The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1865-06-01
THE SPIRIT or THE AmNesrv
PAOCLA ALTON,

"e p'oo'a"suon OF amnesty, ISSUED
by President johnson, 10 % clear in i'd
terms, and conforms SO exactly in its pro
visions to the principles heretofore fore
shadowed in the brief addresses made b,
him in response to delegations of citizen.
who called upon him on his accession Ia
power, that it requires neither editoria
comment or eluoidation..
There are, however, two prominen,
points 10 the policy of President Johnson
as enunciated with more or less clearness
in his extempore addresses, which are au-
thorita,ively enforced in his proclamation
of amnesty. The first OF these is his de.
termination to render treason odious By
the condign punishment of prominent
traitors; and the second TO destroy the
power and iuh haence of the rebel aristocra.
cy, not only BY depriving them Of their
slaves but by impoverishing them gensr-
ally. Influenced by these motives, and
in pursuance of these objects. leading
traitors in the civil as we'll as in the mill.
tary servio- of the Confsderacy are ex-
pressly excepted from the benefits of this
general amnesty; and that there may b.
no doubt left that the subversion OF the
aristocracy is within the purview of the
general plan, the wealthy disloyalists, al
worth over s20, 900, are classed with the
tr-itor leaders and left to the tender mer-
ciss OF the law.
With so large and so influential . body
OF traitors excepted. and left under the
penal les Of the law and held in terror of
prosecution for their crimes, it is to be
hoped that the President may succeed to
some extent at least, in disenthrallinR the
South from the domination of the rebel
slaveholding oligarchy. And this hope
will be very much streng gtheued, when the
government shall have shown its nerve,
and indicated its policy, by hanging JEFF
Davis. Lee and others of the most prom
inens traitors. This We think il the poll
cy Of the government, and it is in accor-
dance with the constitution and laws of
the laad, and the sentiment of the loyal
people.
Tue coppethsad leaders are opposed to
this poliay as they have opposed the POI
10y of the government AMI of the loyal
masses from the start, in all the measures
OF the war. These northern leaders fad
themselves in miserable minority, and
they are anxious 10 increase their party
by the accession of the traitors of the
SJu.h. They are acquainted with the
Chief traitors and have been accustomed 10
THAR leadership Of the party, and they are
srxious that they should speedily resume
their old position, in the hope that the |
union Of the copperheads of the North |
and the traitors of tho South viii restore
their party to power once more Hence
their opposition to the enforcement of the
Constitution and the laws against treason
and traitors; hence their joy in the
prospect that the traitor leaders will soon
resume the franchise aad be elected to
Office 10 the State and federal govern
mept.
The copperheads therefore sympashise
with the ueasonocrscy Of the South,
which President Johnson and the loyal
people OF the land arc seeking to destroy.
The copperheads are rejoicing in the hope
that Robert E. Lee, uuder whose military
administration of the forces Of the treason
ocracy, hundreds Of thousands of loyal men
have been consigned to bloody graves on
the battle fields OF the South, and tens of
thousands have been starved to death 10
military prisons. and Alexander Stephens
who held the second official position on
the roll of traitors. who sought to destroy
our government and establish one in it's
ptec0 Ou VIC COiuCI~StOuo Vi uUW8U
bondage" will soon resume their old po-
sitious under the federal government. =
Bat Pfesideat johnson and the Congress
of the United States. backed ~ by the
loyal psoplesof the land, North and South.
are resolved that such men and their dis
tingaished confrsres in this damnsbIe re.
beIlion shall never more hold Official po-
stion or exercise official influence under
the United States, to involve as again in
bloody treason, either - leaders Of the
armies Of the Republic or chief counsel
ors 10 its legislative, or executive, or ja
dici.i departments. We shall see in pro-
cess Of time which side viii b Drowned
with success on that issue; and u the
meantime ne rest content with the pro-
gress of events.
Burlington, Vt, May 81.
Csstlaman and Mufray. the rebel off,