The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1841-07-15
Nov. hleneZ

I 70 tcAclDl- N ttltilAMA 80 Is s8lNlrAr A<E
reverse Of he rule on mbieh he demand
foE lie rslesse 81 lIef.sod Is n1de. Why,
I-sk, shauld he rule IL flls ease be re-
yersed, when applied n sstions. which 5
universally similied 20 be rre ID the case
| Of indNklaaisl Can any good reason be
sssigReds To reverse Il uhen applied 10
individuals, all must see, wosld lead %
the worst 81 consequences, and, il I do
NOT greatly mistake. mosi IN Ike manner,
ifreverssd. when applied 10 nations. Lei
Us see how il would act when broaglli 10
the test Of particular caSes.
Suppose. ihen, that Tie Brush. or any
Other Government, m contemplation Of
war, should send out esnissariss % blow
up the Notifications erected al such vast
expense, for the defence Of our, great CON-
merciai marts--New Yo-k and others
and that the hand employed 10 blow up
Fort Hamilton, or any other Of the fort
resses Cor the defence Of New York.
should be detected in the very act Of firing
the train: would the production Of die
most authentic papers, signed by all. the
authorities Of the British Government,
make il public transaction. and exempt
the villains from all responsibility 10 our
laws and tribunals. Or would that Go.
vemmenl dare make demand fer their
immediate release, Or, il made, would
ours dare yield 10 il, and release ihems
The supposhion, know, is altogether
improbable; but il is not the less, on that
account calculated 70 test The principle.
Bot ] shah next select one that may
possibly occur. Suppose, then. IN con-
temptation Of the same event, black ennis
saries should be sent from Jamaica, 10
tamper with our slaves in the South, and
that they should be detected at midnight,
IN an assembly Of slaves, where they were
urging them 10 rise in rHAsnssH against
their Is-sscrs; aud that they should pro-
dnce the authority OF the home Govern
mcnt, in the most solemn form, anthoriz-
ing them in what they did: ought that TO
exempt the cut-lhroals from all response
bility to our laws and uibunalss Or, If
srresled, ough. our Government to release
them on perempiory demand 10 do sol
! And il that could not be done forthwith.
. from the embarrassment Of State laws and
: State authorities, ought this Government
! TO employ counsel and 70 use is authoIi
, ~ and influence 10 efecl az And. il tha
\ could not accomplish is objeck would /
; be justified in taking the case into their
I own tribunals, with the view Of en.ering
Q neIfe prosequi? &. Y
J, But, setting aside an sapposilious eases,
! shall take one dat actually oecurTsd---
that Of the notorious Henry, employed BY
! the Colonial authority OF Canada to tam
lper with portion Of our people, prior to
the late war, with the intention Of alien-
ating them from their Government, and
efiecting disunion in the event of hosii-
lities. Suppose he had bern detected and
arrested for his reasonable conduct, and
that the British Government had made
the like demand for his release, on the
ground that he was executing the orders
of his Government, and was not, there.
fore, liable, personally or individually, 10
our laws aud tribunals: ask, would our
Government be bound to comply with the
demand!
To all these questions, aud thousands
OF others that might Be asked, no right
minded man can hesitate for moment to
answer in the negative. The rule, then,
il it does exist, must be far from univer-
sal. But does it exist at all. Does it
even in state OF war, when, il ever, il we
may Judge from the remarks OF gentlemen
on the opposite side. il mus! They
seemed to consider nothing more was
necessary to establish the principle for
which they contend but to show that this
and all other cases Of armed violence on
the parlof one nation or its citizens against
another, is in fact war; informal war, as
they call it, in contradistinciion from one
preceded by a declaration in due form.
Well, then, letus inquire If principle
for which they contend. thatths authority,
or the sanction Of his Government, ex-
empts an individual from all responsibility
to the injured Government, exists even in
case of war.
Turning, then, IRON state OF peace TO
that Of war, We find at the very threshold,
very important exception to the rule, if
itexistS at all, in the case Of spies. None
can doubt that, if spy is detected and
arrested, he is individually and personal.
! ~ responsible, thoegh his pockets should
be filled with all the authority the country
which employed him could give.
But is the case Of spies the only excep-
ton! Are they alone personally and
individually responsible. Far otherwise.
The war may be declared in the mos
solemn manner; the invaders may carry
/ with them the highest authority Of theil
Government, and yet, so far from exempt
! ing them Individually, officers, men, an,
all, may be slaughtered and destroyed i
almost every possible manner, not onl'
wiihoutthe violation of international law
!. but with rich honor and glory 70 the
destroyers. Talk Of the responsibility .