The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1900-02-09

OF a government we shall give them
remains to be determined by Congress.
Personally am in favor of according
them the largest liberty and freedom
consistent with just and stable gov
eminent and think in the end we
shall not widely differ inasmuch as /
think we both have the same end in
vlew-the ultimate good of these I'M
fortunate people.
In connection with the American
L eague" now organizing in our State
beg to call attention to a band of
misguided individuals who during the
Civil War were persistently criticizing
the President and DIGGING the heels
OF our brave soldiers. They were
known as copperheads "-too cowardly
to fight, but under the protection of
our law gave the enemy every aid and
encouragement possible. l remember
them well in Southern Ohio, Indiana
and Illinois. G. L. Vallandingham,
OF Dayton, Ohio, our Congressional
district, was their leader, and under
his guidance hundreds of leagues were
organized-such as Sons of Liberty, :"
American Knights" and knights
of the Golden Circle y Seventy thous-
and citizens of Indiana were thus
many distinguished Democratic lead
counts l notice that their avowed
purpose was:
|. Discouraging enlistments and re-
sisting the draft.
2. Circulation of disloyal and trea-
sonable publications.
3. Communication with and giving
intelligence to the enemy.
They began their pernicious work
before the firing upon Fort Sumpter
and did not cease till the last battery
of the Confederacy had been silenced.
By scattering abroad their reasonable
papers and tracts, by resolutions of
sympathy and by mass meetings they
led the Confederate leaders to believe
that many northern states would Sc
cede. In the darkest days of the war
they nominated George B. Mcclellan
for the Presidency and in their plat
form incorporated this plank
Resolved, That this convention
does expressly declare as the sense of
the American people that after four
years of failure to restore the Union
by the experiment of war, during
which, under the pretense of a mill
tary necessity or war power higher
than the Constitution the Constitu-
ton itself has been disregarded in
every part, and public liberty and
private right alike trodden down, and
the material prosperity of the country
essentially impaired, justice, humani-
ty, liberty and the public welfare de-
mand that immediate efforts be made
for cessation of hostilities.
1t is surprising to note the similari-
ty between that resolution and the
purposes of these leagues, and the
purpose of many unpatriotic citizens
and members of Congress as expressed
in their resolutions of today.
The long suffering of the Civil War
administration was remarkable and it
was not until patience had ceased to
be a virtue that Mr. Lincoln ordered
NaIlandingham to the South, and by
military order arraigned in Septem-
Der, 1864, number of citizens of In
diana before tribunal on the charge
of treason. Many were convicted
and sent to the Federal prison. Not
until then did many thousands of
unsuspecting citizens realize the ma
ture of the conspiracy. or the depths of
disloyalty into which they had been
led. The names of the leaders-the
names of every individual member be-
came kissing and a bye-word in
their communities. and the stigma
today rests upon their innocent chill
dren. Many of the prominent leaders
during the thirty succeeding years
made declarations of loyalty but the
disgrace followed them to their graves.
In the light of this bitter experience
it is surprising that amy citizen or
party of the present generation is
ready to commit the same folly. But
it has been remarked that every war
a misguided class. Mr..
Atkinson, of Boston, is the Valland-
ingham of the present war His
literature bristles with reasonable
utterances, and reprinted in the jour
nails of the country, and by Congress
as special documents and scattered
amongst the enemy encourages them
to believe that their cause is not only
just, but that the administration
will certainly he reversed at the next
election. AS previously stated, it is
my opinion that had the Spanish
American treaty been ratified within
one week after coming to the Senate
not a, gun would have been fired in
Manila. Since then many an Ameri-
can home has been darkened and
many brave American boy sleeps
in the soil of Luzon. Their blood
rests upon the heads of the unpatriot-
ic citizens who profess to think they
do Gods service by firing in the
rear of our soldiers. The so-called
American League will gather in many
unsuspecting citizens, who in the heat
of politics will follow the leadership
of demagogues, but will live to re-
pent in sackcloth and ashes their
connection with,any such organization.
| hope you may use your good infiu-
ence for your flag and your county.
We can discuss. the final disposition Of
the islands latter.
Please write me as to the purpose
of the American League as you I'M
derstand it and give me your opinion
as to whether it is not unwise to take
any step which will encourage the in
surrectionists in the slightest degree
and cause the loss of valuable human
lives.
Sincerely yours,
(Signedl JAMES Fl. KYLE.