Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1861-07-22


OF The nature and cause Of the accusation without beiD
confronted With the Witnesses against bI without com
pulsory process to obtain Witnesses in bis favor; an
without The assistance Of counsel for his defense AM
this Is our bossted American liberty. And thus Il Is
SIR, that here, IN America 10 the seventyhifd year
the Republic that great writ and security Of persons
freedom which IL cos, the patriots and frermen Of "
land Elk hundred years Of labor and toll and blood /.
t1ort and to hold fast from vsna judges and tyrsu
kings written In the great charter Runnymede by th
iron bsrons, who made the simple Latin and uncoutl
vords of the times nUlis ii6er homo 10 the angnsg,
Of Chatham, worth Ill the classics; recoyerec
and confirmed q hundred times afterwards a
often violated and and stolen away and finally ant
firmly secured at last by the great OF Charles IT,
transferred thence to Constitution and laws hsi
been vsntoniy and ruthessy tramped in the dust Az
sir that great writ bearing by special command Of Psra
mcn those other uncouh but magic words per sta.ln
tricessimo primo Caroi seeandwa regis which no Eng
leh judge English minister no king or queen of Eng
spd dare dsobey that writ brought by our fathers
and cherished by them priceless inheritance Of liberty
an American President has contemporary set a. d. H.
Nay more he has ordered bis subordinate military
chiefs TO suspend at their dscretioD And yet after ali
his be cooy comes before this House and the Senate
and the country and PLEADS that he is only preserving
and protecting the CONSTITUTIONS aud demands and L
poets Of this House and Of the and the country
their thanks for bis usmpaops of powers while outside
OF this Capitol his myrmdons clsmoring for mpeach-
ment OF the Chief Justice, engaged in COM, piracy
| W DTetk down the feQerai Government!
Sir however much necessiIy tyrants plsa-rna,
be urged in eItenuaton Of the paons and inrac.
lions OF the President In regard to public liberty there
can be no such spoogy defence for his invasors
private right What overriding necessity required tie
violation Of the sancty Of private property and private
couhdencel What great public danger demanded the
arrest and imprisonment, without trial by common Ia w.
OF one single citiz n Tor act done weeks before
openly, and by authority OF his Safe. Ii guilty OF
treason, was not the judicial power ample enough aud
srorg enough for his conviction and punshmvuty-
What, then vac needed in bis case bet the precedent
under vh CD other men, in oth'r places nigh. become
the victims OF executive suspicion aud displeasare!
As to the pretence, sir, that the President has the
constitutional right to suspend the habeas corpus will
not waste time or breath in arguing Il. The case il as
plain as words can make t. Ii is legislative power
it il found only In the legislative article IL belongs
to Congress only to do It. Subordinate officers have
disobeyed IT. General Wilkinson dscbeyed IT, but
he sent his prisoners for Judicial trial General
Jackson dsobesed II, and was reprmauded by James
Madison but no President body but CoDgssss ever
before assumed the right to suspend IT, And cir that
other pretense OF necessity repeat be allowed
II had existence in fact The Constitution cannot be
preserved by violating it. Il is oense TO the inte-
gebce of this House and Of the country pretend that
all this and the other grcss and multiplied nfracons
the Constitution aud usurpdious Of power we're dore by
the President and his advisers out Of pure love and de-
vo,ion 10 the Constlu ion. But IL So SIR then they
have but step further TO take aud declare n the
language of Sir Boyle Roche In the Irish House Of CON-
mons that such is the depth OF their attachment to IT,
that they are prepared to give up not merely part
but the whole OF the Constitution, TO prs'1vs The re-
nni,dr. Ard sir II indeed this preteI! Of necessity be
veil founded, then let say, that cause which de-
mands the sacrifice Of the Constitution and OF the dear
est securities OF property, liberty, and lf be
just at least it Is not worth the sacrifice.
