The Shasta courier., 1861-02-16
Coercion.


Coercion.
Perhaps no word has ever been used, by
American citizens, in the discussion of public
affairs, to express sentiments and meaning so
widely dissimilar with such antagonistic and
II erse import,-as the little word s Coercion"
.Set of ci.izer--v tie use of the term ..Co- |
~ ,.<f., Ilr-a that the seceung States must at
once be phpped back into the Union-that war
must now be declared, or, at least, recognized as
already existing by act of the seceders, and the
whole power of the Government promptly
brought to bear upon the seeding States or the
people thereof-that armies must at once be
marched southwark to the heart of the discon-
| tented section,-that war, war, (cruel, unnatu-
raj civil war; must at once be waged around |
the hearth-stones Of the dsaffected people of the
South,- that the roar of billigerent cannon must
| at once be made to awaken the echoes of the |
green hills and lovely savannas of the Gulf
States,-that the tramp of armed and unnatural |
enemies from the North from the region. of |
Bunker Hill, of Bennington, of Monmouth and |
of Brandywine,- at once be heard resound- |
ing above the graves of Washington, Jackson, |
Morgan, Lee, Jefferson, Henry, Sumter, Marion |
and Jasper, and the clash of Northern swords in |
| collision with Southern bayonets, breaking the |
silence which for the better part of century
has rested over the glorious fields of the " Cow
pens" Gilbert Court House, Kings Mountain,
and Yorktown.
| w rlan H 60
madmen ye murderers at heart We would-b
slayerS of gray-haired sires and prattlng in
fants ye woud-be rayishers of mothers and
maidens
Another class interpret coercion" to mean
that this tramping of Northern foemen upon
Southern soil, this .cashing of Northern swords
and Southern bayonets over the graves and bat
tie fields and by the hearth-stones of the South,
shall not take place nov, and not until after all
peaceful means have been resorted to, without
avail-but that then the dogs of war shall be let
slip, and the gray haired sires and sunny haired
children given over to the sword, and mothers
! and maidens to the lusts of the ravisher.
This latter class of men are viler than the first
They would deliberately and premeditatedly do
that which the first class propose to do in the
phrensy of anger-to do that at the mere con-
temptation of which the most diabolical spirit
that now roams the fiery realms where dwell the
devils and the damned would stand appalled,!
Another class who favor coercion" mean
thereby that all necessary force to preserve and
protect Federal property from assault, come from
what quarter it may, shall be used, that, if
"seceders" shall attempt by violence to take pos
session of Government property, by violence
shall they be repulsed-that sufficient force to
execute the revenue laws shall be exerted.-
that, in short, the Federal Government shall oc-
cupy strictly defensive position, and exert just
that amount of force which may be found requi-
site to defend her property and execute her Con-
shtutional functions but that no aggressive
war shall be waged upou the South as a people,
because portion of her citizens have raised
the standard of revolt-thus holding the inno-
cent responsible for the acts of the guilty. To
illustrate: They wish Major Anderson to main
tain possession of Fort Sumter, and if necessary
to do SO, to slay every man who attempts to take
1t from him-they wish him to protect any Gov
ernment vessel that may endeavor to reach him
with men, or provisions, or munitions of war,
and to sink any vessel and silence any battery
of the seceders which may endeavor to interfere
with the mission of such Government vessel:
but they would not have him shell or burn the
city of Charleston, or in any degree wage an
aggressive war. They recognize the fact that the
President of the United States is charged with
the faithful execution of the Federal laws, and for
this purpose the army is placed at his command.
But he must use that army, in the execution of
s.he laws, according to the forms of the Con-
Iftitution. If bodies of men in any State re-
sist the execution of the laws,-interpose OBJ
stacles in the collection of revenue, such re-
sistance and obstruction must be met and
repelled, and removed by the strong arm of
government, and those engaged in such re-
sistance should then be proceeded against ac-
cording to the forms of the Constitution The
President cannot turn this Government into
military despotism, and, whenever in his opin-
ION a portion of the people of State are guilty
of treason, send an army to wage an indiscrim-
mate war upon the entire people of the State.
Under our form of government the Executive
has no such power. All persons charged with
all crimes known to our laws, have rights of
which no power can divest them-of which nei-
ther President nor military chieftain can legally
deprive them. They have the right to be pro-
} ceeded against according to law. They must
first be indicted by legally impannelled grand
jury of their countrymen; then they must be
tried by jury, must have process for witnesses,
be confronted by their accusers. and defended
by counsel. If found guilty, they will then be
punished, but not before-not by President,
or by military commander acting under his
Order for that would not be executing the laws
according to the forms of the Constitution, and
in accordance with his oath but itwould be es-
tablshing military despotism.
This latter class, it will be found IN lew