The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1864-07-27
Copperheads,' "sympathi-
serso and Traitors

plundsrers and blunderers of this admin
istration, to look back very few pages
over their own record.
In the year ls4s the following enunci
alton of doctrine was made in the Con-
gress of the United States:
Any people, anywhere, being inclin
ed and having the power, have right to
rise up and shake off the existing Gov
ernment, and form new one that suits
them better"
x x "Nor is this right confined
to cases in which the people of any exist
ing Government may choose to exercise
it. Any portion of such people that can
may revolutionize, and may make their
own SO much of the territory as they may
inhabit More than this, majority of
any portion of such people may revolu
tionize, putting down minority inter
mingled with or near about them, who
may oppose their movements.
Was it John c. Calhoun who thus an
nounced the right of secession? Was it
JEFF Davis? Was it Yancey, or Rhett or
Toombs2 Neither of them; it was ABRA-
HAM LINCOLN
Would not you, Mr.. Lincolnite, this
day, call such language, coming from Mr..
Yallandigham, the rankest disloyalty, the
foulest treason?
But We need not go back beyond the
reign Of our present comic sovereign to
find examples, for following which news
papers have been suppressed, and editors
and orators thrown into dungeons. Mr.
Lincoln, in his inaugural address, says:
81 do but quote from one of those
speeches This own] when 1 declare that
4 haze no purpose directly or indirectly to
interfere toith the institution Of Slavery IN
the States aohere 1t erists. I belicUe 1 haze
no ld,otul right to do so, and haze no
inclination to do so. Those who nominated
and elected me did so with full knowledge
that made this and many similar decla-
tions and had never recanted them"
Are men to be called copperheads, !"
"sympathisers with the Rebels and
traitors" because they msekly ask why
Mr.. Lincoln did interfere with the lin
stitution of slavery in the States" when
he himself says in the most solemn man
ner that he had no lawful right to do so,
and ''uo inclination" to do so?
The following, one of the Crittenden
resolutions, passed Congress with but two
dissenting votes:
''Resoived, That this war is not wageG
in any spirit OF oppression, or fer any
purpose of conquest or subJugallon OF
purpose OF ofoperthrowing or interfering acith
the rights or established Institutions Of these
States, but to defend and maintain the
supremacy of the Constitution and to
preserve the Union, with ali the dignity
Equality and rights of the several States
unimpaired, and that as soon as these eb-
jeots are accomplished the war ough ght to
cease"
Not interfere with the rights of the
States Now every man is disloyal and
"cepperhead" who does not endorse the
Baltimore platform, which declares that
slavery shall be utterly and completely
extirpated from the soil of the Republic !!
Supremacy of the Constitution p Lin
coin don't even pretend that his emanci-
patton proclamation is authorized by the
Constitution, and new it is % disloyal" tc
maintaiu the supremacy of the Consti-
tuition over that proclamation.
One more resolution:
.' Resotced, That the maintenance in
violate of the rights of the States, and
| especially the right OF each State to order
and control It's ocn domestic Institutions
according to its own judgment exclusively
is essential to the balance of power, Oh
which the perfection and endurance q
our political fabric depend, and we de-
nouuce the lawless invasion by armed
force Of the soil Of any State or Territory
no matter under what pretext, as the
grsvest of crimes"
/ Does that read to you, Mr.. Lincolnite
Charleston? 1t is that particular plank
from the Chicago platform which Mr..
Lincoln copied into his inaugural address,
and specially endorsed. Is not every
man denounced as disloyal who does not
declare that our joking President, instead
of s'each State, possesses the right to
'sorder aud control the domestic institu-
tons of the States wherein slavery ex-
lists? In view of these facts, is it too
much to ask the decent portion of the
opposition party to refrain from applying
such epithets as I" butternuts," copper
heads, j" "Sscesh sympathisers" "traitors"
&c. to others for language and opinions
less odious to themselves than are their
own of three years ago? Foolsand fanatics
will continue to use them, but ne other
man who is honest can do SO without feel
ing himself to be slanderer.
Resisting the Draft.