The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-04-19
nEcossrRUCTED OoMpARTsoN

JOSHUA TRACY. Chairman.
REcoHsTRUCTED CoMPARrsoN
"The government of New England had
sympathized with the foreign enemy, but the
mass of the people had not as yet been forced
into the ranks Of the enemy-their means had
been largely contributed to support the Brit
ish power under the awe its presence inspired
and the influence the Nsitors among them
exerted. But none of these men were pun
ished. Maine, which WAS in fact under the
paw OF its ensign as conquered country,
was not considered out of the Union. It's
officials, although they obeyed the orders
emanating from British authority, and rem
dered important service to that Government,
and were in fact guilty of treason, If the
power OF compulsion, though not exerted,
had not justified it, were not questioned by
our Government farther than to draw from
our courts decisions that submission to a
power that could not be resisted rendered
reasonable acts just6able."
.'Ihe men who stood by the Union in the
South until the whole region was given over
by the Government bound to protect them,
but which, instead of interfering in their be-
half, was capitulating for their surrender, had
no alternative when thus permitted to be en-
yironed within the military lines Of the foe,
which expelled everything in the Union be-
yond their border, but submission. What
right has the National Government now to
hold these men subject to penalties for ac-
quiescing in their enforced condition, and
yielding to the will of the State governments
and the military power thus established. and
going into the war, more than the United
States had to hold the men Of Maine liable to
punishment for giving aid and com fort TO the
British army there in the war of 1912. The
districts there found no difficulty, after the
war was over. in getting representation in
Congress. There were no test t-oaths imposed
to exclude them Why should the conspi.
racy of the Calhoun junto bring greater
punishment on its innocent victims than did
that of the Essex junto and its Hartford
Convention The scheme of each was equal
ly criminals dissolution of the UnioR-but
the means of the latter were much more In
vidious, for foreign force was introduced
into the heart Of the country hostile to al the
essential principles of our republican system.
MONTGOMERY BLAIR and CHARLES NJ AsoK pub
lish an address, from which we lipthe above
extracts, to the people Of the United States
on the political situation, in which they un-
dertake to run parallel between the conduct
of New England in the war of 1912 and the
confederate rebel States. In this pafalleI of
theirs they represent that New England was
rather more blameable than the confederacy; !;
and they draw the inference therefore that as
the Government was so lenient as to pardon
New England and admit it's traitorous Rep.
resentatves to Congress without conditions
much more ought the rebel Representatives
g - u =.
any questions. New England, say these
swift witnesses. was eoerced by the power of
Great Britain and that is its excuse, and so
was the South coerced into treason and re-
bellon against the country and that is it's jus
tification.
Now this whole showing is the veriest
misrepresentation of facts, and the argument
drawn from it utterly futile.
In the first place. New England was in no
sense coerced by the British, for except that
British ships took possession of Eastport and
Passamaquoddy Bay (the title to which was
in dispute under the treaty of 1889, then in
as State of the Union till several years
after Great Britain was no more coercive
force in New England than in Maryland.
And nowhere in New England did We expe-
rence SO disgraceful defeat as that at Bla-
densburg in Maryland in the war of 1872.
There was strong and violent opposition to
the war in some portions Of New tsngiand IN
1919, butthat opposition nevef resorted toarms;
but spent its force in harrangnes, public meet
ings, conventions and resolutions. 1t was
never as bitter, as violent or as formidable as
the Copperhead opposition to the war in the
North during the rebellion. And the Hart
ford convention, consisting as it did Of only
twenty six delegates, from three or four New
England States, was not in its spirit or its
power to be compared with the National
Copperhead Convention at Chicago, which
denounced the war against the rebellion more
6ercely than the Hartford Convention Fed
calists that against Great Britain. The Cop
perheads at Chicago declared the war fail
ure, and appointed committee to visi,
Washington to insist on negotiations fol-
Peace, Just as the Federallsts had done be
fore them, in their Hartford convention; and
the capture Of Atlanta and the fall Of Rich
mond was the answer to the latter consen
ton, as the victory Of New Orleans had beer
to the former.
Not a Representative or Senator from New
England vacated his seat in Congress, not I
State Of New England seeded from ths
Union, and set up government for itself, ant
not corporafs guard of men any where il
New England took up arms against the gov
ernment. The course Of the New England
opponents 70 the war, unjusti6able as It was
and disgraceful as it ha. always been regarded
was characterized by mildness and moder.
ton, in comparison with that Of tba correr
head opponents Of the late war epn;nst n,
rebellion; and there Is not single no;nt :
resemblance between the Hartford Conver.
ton Federalist movement in the war OF 1879
and the infamous and bloody treason and re-
bellion, with its four years Of war to over
throw the Government Of the United State,
Besides, New England was not coerced int
treason by Great Britain, and If the Souther
people were coerced into rebellion, the
coerced themselves left hands force
their right hands, to take arms agsinst Ii
government Of their country.
New England anti-war Feder.lisss, O,
Northern peace Copperheads, may vithou
any specisi injustice or violation Of histories
truth, be placed on tho same platform, n
consigned to infamy on the same dark kpase !