The weekly union record., 1864-05-28
Freedom of Speech no Screen for Traitors.

Those who sneered most when the persecutsd
| free State men of Kansas demanded Fresdpn
of Speech aud Of the Press, and hooted and
deiided the idea of allowing them such freedom
have changed their tune. Being in favor oI
acknowledging Jeff's government, and with.
/ drawing tie Federal armies from Southern soil
they claim freedom of speech and Of the pres:
to advocate these secession doctrines. In othe,
words, they array themselves on the side o
JEFF Davis, and are allies and coufederates o
the arch traitor. Yet. while advocating ,h;
same pr;ociples for which the rebel armies sri
coutsndlng, they claIn 1.-The right" to occupy
SEATS ID Congress and the State Legislatures o
the loyal States, and freedom to give materia
aid to the enemy. With equal justice, JEFF
Davis could claim bis vacant seat in the L. S
Senate, and speak and vote for bis bogus gov
ernment. This is the freedom" now claimed
/ by Peace" Copperheads. In the following
passage from the speech of II. Winter Davis
delivered in the United States House of Rep
resentatives, April llth, on the resolution for
the expulsion of Long, be we'll rebukes those
who claim, like the Copperhead press in this
State, entire freedom of speech for spoken
treason Davis appears to entertain the opinion
which we think quite sound one, that the free.
dom spoken Of screens no traitors He SAYS
The question which we are bound as gentle
men and as legislators to determine is, whether
gentleman, acknowledged TO be respectable
believed TO be sincere, entertaining and avowing
purposes which do not differ from those of the
Chief of the rebel Confederacy, or of the men
IN armed array beyond the Potomac. bent Oh
ejecting US from this hail. is the fit COMPANION
OF gentlemen here, fit depositary of his con
slltuents' vote, a safe person to be intrusted
here with the secrets of the United States, d
worthy guardian of the existence of the repul :
iic. Are we to be seriously told that the free
dom oil speech screens traitor because he puts
bis treasonable purposes in words? Does the
Constitution secure the right of our avowed
enemies to vote in this hall? MAY man i'm
pudently declare that his purpose here is so TO
vote as to promote the success of the rebellion,
TO embarrass and paralyZe the Government in
It's suppression. TO secure its triumph and our
overthrow, TO bring the armed enemy to Wash.
lngton, or arrest our army lest it exterminate
that enemy? Then why do not the Congress
at Richmond adjourn TO Washington, push US
from our stools, and by parliamentary tactics,
under the Constitution, arrest the wheels of
Government? You could not expel them
Sir, that picture is history, recent history. In
1850, that side of the House swarmed with the
avowed enemies Of the republic. One after one,
as their stars dropped from the armament of the
Union, they went out ; some with tears 10 their
eyes over The miseries they were about TO in1ict;
some Of them with exuiation over the coming
calamilles; some of them with contemptuous
lectures to the members in the ball some
stayed behind to do the traitors business IN the
disguise of honest Legislators in both Houses as
long as they dared. One disgraced the Senate
for one long session after armed men were
soaking their native soil with their blood, aud
now he is in the ranks OF our enemies.