The Tiffin weekly tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1859-1868, 1864-02-25
vaiiandighnm in the Supreme
Court.

the case. In other words, that the milf
tary authority for the common defence,
in time Of war, inhercs in the Comman-
der in.Chief to the exclusion Of the civil
authority.
This is hard blow upon the Copper
heads. There has been no end to the
vituperation they have vented against
Gen. BURNSIDE and President LINCOLN,
for nsuTring judicial authority over VAL.
LANDrGHAM, which belonged only to civil
tribunals. Neither did they hesitate
when Judge LEAvITT, the District Judge
in Ohio, refused the application for
writ of habeas corpussto pour upon him
even though a Democrat, their foucst
venom. lie was the miserable fool Of
tyrant, puppct, a mi nion, creature
destitute Of respect for either himself or
his station, perjured bctrayer of his
trust. The World, the Cincinnati En-
2airer, and all the copperhcad organs,
fairly rocked for months with the virus
excited by the case; and il was emitted
with the most indscriminatc spite upon
every official who had connection there.
with, whether military or civil. We are
rather curious to see what will be their
dcmeanoftowards the Superior Court
; The majority OF that court hith crto, alone
Of all the Gunctionaries of the Govern
mcnt, have been spared their abuse. -
This has been owing, we suppose, to an
inference, from certain antcccdcnts Of.
the court, that it had pIoclivtics in their
favor. But no warrant for this has been
found in any uttcraucc of the court since
the beginning of the rebellion. In no
single instance has its opinion been at
Iariancc with the executive action Of the
President. But in this case the copper.
heads did hope FOR something favorable
to their factious ends. The decision will
be sharp disappointment. Will they
dare to give their malignity, here too,
full play!
We have it, then, uthoritat,vcly de-
termincd by the highest authority that
the military arrest Of VALLANpIGuAM was
not illegal, nor his military trial, nor his
military sentence. The people OF Ohio,
to whom the appeal was made by tl,
sympathiz'rs with VALLASpIGHAM by h.s
nomination for Governor, decided, BY the
unhcOrd.or majority of one hundred thou
sand, that his arrest and sentence was
just aud cXpcdicnt. Ills case. therefore,
has been thoroughly disposed OF. Both
constitutional Law and the popular will
agree in sustaining the action OF the
President.
We have not n doubt that the laying of
the heavy military hand upon VALLAND.
lGnAn will figure in history as one of the .
most decisive aud IS; admirable Exec
utivc acts Of the war. 1t was very bold.
Nothing Ike it had ever before been at
tempted. But it was necessary, and, once
convinced of that, ABRAHAM LINCOLN
was not the man to shrink from the re-
sponsibi'ity. VALLANpIGHAM was the
leader Oft Northern faction. lie was d,l-
ing his utmost to cripple the Government
at the time when It most needed strength.
Disaster amer disaster had bcfallcn the
national arms; the loyal heart Of the
country was distracted with grief an np-
prchension; scdition was daily becoming
more Uulacious, more defiant, more dan
gerous. 1t was about the middle of
April when Gen. BURNSIDE, at Cincin-
natl, issued his famous Order No. 3S. in
which among other things it was doclar-
ed that treason, expressed or imp!i5d,
would not be tolerated in that depart.
mcnt, nor the habit Of declaring sympa-
thies for the enemy. VALLANplGHAN
soon altcrward made public speech, in
which he declared that this military or.
der was ga base usurpation of arbitrary
power;" that "he despiscd it, spit upon
it, trampled it under his feet, and that he
was resolved never TO submit to it,
Thus lie made direct issue with the
& Government. 1t was promptly accept
ed. The order for his arrest was issued
by Gen. BURNSIDE within three days,
md was executed the day after. On tho
succeeding day he was arrligned be fore
| court of eight military officers for vi
,lation Of Order No. 3S. He was con-
'ictcd, and sentenced to confinement in :
Fort Warren through the war, which
sentence the President commutcd to BAN |
shmcnt beyond our lines. The issue |
was clearly made by VALLANoIGHAM, and !
tho work was as clearly done by the
President, 1t was efitctual Faction
ragged furiously for while, but it soon
began to lower its crest, and to take bet. !
ter care to keep within bounds. 1t for :
the first time realized that there was au- ,
thority at Washington which il was not
prudent to contend against. From that
time coppcrheadsm lauguishcd. 1t did
not lose, perhaps, any OF its malignity;
but lis courage oozed out of it in spite of
itself. Without its audacity, faction is
nothing.
VALLANDIGHAM has made his appeal in
vain to the eNl tribunals. They have
no relief for men who thus array them
selves against rghtful authority. We
trust the poor wretch will now seriously
mediate upon his wickedness and folly,
and devote the remainder of his life TO
redeem his name, as far as possible, froml
the inlamy that now cleaves TO it.-N.
Y. Times,