The Potter journal. [volume] (Coudersport, Pa.) 1857-1872, 1861-09-04

IL. w ucu NY bCHIOCI dL4c w 1bCpuUlCdu
friends, "or any other man." are disposed
to call the President to account, and am
not his defender, [ merely beg, when
they get through with him, they will
merely inquire whether Mr.. Jefferson Da-
Wis j. Co. have gone strictly according to
the Constitution Of the United States
/ have the impression that instituting
pretended government within the bounda-
ries of the United States that stealing
the treasures Of our Government,its ships;
betraying its commands; firing upon its
Notifications +; organizing piracy upon the
high seas, and long list Of other and
kindred acts--I have the impression, |
say, that these are slight infringements
upon the Constitution, and may require
examination. But | want to have NY
Constitution friends come along with me,
and when they get the Administration all
regulated and on the constitutional track,
to look ct this matter little; for it seems
to me that it requires attention know
rot whether Mr. Lincoln has observed
the Constitution; indeed for all the pur-
poses Of resisting the rebellion, care not.
1t is due to him to say, however, that he
has seemed to be in good faith attempt
ing 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. 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
o strict account. But | would not do
even that under the smoke of an enemy's
guns Let US see first, that the rebel
lion is put down. And when that is done,
/ am ready to see how 1t has been done.
l do not propose to yield this Union or
any part of it to the so-calIed Confederate
Government that has been made up in
the Southern States 1t is no govern
ment, and there is nothing in the shape
of a government under it, over il, in it,
or around it, diagonaliy, horizontally, or
perpendicularly. Like boys training, it
is all officers. 1t is made up thus you
shall be President of the Congress, aud |
will be President of the ConfederacY you
shalt be Minister Of Foreign affairs, and
I will be Secretary of the Treasury
Doubtless, very well satisfactory enough.
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 pat
their hand upon it in earnest, ard to
maintain the Government Of the Cou,ti-
tuition. The habeus corpus hard kind
of name for writ, but one which law
yer or Dutchman finds little difficulty
IN pronnuncing--it is said that the habe-
Us corpus has been suspended and 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 i'm
properly imprisoned and, in order that
the case may be inquired into, a petition
Is presented to a 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
orders him to be discharged if rightfolly
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 arm,a silent lcges, that is, the
laws are silent in the midst of arms Here
is the question An Individual is impr.s-
oued here; some friend gets a habeus cor
pus, and he is brought up, and the case
is inquired into. And whoever interfares
with, or obstructs that writ, is guilty OF
a great moral and legal wrong, ard incurs
a heavy penalty. In time Of war it is
different natter Here it is found that
man is fixing 10 blow up fortress, or be-
tray an army to the enemy. The Uficer
in command has him arrested. and sends
him to a fort, with orders that he be
strongly guarded, because he is known to
be traitor, and in the confidence of trai
tors and enemies. 4 lawyer sues out
writ of habeus corpus. But what is the
result? 1t cannot be served and the
prisoner cannot be procured-they can.
not see him unless the judges tongue is
longer than the soldiers bayonet. Would
any one if he was commanding at Fortress
Monroe, Fort Me Henry, or ywAere else,
where he was surrounded with treason
and traitors at every step, would he, be-
cause judge sent a writ Of habeus cor
pus give up traitor who was endanger-
ing the safety of his command and the
interests of the country? No man can
pretend it a for single moment, it is one
of the terrible necessities of war And
if were in command and had good rea-
son to believe that | had possession Of
traitor aud no other remedy would arrest