M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1861-06-20
From the Crisis
who are the Traitors - What IL
TreasOnl

mOuthed by every demagogue, and 50
readily applied to every one daring to
iave an opinion of his own, ought,
ike counterfeit money, to be sent
home to roost.
If it be treason to trample under
foot the Constitution OF our country,
GSho 60 guilty astbe present admins.
trationl II it be treason to- set the
laws at defiance, what grOsser and
moro palpable instances can be found
in the whole period of recorded his.
tory that now status the hands of those
in poweri The Constitution says,
CONGRESS shall have power to raise
and support armies-CoNeREss not
the Presidency shall have power to pro,
vide and maintain navy. The pres
ent administration has almost ignored
Congress. lthas, already, raised, and
is supporting an army = far beyond
anything heretofore known In our his
tory--as independent of Congress as
If that body had no existence. 1t is,
and has been for some months, pro-
viding and maintaining a navy-even
purchasing ships and munitions Of
war from foreign governments in the
teeth both Of law and Constitution
They are using, without any appro-
priation by Congress, immense Sums
OF money-estmated at a million of
doLtars pc, day; and all under the
Ihypocritical pretense of supporting
the Constitution and laws" If to
support the Constitution and laws
means 10 trample them under foot
without the least com junction, then
| is the Lincoln dynasty entitled to the
highest praise; for no set of men since
the days of the French Revolution
that "bloodiest picture in the book Of
time"-has ever, SO wantonly, set all
the landmarks of Constitution and
laws at utter contempt with such bold.
ness as it has done.
The Constitution is plain. 1t says,
mo money shall be drawn from the
treasury but in consequence of appro-
priations made by law" This lie the
plain letter of the Constitution it
cannot be misunderstood-and these
men are all SWORN to support the
CONSTITUTION; yet they are drawing
Immense millions without the shadow
of appropriations made by law."-
So far as they have yet proceeded, they
have absolutely upset and overturned
both Constitution and law; su6stitut.
ing their own will and passions in
place of both. In the days Of Wash.
.Iington such deeds had been enacted,
he would have been pronounced tile
: most arch traitor Of the world; and
the whole country wonld have been
ablaze with denunciatiOns Of such a
high handed usurpation.
Instead OF being supported, the
Constitution and laws have been des-
Itroyed, as far as it has been possible
in SO short a period. If to destroy a
government heretofore regulated by
Constitution and laws, substituting IN
its place the one.man power, be trea.
son, who 80 guilty as Mr.. Lincoln9--
Who, one year ago, could have be.
,lieved, that in three months from the
advent Of the 'irrepreSsible conAist."
American liberty could have been
oapped to its toundations9 "Neces.
sity," the universal plea Of tyrants, is
always ready. But there was not the
slightest reason for this antiquated
and thread bare claim. Congress
could have been called together at
Ipleasure-as well as before The fall of
Sumter as after, for the fall Of that
fort was a toregone conclusion and
had the administration, even then,
desired the meeting Of Congress in
honest good faith, such an unheard of
delay in its asOemblage would not
have intervened after the call. The
abolition press, even now, seem to
think it's meeting unnecessary; its
only business, at best, is merely to
register the edicts of the adminis;ra.
zion and go home as quick as possible.
They may do $50 much and no more"
Congress is evidently getting to be an
eve .sore--a higher law is required
These are indeed startling times, when
all the powers of government are con
centrated in one department-depen
dent on the aoiItof one man-the very
definition of despotism; and well may
we exclaim with Madam Roland,
when contemplating the lawless bar.
barities of the French Revolutionary
triumviri-Danton, Marat and Robe
spierre-"O.' hbsrtyi kbaty! ,0hat
crimes are committed IN thy nams!"
When, before, has any free govern
ment dared to seize upon the private
correspondence of it's whole constitu-
ency? And how soon ale we to ex-
pect every letter dropped in the post
Office, to be violated?---the latter being
M oreater stretch of mower than the