Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-06-02
or senator from Davic son County.
GEN. WASHINGTON BARROW.
or Representative In Davidson County,
IRA P. JONES.
The last Refuge of constitutional Liberty
Invaded.

When MARYLAND was overrun and subjugated by
military mower. when the houses of her citizens
were searched and their private property destroy
ed. when the telegraph offices were invaded and
their papers taken possession of by the corrupt
tyrant at Washington the people still thought that
there was one imprvguable bulwark of their liber-
ties, behind which they could entrench themselves
and defy their oppressors. They believed that the
great right OF hdbeaS corpus yet remained and they
knew that the incorruptibe TANEY sat on the bench
of the Supreme Court to enforce it. citizen of
Maryland, not a soldier. was arrested by military
power and imprisoned in Fort McHenry, held to
answer for treason. He accordingly applied
to Chief Justice TANEY for the sacred writ
of hdteas corpus, which entitled him to
fair trial before the Courts of the Country.
The Chief Justice promptly granted the writ and
summoned the General who had arrested him to
appear and answer. Gen. CADwALIADER treated the
writ with contempt, alleging that the President
had suspended the writ Of habeaS corpus. Judge
fancy protested and appealed to the President, and
the President sustained the General
Thus are the functions of the Supreme Court and
the power of its venerable Chief Justice abolished
and the lives and liberties of citizens placed in the
hands of irresponsible military officer, who
despoticay holds in his hands the issue of life and
DEATH The last refuge of constitutional liberty is
thus destroyed, and the Government of the United
States has become pure military despotism. Any
citizen of Tennessee who may, by misfor-
tune, fall into the hands of these tyrants
is liable to be tried by Court Martial upon charge
oil treason, and civil process will never be permit
ted to interfere with his case The Chief Justice of
the United States is virtually deposed his authority
spurned, and the Constitution trampled under the
feet of the usurper. Thus, one by one, have the
guarantees of the Constitution been disregarded and
the bulwarks of civil liberty broken down, until
the people, who have not resisted LNCoLN's en-
croachmeRts, find themselves abject slaves their
property coEfscated. their movements under the
Surveillance of spies, their papers seized, their
merce blockaded, their country invaded and over
run and the lives of peaceable citizens held the
will of miserable besotted wretch and his follow
ers, who will yet have melted cut to them a swift
retrioutive justice.
The power to suspend the writ of ha5.as corpus
has not been lodged with the President, no more
than the power to declare war, to levy troops. to
invade States, to increase the army, and to appro
pirate meney.
Yet every one of these powers has been usurped |
by LINCOLN. and unscrupulOusly used, not withs and
ing the oath which he registered in Heaven" to !
support the Constitution The miserable slaves who
crouch around his palace applaud him for thus De
stroying the constitutional lIuiatiCas Of his power
and treat him absolute monarch. They will |
yet feel ard know the folly Of sgrrendering their
liberties into the hands Of a miserable tyrant Such
slavish Submission is 70 be returned upon men
who suffer 1t for the sake OF expressing others.