The Cecil Whig., 1861-07-06
U)e Cecil lubie.
ELKTON, JULY 6, 1861.
A REPLY
To an Anti-C0erci0n Union Man.

issue of The Democrat obtains some degree
of counlrnance in this community, we pro-
pose as briefly as possible 10 strip off the
tlimsy sophistricS which hang arounG it, and
show up the naked treason in all its di, gust
ing hid. d.ousncss. For treason It is-all the
more dangerous because Of its dccs ptvc sur
roundings and treason we shall call it,
That the respectful and passably respectable
style of the writer entities him TO some
notice, We are free to admit, but truth and
justice require that arguments as well as
things Shall be called by their right names,
and so we propose to devote this article to
The Treason Of ar Anti Coercion Union Man.
Now this writer knows well that when we
speak Of him as traitor we use the word in
lis moral rather than its legal sense. We
know that legal treason is aiding and abet.
ting by acts those who are lcvying war
against the United States; but it sometimes
happens that wo,ds are more potent than
acts and the only aid which the Southern
rebels now ask of their friends in Mary land is
that they shall so educate the popular mind
and so form popular opinion. that no efforts
will be made to strip them of their stolen
property, or bring them to punishment for
their violation Of the laws. and their trcasona-
bic assaults upon the peace and unity of the
Government Let US alone" says jeff
Davis. True We have stolen the arscnais of
the GoveTnn cnt, with all ;hcir arms, equip
ments and munitions Of war, the money col
lcc,ed and on hand in Southern Custom Houses
and Post Offices, the public buildings erected
for revenue purposes. hospitals and mints,-
true we have without provocation fired upon
and reduced u government fort garriSoncd by
seventy half starved mcn. who had declared
that in two days they must capilu!ate from
sheer want--uue we violated every princi-
PIE Of civilization and humanity by firing
upon that single fort from a score Of batteries,
gaTiSon,d by thousands and thousands Of
mtn, and when We had set the build ngs OH
fire and driven the men out from its protect.
ing walls to escape death by suli,cation and
roasting, fired on without abatement though
flag Of Truce hung from the battered walls
but having secuted these valuable posses
sions and sa,iated our revenge We nav ask to
be let alone, to enjoy our wealth and honor.
And this loyal onion man, struck with the
reasonabcness and transparent Justice of
these dcsicS, joins in the strain, and calls
out as Justify as J.if Davis himself, "lct
them alone" Is it possible that a man of
sense has gone so far in his sympathy for
traitors, has dpae so nuch To aid them by
securing them hom punishment, who is
now using all his influence by. tongue and
ptn to enable then to carry ont their schcmc
Of discovering the Republic, and does not sec
that he is as morally guilty Of TREASON as
though he threw himself muskct in hand
hcloic the aitny of the Government and
eSsaytd to stop by act and force its progress
to put down the r,belon? And to accom-
lSL his purpose by mode more eli; c,ive
but which secures him from a violation of the
letter of the law and the death that wonld in.
@'''adiy follow it,-this doing indrcc,l but
mere efficiently what fear of the conse.
9uences deters him from doing directly, Is
not this the vcritst cowardice which ever
curdlcd the blold OF unncrved the ann? If
by his own article this writer has not shown
himself both traitor and coward then VIC
frankly confess that language is what q great
diplomatist once called it, only means of
concealins the thoughts.
V., h,- =
who attempt DalpabIy to violate it by sever.
ing the unity of the Government or destroy
ing its integrity must BE- made 10 suffer the
penalties which it, and the laws passed by
Congress in accordance with it, prescribe. =
The Executive has no power to raise stand
ing army, and what has been done by Prcsl-
dent Lincoln i'll that direction unless
sanctioned by Congress is void. But Con-
gress has power to declare that many acts of
the Executive, such as increasing the army
and suspendng the writ of Hubcas Corpus. for
which he has no constitutional authority,
were proper in consideration of the cxigencics
and necessities Of the case.
If this writer had studied consttu tiopal
law anywhere but in the Baltimore Sun. he
would have known that the Constitution has
nothing in it about "wars Of conquest or
determination" and that to ask If such wars
were "a violation Of the Constitution - only
exhibits his ignorance. lie might also have
avoided the ridiculous position which he
assumes, that the calling out of the military
arm to suppress instruction and arrest trca-
son and rebellion, in cases where the civil
arm is insufficient, is the su'jugation " Of
those States in which the traitors reside. -
Bat We cannot stop to be critical with writer
who makes so many blunders, and blunders
SO gross as the use of the word q" suLduc,on :"
where he clearly meant suyugatlon, or else
did not know what he meant.
We admit that putting down this rebellion
Will involve considerable sacrifice Of men
and money OH the part of the loyal States,
but never was money spent or blood spilled in
so holy cause as the preservation Of this free
Government, and what is more 10 the pur.
pose the men Of the loyal States with
singular unanmity are Of the same opinion
and do not seem at all inclined to listen to
prudential treason Of anti cocrcionists. They