruin some Of our old
relics Of freedom 4 do not share in the belief enter.
tanned by many Of my political friends on this floor and
that any peace attanabe upon the basis OF
Union and reconstruction III the Democratic party
in power to-day have no idea, and honesty com
pes TO declare IT, that they could restore the Union
over thirty flour States. My mind has undergone an
entire change upon that subject. believe that there
but two alternatives, and these arc, either an
Goknopiedgaent Of tie independenee Of the S0ut.
iHdepsnden n0oa or their complete subJugation and
extermination as people; and u be'e alternatives
prefer the former"
Now, we do not care to deal at this time with
the falsehood and sophstry which thoroughly
pervade this speech--its continual assumption
that the loyal States have made war on the Sc
ceders in order to cOerce them back into the
Union. We hold that the Secessonists could
have had a peaceful dissolution of the Union
had they really desired it, and had the people of
their States, after free aud fair discussion, de-
cided to separate from the Union. SO we told
them at the time so most of the leading Re-
publican journals told them--all in absolute
good faith President Lincoln, Gov Morgan.
and nearly all Of US, openly favored Convcn-
ton Of the States, which (and which only, as
the Dsunionists well know would have had
authority and power to decree peaceful disso-
luton of the Union. But this they utterly
spurncd and scolled at. Even Kentucky, which
was first to propose Convention, voted her
own proposition down in the Peace Congress,