The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1859-11-04

the treason Of Burr brought home to the
public mind an active sentiment of what
Constitutes treason. and who are traitors;
md living under free government. about
which every citizen Is at liberty to say
what he pleascs. when he plcascs and
where he pleases, the treason at 1lnrper's
Ferry fellat first ,apos a blunted sense in
the public mind as to what that heinous
crime against the highest interests of So
ciety really is.
But the people arc beginning to wakcn
to sense of the true depth and bearing
of the reasonable abolition conspiracy
and invasion of Brown and his Northern
co-traitors, and look to the administrn-
ton of Mr.. buchanan to defend the
principles of society, and the very foun-
dations of Government among Us. by
bringing every one of the parties impli-
Gated to the bar of justice. Tho consti-
tuition of the United States defines this
highest crime against society in these
words:-
Treason against the United States shall
consist only in levying war against them,
or in adhering to their enemies, giving
them aid and comfort.
This has been further defined by the
judiciary, in several decisions bearing up
on the point in question in the following
clear and distinct terms:
To constitute levying of war there
I. La, -,
purpose Of carrying into effect, by force,
u reasonable purposc.-Erportc, Balman,
4 Cranch, 70.
In order to constitute the ofiense of
treason against the United States, there
should he conspiracy TO resist generally
and publicly. by force, and an actual re-
sistancc, by force, or by intimidation of
numbers against law of the United
Substituted States VS.. ITanway. .
Wallace, Jr., 1870.
Where war is levied, all those who take
any part in it, however minute or however
remote from the scene of action, and
who are actually leagucd in the general
conspiracy, are regarded as traitors.-Er-
parte Ballman, Cranch, Is.
Here we have the law of treason, and
who are traitors, clearly defined. So ac-
customed have thousands of our citizens
become to sit under and follow the "high-
| CT law" teachings of factious demagogues,
that they have forgotten their paramount
duty to their country, and the power
which society must WELD for the main
tenancc of its own existence. Seward
Chase, Wade, Wilson, Giddings, Gerrit
Smith, Greeley, Howe, Sanborn, and I'M
merous other accessories before the fact
are, equally with John Brown. amenable
to the law, and it is the duty of every
branch of the government to defend the
majesty of the law. 1t is incumbent up.
on the President to direct Judge Black
to take the necessary steps at once to ar
rest and bring to trial all these treason
able conspirators. John Brown and his
fellow prisoners should be tried by the
federal, and not by the State authorities.
His treason was plotted in Iowa, Ohio,
New York, Connecticut and Massachu-
setts; his preparations were gathered to-
gether in Maryland, and from Maryland
the band started to invade the State of
Virginia. The State authorities have no
jurisdiction competent to bring out all
the facts or to punish the whole crime.
Orders should be given Immediately to
the respective United States Marshals to
arrest Seward, Wilson, Greeley, Smith,
Giddings, Chase, Howe, Sanborn, and all
the persons implicated in the proofs al
ready in possession of the government,
and the whole of this dangerous con-
spiracy should be probcd to the very bot
tom.
More than this should be done. Each
house of Congress should, Immediately
on meeting, proceed to expel every one
of its members implicated in the treason.
The Senate, particularly, owes it to its
own dignity to act. Seward was made
aware of the conspiracy eighteen months
ago, and after that he made the brutal
and bloody speech at Rochester, announc-
ing the coming of the ''irrepressible con-
tiict," and urging the conspirators on in
their treason, and preparing his followers
to give them sympathy and aid and COM
fort. Wilson is defending it now, and
endeavoring to thwart the course of JUS
tice in the public mind. Greeley palliates
the crime, and asks that John Browns
epitaph shall not be written till the trea-
son has trumphed in its aims. Let the
Senate take Seward and Wilson, and
every other one of the traitors in its
bosom, in hand, and either impeach them
or expel them from the chamber. A
like course is incumbent upon the House,
and the whole country will expect both
bodies to act. If the very government
itself is to harbor traitors in its bosom,
we may soon look for an end of the en-
pire our fathers founded, but which their
sons will not have known how TO pre-
serve.
The preaching Of treason has produced
its natural fruit, which is its Practice
There are hundreds of demagogues who
have been loud in their outpourings for
years; but they have believed that they
knew enough to keep on the right side
of the law, and leave the true crime to
such as they term "mad John Brown."-
We have already shown in this article
how they have been grossly mistaken,
and that they come under the law in its
strongest sense. The public mind re-
quires to be freshened as to the crime
which so many thousands have been so
willing to commit, under the belief that
they were not answerable to their country