Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1861-05-31

t forced to do, except under the pressure
l Of military necessity" The one gives
! to the President the exercise of discre-
ton, in certain named and ascertained
! cases. The other gives him absolute
| power in all cases. The one eudows him
with a necessary executive function.
, The oihcr makes him supreme over all
law, by granting him the exclusive con-
/, troll of its application If the President
cannot only invoke the military power at
, his discretion, in cases of invasion, in
surreotion and resistance to the laws, but
can create invasion, instruction and re-
sistanco, by merely proclaiming that they
exist, whether, in fact, they do so, OIL
! not there is not moment of his term,
J at which he cannot constitutionally com
pass the absolute subiugation Of the peo-
pie, through the mere official assertion OF
falschood Assume for moment, for
tho sake Of the argument, that the atti
tudc Of the United States, is not, in fact
or law, case authorizing the President
TO call out the militia, under the act of
1895, is it to be pretended thathe makes
it such a case simply by calling it such
in proclamation :? Is it to be gravely
argued, under constitutional govern
nient, that the nation is bound to acqui-
esce in it as fact, against the public
knowledge to the contrary and must ac-
cept the war, indorse the bloodshed pour
out the treasure, and submit to the usur-
patton, with no other remedy than arti-
Giles of impeachment, or the chances of
the next Presidential election
The commonest inteligence-lhe most
superficial acquaintance with the scheme
and spirit of republican institutions
volts at conclusions so monstrous. And
yet precisely such must be the concu-
sions to which any man must yield who
supposes the Supreme Court to have de-
cided, as has been pretended. That high
tribunal never meant to decide, and new
err did decide, a principle so wholly ira
tional and despotie It is disrespect to
its character to put such a question even
in dispute The way in which the States
and the people may and ought to deal
with such a usurpation is matter apart
but that it does not cease to be usurpa-
ton, because Of the insertion Of form of
words in a Proclamation, is matter
which the Comuittoe will not disparago
the manlness and sense of the House by
discussing further. Indeed, in his letter
Of May 4th, 1861, to the U s. Minister
at Paris, which has appeared during the
preparation Of this report, the Secretary
of State does not hesitate to throw aside
, all the masks and pretenses Of the pro-
clamation, and to admit that it is no
longer simulated question Of enforcing
: Che laws" and defending the Capitol, .
4 but downright case Of civil war -
Of "open fragrant, deadly war;" which
= the Unitqd States have " accepted y
Such cohfession-nay, such a bold and
: defiant aHnuncation that the President
] has assumed upon himself the power Of
l peace and war, in elaring and indisputa-
, subverion Of even the constitution, leaves
y to the people of Maryland nothing further
to consider in this connection, but the
e fact, that they are face to face with a
C military despotism, whose only law is its
f will
Q Il the committee are justified by what
= has been said, in their view Of the con-
! stitutional position Of the federal govern
D nent, and especially if the admissions
C now made by it, without disguise, show
s but the contamination of an original and
2 persistent illegal scheme on the part Of
the Administration, it follows, as mat
ter of necessity, that the troops called
out by the President were and are an un-
authorized body Of men, passing across
our territory for illegal and unconstitu-
tional purposes, and carrying with them
none Of the constitutional safeguards,
which would undoubtedly accompany any
force Of the United States exercising the
right Of transit for lawful and justiGable
ends. They were, in fact, not United
States soldiers, but Northern troops
as they we're properly designated by the
Governor in his correspondence, and
Z" Northern troops" too, whose presence
in Maryland, without the consent Of her
constituted authorities, was Individually
an aggression upon her dignity, her safe
ty and tranquility Your committee, Of
course, admit, without question, that on
" the authorities Of the State were COM
petent to deal with such case, and that
il would only have been dealt with pro-
perly, even by them, in distinct recogni.
ton of the fact. that Maryland is still u
State Of the Union, with all the oblga-
tons which that relation imposes upon
her.
But they cannot shut their eyes 10 tho
other part, equally indisputable, that it
was primarily the fault Of those who
marched the Massachusetts soldiery
through Baltimore, upon an unconstitu-
tional and illegal Grand if the popular
passions were unfortunately stimulated
4 by their presence, into lawless out
break, too sudden and too violent to be
| restrained, for the moment, by the ordi-
nary appliances Of free government.
The committee, therefore, cannot but
commend the repeated efforts Of the Gov
ernor to induce the President % forcgo
hispurpose Of passing troops across our
soil, both before and after the fatal occur
renee Of the 10Th Of April They can
only regret that the indignant feeling
manifested by bis Excellcncy 10 regard
to the misdeeds Of tho "robelious Gle.
ment" at home, was not testified with
equal vigor of rcmohstrance against the
! Illegally and wrong, involved in the pro-
cecdings Of tho Government.