To The Democracy Of New Hampshire

As your represuntatives, and id vindioation of your politica! principies, not esa than your personal character as oitizens, we cannot permit a recent ;ransactiön to pass unnoticed ; nor can we in any degree meet the demanda oí the occasion, without the expression of our emphatic protest against it. We efer to the dlsmlswal of' Lieut. Andrew J. Edgerly from military service, by the President oí the United States, in icciordance with the following order : War Department Ahjútant Gexeral's Office, Washington, March 13, 1863. ) Special Orders No. 119. (Extract.) 34. By direction oí the President, the following officers are hereby disnissed the service of the United States: LieutenantA. J, Edgerly, Fourth New Hainpshire Volunteers, lor circulating ' Copperhead tickets," and doing all in nis poTfór to promote the success of the rebel cause in liis State By oidor of the Secretary of tar, L. Ï1I0MAS, Adjutant-Geneial, To the Goveruor of New Hamp&hire. We ought, perhaps to apologize for not having, at an earlier day, ealled your attention to this gross assault upOQ the fundamental principie so vital to the existence of an elective government - to this Bcornful contempt for your rights - to this denial, in the most offensive spirit of unbridled dc.spotism, of freedom of thought and opinión- to this shameful attack upon tho electivo franchise, in the crushing of vvhich liberty must inevitably perish - to this insult without a parallel thrust in your faces individually and collectively - to these offonsive terras with vvhich you are assailed. That apo'ogy is to be found in the iact that notwithstanding the humiliating experienco of the last two vears we did not beüeve it poBsible that so extraordinai-y a. paper could be genuine. We could uot believo that the President of the United States would exhibit auch wanton disregard of tha proprieties of l.fe as to indulge in vulgar epithets in an official papcr even for the accomplishment of such a purpose. We were inclined, to long as any doubt could exist, to regard this order as the fiction of unprincipled and shameless local partisans, for we were reluctant to conclude that even this ad rninistratiou had sunk to so low a level; and were the order to prove really genuine, we desired to wait to see what possible explanatioo could be ofí'ered to lessen the indignation with which it should be visited. Butthereis no longer doubt vith regard to its genuineness. The order has been carried into effect by the dismissul oí Lieut. Edgerly frora the service, and 8 left to speak for itself without furthor esplanation than it eafries upon its face. We have no opcasion to say anything in vindication of the officerthus rudely and with attempted indignity removed frora command. Ilis fidelity, capaoity and courage have never been question ed. ïhe order itself expresses the sole reasou on wbich uw disrnissa! is based. That reaso.i consista in the fact that happening to be at home on the day of our annnal election, Lieut. Edgerly, in the exercise of the undoubted right of a freeman, cast his vote in aecordance with hia owd coovictions of right and duty. Our election took place on the lOth of March. On tho 13th day of the same month the opder in queation was issued - so ready and swift was the Executive to bring condign punishment upoo one gutlty of the grave offence of voting as his conscientious judgment dietated. No notioe waa given, no chargo was made and exp'anation desired, no opportunity for hearing was affbrded-, no time was taken for esamination of the case even by the government itself. For the intervening period between the offence and the date of the order was barely surficient for the intervening period between the of fenceand the date of the order was barely sufficient lor the intelligenoe to reach Washington by the ordinary course of mail - though in this oase as in others, a telegram may have been considered a sufficient bais for Exücutive action. Under any circnmetances such an order for such a cause would escito ■ the severest indignation ; but if anything were wanting at the present time to add to such indignation, that want would be supplied by the fact that the amo admistratfon wbich so summarily visited its vengance upon Lieut. Edge'.'ly for exercising his unquestionablo ight of suíírago as a freo citizan of tliis State, week after week allowed - if it lid not order - military officers froro other Suites, of the highest rank and receiving tliehighest salaries, to actively particípate in the oanvass and assurne to dictatii to our penple both their political principies and politica] aetion. It may be of little publio quenoe whöther Lieut Edgerly is in or out of the service. It muy be oi little ooDsequence to him personally - Bot it is of the highest importance to everv citizen of New Hampshire to understaod wheJier he is to enjoy the rights of a fnee m:in without avva and without puniahmunt; to know whether in becomiug a soldier for the delense of the country he ceases to be a tree citizen, and bücomea the more subjeot oi an.irrespoosible despotism I If for voting the democratie ticket an oflk'er ie to he pünisherl by disoaissal from the service, what ia to ba the limtts in kind or dogree of punishment wbich officials in power will inflict upon the private for a similar oflanse ? Certainly noth Ti"; loss thnn oon-ciip'.ion will force the party of this State into tho service, if thcrehy they are to forfait freedoin of opinión and. the dearest right of the eitizen - the independent exercise of the electiva franchise. But this order addresses itself to yDU directly aod individually. lo it thë President goes out of his wny to apply to you, the 32,000 democratie voters of New Harnpshire, the opprobious epithet whicli wo will not repeat. In it was a degree of falsehood equalled only by its vulgarity; ho charges yotl vvith laboring to proinote the rebel cause. The ticket for the support of whioh Liout. Erigerly has been thus officially vilified and punished, was the same ticket supported by each to you ; and the insult and the indignity which this order conveys to him, apply with equal force to you. In your name and behalf we denounce tlie charge contained in tliis order as false; and, without descending" to the level of its author to handy epithets, we express your contempt for any denunciations and threats intended td deter you from the fearless aesertiod and exerciso oí your inherited and inalienable fightS; Love for the Unloo and devotion td the Constitution are no new emotiona with the democracy of New Hampshire. All your lives long you have assiduously labored, through evil re' port and through good report, to preserve the national unity by unwavering fidelity to the common bond. No sixteen-starred ftags, with treasonable in scriptions, have bejn given to the breeze by your hands. In the past you have belioved no' sacrifices too great to be inade fot' the pruservation ot the constitution and the Union, and we fcnow in the íuture there will be no deüance too determined to resist ags gressions upon either. If the Presiident is " pressed" to issue orders reflecting upon the patrinlic integrity if the people, ihose orders might with greater propriety be addressed to those with whom he is at present politically and socially affiliated, and whose whola career has been chaiaeteri.ed by unbounded denunciations of the uompact which gave us an undivided country- - though in suoh case we think his " orders " should contain no hnguage caículated to manüe with shame the cheek of every man who appreciates the digfnity of our governmont, or possesges the ordinary pride of an American citizen. Your tried and true devotion to the constitution and the Union, and your patriotism are not to be confounded with blind and unquestioning aaceptance of the politica] opinions or policy of an Executive. You have opposed the meas u res of the present ndministration, because you believed them to be fatal to the Union - you have denounced its iilegal and arbitrary actSj beeause you knew them to ba not only subversivo of the constitution, but fatal to civil liberty.