Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1861-08-28
A new order of Things.

The following extraordinary Especial dispatch"
from Washington appeared in the Philadelphia
Inquirer of last Friday. 1t contains number of
extraordinary statements, and will arrest the at
tention of all. According to it, the Administra-
ton has determined that after due notice, all
newspapers which, among other things, will not
yield hearty support to tie Government and
" to all measures of the Administrations shall be
suppressed. So many sensation dispatches are
constantly appearing in the city dailies, that we
are disposed to doubt the correctness of the fol-
lowing. If it is false then the Inquirer has done
the Administration great injustice by giving cur
rency to it. 1t is true we have condemned sew
eral of the measures of Mr.. Lincoln since his
Inauguration, yet we have never doubted his
patriotism or assailed his motives. We then be.
lieved and still believe that he could Justly plead
ignorance in every case, and that it was his head
and not his heart that erred. Not one of his pre-
dccessors escaped uncensured for certain measures
by portion of the press and the people. Why
should Mr.. Lincoln complain if he is compelled
to share the common lot =? 1t is impossible, even
in private life, for the most virtuous and upright
man living to pass through the world unscathed
by calumny and detraction. We do not believe
there ever was a President of the United States,
who did not err with regard to certain measures
while in power, and we do not believe there ever
will be. To err is human why then should it
be presumed that his excellency, Abraham Lin
coin, err, and that all his measures are so
just. wise, and patriotic that it is little less than
treason to find fault with any of them. Who
AID what are Abraham Lincoln and his Cabinet
They the servants of the people-nothing
more. Their power is not an arbitrary power
they are the trustees of the people-pot the own
of the estate. The fee simple is in the people
and neither the President or Congress possess the
power to ALLEVIATE or waste. Congress and not
the President is the highest power known to the
Constitution. The powers of both are distinctly
defined by the Constitution. and beyond the pow
ers thus confded to them they cannot 90, for
that instrument distinctly declares: ''That the
powers not delegated to the United States by the
Constitution, prohibited by it to the States,
are reserred TO the States respectively, or to the
Ieople."-( Constitution, Amend. Art lO.) What
man, then, who venerates the Constitution of his
country can limit that President Lincoln or any
branch of the Government, possesses the power to
disregard, annul, set aside, or go beyond any or
The Constitution expressly declares that the free
dom Of speech and of the press shall not be
abridged. Will the Inquirer inform us if it hon
estly believes, that President Lincoln would be
right in setting aside and acting in open viola
tion of the provisions of our great charter He
is sworn to preserve. protect and defend the Con
stitution of the United States. Would he be
doing ,bv tramplng on its most important pro-
visions usurping powers not delegated to him,
ard endeavoring to crush out and destroy the
highest and most holy rights it vas intended to
secure to the people? In what section or clause
of the Constitution does the Inquirer find the
power delegated to the President to fetter the
press, gag the mouths of the people, and prevent
the free expression of thought and opinions L? So
far from the President possessing this power it is
we have proved, expressly withheld from
him.
We repeat, we do not believe the statements of
the Inquirer. We believe that President Lincoln.
with all his faults, is pure patriot, and would
not II he could assai the inalienabe rights of the
people; but even if willing to do so he cannot
but know, that the liberty of the press. and the
freedom of speech, could not be effectualv crpsh.
ed out without struggle, such as the world has
never yet beheld. No spasns are like the snasr,s
Of expiring liberty, and no wailings such as bsr