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The Supremacy of the Laws:—No Despotism Here. The Arbitrary Arrests. Speeches Delivered at the Great Mass Meeting In Troy., Saturday Evening, May 23, 1863…
Troy, New York: Published by the Democratic Central Committee; From The Daily Whig Steam Presses, 213 River Street, 1863. 8vo (220 x 147 mm), printed self-wrappers. 19, [1], pp. A rare pamphlet documenting a large gathering of Copperheads held in Troy, New York, in protest of the recent arrest of their leader, congressman Clement Vallandigham. Reproduced here are the speeches and proceedings at the Great Mass Meeting convened by the Copperheads in and around the Troy Courthouse on 23 May 1863, as previously recounted in the Troy Daily Whig. The meeting was held in “protest against the action of Gen. Burnside in the case of Mr. Vallandigham” and—at least according to the text—drew a huge public gathering totaling 8–10,000 souls. The unrest was precipitated by the arrest of Ohio congressman Clement Vallandigham, who had criticized in a public speech Gen. Ambrose Burnside's 1863 General Order #38. Burnside's order was issued in Ohio—where the Copperheads had its strongest base—and made it illegal to criticize the ongoing war in any way. In turn, the order was used to arrest Vallandigham on 5 May 1863 when the latter criticized the new measure. President Lincoln responded by commuting Vallandigham’s sentence and thereupon banished him to the Confederacy. Also included is a letter written by Vallandigham while he was detained in Cincinnati, and a letter penned by Governor Horatio Seymour of New York which was read to the Troy crowd, wherein Seymour argues that "military despotism" has now been established. The last page features a State Platform comprising the various resolutions made by the Democratic State Committee, which includes their movements for peace. OCLC records only 1 copy, at the AAS. A very rare pamphlet reflecting the fervent Copperhead unrest in New York in the wake of the arrest of Clement Vallandigham. CONDITION: Good, moderate damp-stains.
Item #4731
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