The Portland daily press., 1865-11-21

around and crush an OK; by their ugn1enills
coils they will stop his breath IT not actually
crush his bony framework. They sometimes
dropping from the limb Of tree upon the I'M
suspectine horseman, destroy both horse ana
rider. These loathsome creatures, II we may
believe the accounts Of travellers, have some
times when wound around their human VIC
tim, and apparently with little else TO 40 puI
slime him over and swallow him, secured a
stab from his knife, luckily received at the
last moment, and gradually as the life-current
would flow out through the opening thus
made. the coils would slacken and one aftei
another fall away, and soon the travellerwo
find himself standing unframed, his deadly
adversary itself lying dead or writhing in
deaths agonies at his teet. % .a3eet5 .7sl-o
Whether the copperhead belongs to the
reptiles possessed OF the habits here re'erreo
to, we have not positive information, put pe
that as it may, we have seen the same OF
similar ATTEMPT made within the past SIX
months, and we are beginning to see the same
desirable result. The man upon whom the
coiiing process-to be followed, If successful,
by the shining process and swallowing-was
attempted was, ANDREW JOHNSON. In the
STRAIGHTFORWARD discharge of the duty to
which a mysterious Providence had suddenly
called him, exercising his best judgment and
skill, he was met by the universal copperhead
family; and with artifice and guile, resolutions
and protestati0ns, adulation and fulsome
praise, hypocricy and REASONABLE deceit, they
sought to wind themselves about him, TO COW
er him with their slime, and 10 swallow him
up in their Unsuitable party NAV. The game
was played with consumate art; the huggine
appeared cordial and affectionate, and true
loyal men looked on-we may as well confess
it-with anxiety if not with absolute alarm
For season the Indications seemed to favor
the success of the damning plotto crush out
the life and destroy the hopes of the nation.
by unholy manipulations upon its chosen,
head. The apparent haste for reconstruction,
the appointment of Perry, Sharkey & Co. to
the Provisional Goyernorships of the revolted
States, the pardon by wholesale Of rebel lead
ers, the refusal to insist upon the political
equality Of all loyal men before the law, the
delay to order the trial Of the chief conspira;
tor,-all these things were. regarded as, evil
dence that the tightening folds of the serpent
were doing their work, and doing it efectual-
ly. So confident were the copperhead man
ayers that their victim was secure, that the
Y. World exulted as follows g Al.hAlt "
We assert distinctly that President John
cn ha- 1aEorrlipo1 tn foil hu
plan of his for the Immediate restoration OF
the Union, which has received the approval
of the entire Democratic party. He stakes
the success of his administration upon its
success, and, we may add, he stakes upon ii
also his own present and future place in the
history OF the country. Those who sustain
his plan he will sustain. Those who oppose il
he will oppose. - VA" ~ '''
But the scene has changed New develope-
ments are being made almost daily. The re
cent check put upon the unrepentant rebels
the sluggishness in the flow of the pardon
tide, the refusal to pardon JEFF. Davis and de-
termination to put him on trial even against
the prayers of 5000 Southern ladies, the or,
der to Governors Perry and Holden to retain
their official power till officially revoked from
Washington, the conversation of the Pres-
dent with Major Stearns and his frank avowaI
of his personal desire to see qualified negro
suffrage adopted, the requirement of the rebel
States to repudiate their rebel war debts, the
demand that they shall before recognition
ratify the abolition amendment to the federal
constitution, and the prompt appointment to
important offices of Generals Fitzpatrick ant
Logan, fresh from the stump in New jersey
and New York, where they had been leading
agents in defeating in the latter and in over
throwing in the former the power of copper.
headism,-these combined with other scarcely
less significant acts, have been the blow dealt
at the copperhead reptile that is now runnine
away his life and causing his coils TO sacken
and TALL away. OF course, as these results de
velope the stricken serpent writhes and lashes
his tail, but all such impotent rage is harmless
and only shows the dninus which possessed
the creature in his recent caresses. He has
been cheated of a choice morsel. He hoped
to gorge himself upon Presidential banquet
His salivar had been secreted without int tc
slobber over and prepare the victim to go east
ly down the gullet into the resceptacle OF
things corrupt and reasonable. In evidence
that the serpent is wounded, and has given ur
hope Of his expected repast, we. need only
adduce a single sample manifestation. The
Hartford Tjbaes, the leading copperhead paper
in Connecticut, and perhaps not inferior to any
other this side of New York, referring to the
Presidents demand Chat the sec eeded States 4
shall ratify the Constitutional Amendment,
says: e..a.-t.
We protest against all this. Every Demo
crat and truly conservative man in the coun
try viii protest against it, for the President
has no such constitutional authority, and it is
the way to destroy the Union, not to recon-
struct in manner that shall be of real ben
eft to the people of both sections of the
country
Other papers might be quoted to the same
effect. The truth is, the copperliead reptile
undertook its manipulations upon a man OF
too much strength. He mistook his power
His scheme was well devised, his plans were
carefully laid, his coils were wound around
with well feigned cordially, his resources fol
the sccreation of slime were lnexhaustable, 4
but the intended victim, with one loyally di-
rected blow, has struck vital part, and with
the single word "Freedom" he has as effectu-
ally paralyzed the foe as ever priest an evil
spirit by exhibiting the symbol Of the cross.
The reptile lies dying, raging with disappoint
ment, the President stands forth more low.
ed and coniided in than ever, and loyal men
everywhere breath freely. -s-i 81 .-aa- @
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Difference. .'a =
Cur Fnolish ao,,e;,,c r.. .,