Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1821-10-16
RICHMOND, OCTOBER rs, 1871.
EXPLANATIONS.

leeu
printed in his name We believe this TO I've mistake
lie merely SAYS III the narrative, do soeinnly swear
that every thing have declared is true &c" There
IS no evidence Of formal affidavit" Nat. Gas.
1t is doubtful whether Callava did or did
not swear to his Protest; though, as he is said
TO bc man of honor his word would be as
good as his oath.--lt is true, that he states i'm
the outset of his Protest in these words ss |
do make the present, sworn exposition, with
| all the force of law, my word of honor
guaranteeing the truth of my assertions. on
the responsibility of my head before tribu-
nal" &c. &c. IL is equally true, that there is
no affidavit regularly attached To the foot of
IA more material circumstance, however,
is, that the instrument, as we have it, is incom-
pl"te. "Our wish (says New Orleans paper
Of the 9TH September) has been to let Col.
Catdu speak alone and therefore we have
suppressed great number Of o6idarits uhich
accompany has statement, and come an support
81 the facts therein confirmed" Now, where
are those aildavits Why are they not spread
before the American people in some paper or
other that they may pass upon the truth of
C's statement ?-Some persons have doubted
| him; and therefore ii is, that he ought not to
have been heard alone !; and that all the cor
| roborating allidayits ought to have been pub
| lisled.
The President commission to Gen. jackson is
published ia the Pensacola Fioridnn of the I5ti,
ultimo. IL foim alIv invests the general under the
| authority Of The act of congress empowering the
President do, with ali the military civil and
iudicta powers and authorities heretofore exercised
ny the governor and captain general and niendant
OF Cuba, and by the governors OF East and West
Florida, within the saidproyinccs respectively"
| MAJ. Gar.
Now, this extract from the Commission is
| not complete. The commission does vest him
with such powers but it adds these words
tvlz the President of the U. S. do, in vir-
tue of the above recited act, appoint him to
exercise" (these powers) d" within the said ce-
ded territories, "nder such circumstances as
hare been or mGy hereafter be prescribed to h,m,
| by alY INSTRUCTIONS, and by law &c. sc.
| Now, where are these instructions ? They
are not produced. Are we then sure that in
| these very Instructions MR. Monroe has not
expressly charged him tn establish the jury tri-
al, to respect the Habeas Corpus, Sc SC?
| But even if respect Ia the writ of III. G.. be
not expressly embraced in his Instructions, this
great privilege is directly guaranteed by the
constitution itself, and attaches in r;gIt from
the moment when Florida became a part Of
the u. States, and IN .fact from that moment
when there was Judge of the IT, S. in Florida
The act of Congress Itself expressly CON
! templates the " maintaining the inhabitants of
SAID territories, in the free tnjoymem of their
liberty, property and religion" Snrrlvnot the
Liberty OF "A Spauiard, but of AN American
| we must take our ideas of it. not from the
laws of Spain, but from oar own institutions
Now, what sort of liberty is that, which ex-
ciudrs the protection of the I{cJeas Corpus {?
What liberty does he enjoy who may be taken
up and confined at the pleasure of one man
confined, in any place or for any time which
that man may please? We will not fatigue
the reader with arraying the eulogics which
the best English writer's have passed upon the
fabeas Corpus. 1t is enough for us to know,
that when the British Ministers determine to
strike at the liberty OF the people, and to init
mIdatt them into an ignominious submission,
tier first blow is at this great privilcge-Tbey
prevail upon parliament To suspend the II.
Corpus. What was the greatest grievance 10
which the French were subject ? Those let
tres de Cdchet by which any man might he
indefinitely imprisoned at the discretion of mi
nlsters. And what is remarkable enough the
first blow which the French people struck,
TOR liberty, was TO throw down the Bastile
: where these victims of arbitrary power were
conhned.-And yet we are now tn be told
) that the people of Florida are TO be put out
: OF the pale of the constitution that they
ENJOY such liberty Only, as may consist with
the Lettres de Cdchet2
: The Habeas Corpus is The very life-bluo9 of
the other rights. What freedom can the press
enjoy, when Gen. Jackson may issue his lettre
| de cachet to seize the editor and confne him
at his pleasure /: Where is the freedom of con-
science, when Gen. jackson may cOniine the
followers OF religion at his nod and pleasure
1t now appears, that Judge FromCntin de-
mes his having recantcd the power of cXercis-
ing this writ. II appears too, that Il cores
pondence has passed between him and the
Governor upon this question, which has been
conducted with no little asperity AT least,
If we may Judge of it by the following srn-
tcnce in the communication lin the Charles
ton PATRIOT "f q ian authentic source "Thil
excited General Jackson to a final answer
which his best friends and warmest admirers
will ever regret that his pen had produced
Detailed accounts Of the whole affair." with co.
pies Of the correspondence, had been trans
mitted to Washington" Sc. We presume
the whole matter wiIi be published-untiI then
It IS due to both parties to form no definite o.
, pinion upon it.
Meanwhile, we must deprccate the course
which Gen. jackson has pursued towards Cal.
lava, and towards Fromentin in the first in
} stance. The people of Florida ought not Ia
: be left in the situation in which they are pac-
ed. Some security ought to bc given for the
r protection of their rghts.-The impetu0sity oil
Gen. Jackson is the rock upon which the Go
vernon splits. Place him 10 any danger, where
bravery, and presence and strength of mind
J are necessary, aud his mind rises at once 10
2 the level Of the OCCASION Place him at the
lannon's mouth, and he shrinks not. But hi.
are not the patience and GOODNESS, which are
requisite TO qualify a man for civil stations.
E The Seminole campaign was enough for us
? Our gratitude 10 The Hero Of Orleans could moi
: blind us 70 his errors in that affair. We disap-
proved his impeiuogty expected that
= The adf1inistre:ioa had been sufficiently