Bellows Falls times. [volume] (Bellows Falls, Vt.) 1856-1965, 1861-08-30

OF your country. and quite another TO vio-
late it in endeavoriug to subvert it, WLer
my democratic or republican friends, "or
any other man" are disposed to call the
president TO account, and am not his de-
fender, merely beg, when they get through
with him, they will merely inquire whether
i Mr.. Jefferson Davis & Co. have gone strict
/ y according 10 the constitution of the Uni
tod States? (Cheers and laughlcr) have
the impression that insiiiulirg pretended
government within the boundaries of the
/ United States; that stealing the treasures
Of our government, its ships betrayinr its
eommands firing upon its forliiications !;
organizing piracy upon the high seas and
a long list of other and kindred ac;s-I have
the impression, say, that these are slight
intrlngemenis upon the constitution, and
may require examination. (Laughter.) But
| want TO have my constitution friends come
along with me, and when we get the admin
stration all regulated and on the coustitu-
tional track, 10 look at this matter little !;
Tor II seems to me that it requires atteation.
know not whether Mr. Lincoln has
observed the Constitution indeed, for the
purpose Of resisting the rebellion, / care
not. 1t is due to him to say, however, that
he has seemed to be in good faith in at
tempting TO put down the rebellion. He
has not done all things as would have done
them, because | would have multiplied his
men by about four, and where he has struck
one blow would have struck Dozen
/ daughter and cheeling,) Therefore do
not agree with him in that respect. When
the day comes, we can have a settlement
with him, for he is TO be held with all other
officers to strict account. But | would
not do even that under the smoke Of an en-
emy's guns. Let us see first, That the res
bellion is put down. And when that is
done am ready to see how it has been
done. do not propose to yield this Union
crate government that has been made up in
the southern states. 1t is no government
and there is nothing in the shape of gov
ernment under it, over it, in it. or around
it, diagonally, horizontally, or perpendicu-
larly. Like boys training, it is all off
GERS (Laughter) 1t is made up thus :
you shall be president of the congress, and
| will be president of the confederacy ; You
shall be minister of foreign affairs, and ]
will be secretary of the treasury. (Laugh-
ter) Doubtless, very well, satisfactory
If they had kept it TO themselves no one
would have objected to their strutting in
their stolen plumage. But it is time for
the people of the United States to put their
hand upon it in earnest, and TO maintain
/ the government of the constitution The
habeas corpus-a hard kind of name for
writ, but one which a lawyer or Dutch
man finds little difficulty in pronouncing-
it is said that the habeas corpus has been
suspended ard abused. Well, think it is
/ because. some have written so much about
it, while they knew so little. 1t simply
means to have the body. A prisoner is
alleged to be improperly imprisoned; and
in order that the case may be inquired into,
a petition is presented 10 judge, and then
the Judge allows the writ, and the prisoner
is brought up, and the person who holds
him is bound to make a return. IF the
prisoner is illegally detained, the Judge orr
ders him to be discharged; if rightfully
| imprisoned, he remands him. That is all
there is about it. 1t is simply civil writ.
But there is an old maxim, as old as Julius
Caesar would have been had he lived, inter
armd silent teges, that is, the laws are silent
in the midst of arms. Here is the question !:
An individual is imprisoned here; some
friend gets habeas-corpus, and he is
brought up, and the case is inquired into.--
/ And whoever interieres with, or obstruets
that writ, is guilty of great moral and le-
gal wrong, and incurs a heavy penalty. In
time of war it is different matter. Here
IT is found that man is fixing TO blow up
a fortress, or betray an army TO the enemy.
The officer in command has him arrested,
and sends him TO fort, with orders that he
be strongly guarded because he is known 10
be traitor, and in the confidence of trait
ors and enemies. A lawyer sues out
writ Of habeas corpus. But what is the
result 1t cannot be served and the pris-
oner cannot be procured-they cannot see
him unless the judges tongue is longer
than the soldiers bayonet. Would any
one if he was commanding at Fortress Mon
roe, Fort McIIenry, or any where else,
where he was surrounded with treason and
traitors at every step, would he, because
Judge sent a writ of habeas corpus give up
traitor WHO was endangering the safety
of his command and tine interests or the
country (Cries of "Never.') No man can
pretend it for single moment, it is one of
the terrible necessities of war. And if /
were in command and had good reason to
believe that ! lad possession of a traitor,
and no other remedy would arrest treachery. !