Sir lam obliged to pass by for the want Of time other
grave and dangerous attractions and usurpaons Of the
President since the lat Of April. only aluds casually
to the quartsng OF soldiers in private houses without
the Of the owners and without any amer hav-
ing been prescribed by las; the censorship over tho
telegraph and the Infringement repeatedly 10 or
more OF the States of the right Of the people 10 keep
and bear for their defence But II al these things
ask have been done In the first two months after the
commencement Of this war, and by men not military
cheftans and unused to arbitrary power what may
expect 10 see done 10 three years. aud by the
cesiu heroes Of the fight. Sir, the power and rights
Of the States and the people, and of their Representa-.
tves have been usurPee; the sanchty Of the private
house aud Of private property has been invaded and the
liberty OF the person ssntony and sickedly stricken
down. free speech, too has been repeatedly denied and
all this under the plea of necessity. Sir the RICH. Of p
tton will follow pext-nsy, it has already been shaker;
and the freedom Of the press will soon fall after
Il; and let ne whisper in your ear, there will DO
few 10 It's loss, unless, indsed lis ancient
high and honorable character shall be rescued aud
deemed from ia present reckless mendacy and deprs
the eIuant shouts OF millions, who have seen It's holy
temples d. filed and its white robes of former inpc-
trsmpled nov under the pouting hoofs OF an
bilious and faithess or fansical clergy Meantime
onsl bsbks, bankrupt svs, vast and permanent pub.
Hc debt high tariffs heavy direct aton -pormou eI.
penGiture gigantic and stupendous peculson anarchy
first aud strong government Afterwards State
lines no more State governments, and q consolidated
monarchy or vast centralized military despotism,
must all follow 10 the history Of the future la
the history OF the past they have, centuries ago,
been written. Sir, have said nothing, and have
time to say nothing now, Of the Immense Indebtedness
and the vast expenditures which have already
crued, nor of the folly aud Encouragement Of
the far Of the atrocous and shameful pecra.
and frauds which have dsgraced in the State go
vernmens and the Federal Government from the begin.
ming The avenging hour for all these will come herea
ter, and pass them by nov.
have inished now Mr.. Chairman, what proposed
TO say at this tune upon the message OF the President
As 10 my position 10 regard To this unheI ny
civil war; have only to say that | stand to-day just
where stood upon the Ash Of March last where the
whole Democratic party, and the whole Constitutional
Union party, aud vast majority, as believe, Of the
people of the United States stood too am for psdst
speedy immediate, honorable PsACg, With all ia bless
logs. Others may have thangedl have not. ! quss.
tou not their motives quarrel with their course Il
Is vain and futile for them 10 question quarrel with
nine Ny duty shall be discharged calmly, firmly q1i-
ety. and regardless oil consequences. The approving
Judgment which shnl follow ''aftsr time be- part"
those God helping me, my trust and my SUP port.
Sir have SPOKEN freely shd fearlessly day, as be-
American Representative aud an Amer ian citl-
zsn firmly reso;eS come 1Sst may not to lose his
own constitutional l6erties TO surrender his own
constitutional rights in the vain effort to impose tbess
rights aud Liberties upon ten millions Of wiling people.
have spoken earnestly, too, but yet not - one uamnd,
full Of the solemnty Of the which surresaq W.
upon every side to day Sir vhea the Cnngrc si the
United States assembled here on the al Of December,
1850 Just mouths ago, the Senate vas composed
Of sky oil, enator representing the ihirty-hree States
Of the Union and this House Of two hundred and thirty
seven pembers-every State being present It v..
grand,and solemn spectacle; the emoassadorq u ihreo
ani thirty sovereignts and Of thirtYops aops people,
the mightiest republic % safh, In general Congress a
sembed 70 tss Senate, too, and this House. we're
Of the ab Of aud distinguished statesmen Of the
COUNTRY; men whose names familiar to the whole
countryscms Of them destined pass into history
The wings Of the Capitol had bat lst recently been
iuishsd, In all their gorgsovs sSnd;enoe ard except
hundred maripea ct the hayward, not soldier vas
within forty IN les of Washington.
Sir, the Congress Of the United States roa.s here
again to-day; but how changed tho scene Instead Of
thirty four states twenybtee only, one less than the
number forty years ego are here or In the other wing Of
the CAPITOL For,y-six Senators aud one hundred snd
Representatives constitute the Congress Of
the now United States. And Of these, eight Senators
and twenty Rsprea natives trom four Sates only
inger here 10, - the dsIue from that great South
which, from the beginning Of the Government contr-
buted much to mould its policy, TO build up is great
nees end TO coutrois destucs All the other STATED OF
| that South are gone Twenty-Five senstss aud sixty
Eve Representatives no lonc,y Assser 70 their names
The vacant sect syc, indeed sl here and the escuch
eops o. seir respective States look down now soemny
and ssdy from thsss vsuted ceilings. But The Virginia
of Washington and Henry and Asdison, Of Marshall
and Jefferson of Randolph ssd Monroe, the birthplace
of Clay the uathss Of States and Presdens the Care