Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-10-15

4
Government the power to destroy them-yet
the creature has set itself above the creaser.
| The atrocious doctrine is announced bv the
| President and acted upon that the States de-
rive their power from the Federal Govern
ment, and may be suppressed on any pre-
| tence of military necessity. The gallant
| little State of Maryland has been utterly
abolished. Missouri is engaged in heroic
struggle to preserve her existence and to
| throw off the horrors of martial law, pro-
claimed by subordinate military comman-
der. Everywhere the civil has given way to
the military power The fortresses of the
country are filed with victims seized with
out warrant of law, and ignorant of the
cause of their imprisonment. The Legisla-
tors of States, and other public officers are
seized while in the discharge of their Off
cial duties, taken beyond the limits of their
! respective States and imprisoned in the forts
! of the Federal Government. subseryient
Congress rafifes the usurpations of the
| President, and proceeds to complete the de-
| structiOn of the Constitution History will
| declare that the annals of legislation do not
contain laws so infamous as those enacted
| at the last session. They sweep away every
vestige of public and personal liberty, while
they confscate the property of a nation con-
| tanning ten millions of people. In the House
of Representatives it was declared that the
| South should be reduced to ''abject submits
| sion, or their institutions beOvert brown
| In the Senate, it was said that if necessary
the South should be depopulated, and re-
peOpled from the North, and an eminent Sen
ator expressed desire that the Presidenl
should be made a dictator. This was super
f1uous, since they had already clothed him
with dictatorial powers. In the midst of
| these proceedings no plea for the Constitu-
ton is listened to in the North; here and
| there a few heroic voices are feebly heard
protesting against the progress of despotism,
| but for the most part beyond the military
| lines, mobs and anarchy rule the hour. The
great mass of the Northern people seem
anxious to sunder every safeguard Of free
| dom, they eagerly offer to the Government
| what no European monarch would dare to
| demand. The President and his Generals
are unable to pick up the liberties of the
people as rapidly as they are thrown at their
feet. The world viii view with amazement
this sudden and total overthrow of aConsti-
| tuition which, if respected might have been
the boast and safeguard ofthe United States
for many generations. When the historian
comes TO investigate the cause of this result,
he will record the fact that no department
of the Federal Government has ever exhibit
ed case of aggression by the Southern
States upon their Northern associates, and
he viii trace the dismembermentt to the igno-
rance or disregard upon the part of the lat
ter, of the true principles of confederacy,
to long continued and fragrant violations of
the Constitution, to avarice, fanaticism and
pations protested in your name, in the pres
ence of their authors, and at the seat of
their powes. protested in vain, and never
again will meet in council with the usur-
pers-
And now fellow citizens, | am sure you
will pardon me if 1 add a few words in refer
ence 10 the condition of our State and my
own course, The Constitution ofthe United
States has been destroyed and by no act of
Kentucky. The power she delegated in
that instrument to the Federal Government
had vested to her, and any exercise Of
power over her by that Government without
her consent is usurpation, In the wreck of
the Federal system, she exists an independ-
ent commonwealth, with the right to choose
her own destiny She may join the North.
She may join the South She may poise
herself on her own centre and be neutral.
In every form by which you conld give direct
expression to your will, you declared for
neutrality. A large majority of the people
at the May and August elections voted for
the neutrality and peace of Kentucky The
press, the public speakers, the candidates
with exceptions in favor of the Government
at Washington, so rare as not to need men
ton planted themselves on this position.
You voted for it, and you meant it. You
were promised it, and you expected il. The
minority acquiesced in good faith and at
home and abroad this was recognized as the
fixed position of the State 1t was taken at
the beginning of hostiEties and it is but
reasonable to infer that every subsequent
act of outrage by the Washington Govern
ment has confirmed your original purpose.
Look now at the condition of Kentucky, and
see how your expectations had been realized,
how these promises had been redeemed
First, by the aid of some citizens of the
State, arms belonging to the whole people
were Illegally and secretly introduced by
order of the President and distributed to
one class of our people upon the false pre-
tense that they needed them for protection
against their own fellow citizens This was
the first violation.
Next, Federal military officers begun to
recruit soldiers and establish camps in our
midst, and Federal money was lavishly ex-
pended in the hope to demoralize and cor.
rupt the people. A studied system of de
ception was practiced as long as possible on
the people. For time it was denied that
they were Federal camps, and it was said
that they were merely voluntary assemblies
of Kentuckans for their own protection and
that Of the State. These monstrons false
hoods have since been freely exposed This
was the second violation.
Previous to these events, the State was in
a condition of tranquility and peace No
indications existed any where of internal
disorder. But now the people becoming
alarmed at these proofs of a purpose to force
Kentucky into the war, begun to assemble
in great mass meetings and to demand loudly
the promised neutrality. The Washington
Government, however, and its abettors in
Kenfucky supnosing their schemes 10 be