The Athens post. [volume] (Athens, Tenn.) 1848-1917, 1861-10-18

|
Let us for moment survey the humili-
ating spectacle which is presented by the
present condition of the people of tho
North, who, in their suicidal efforts to aid
| the despotsm which has baen established
at Washington, have suffered themselves
to be despoiled of the last vestige of that
real liberty which they inherited from
| their fathers.
| However bitterly the opponents of the
Republican party may have resisted its
| advent to power, who of its most deter.
mined enemies, could have believed that
within six short months after the inaugu-
ration of their chosen President the free
dom of the Press would have been utterly
annihilated, and the circulation of all
newspapers through the mails prohibited
which dared to question the wisdom Of
his policy or his measures? Who could
| have believed that within so brief period
the citizen who ventured TO express his
disapproval of the policy Of the President.
or even to utter "words of peace and good
will, would have been regarded as guilty
| of a crime sufficient to consign the ofien-
der to dungeon?
Who could have imagined that the writ
OF habeas corpus, that great bulwark of per-
sonal freedom, would have been suspend.
ed or denied, and entire States placed
under martial law by the mere proolama-
ton of a military chief?
Almost every public journal through
out the North whether political or reli-
gious, which failed or refused to give sup.
port to the policy of the President, has
been suppressed. or compelled to yield its
support to the Government. Editors who
have declined yielding obedience to their
demands have been committed to prison.
Citizens against whom there was no i'm
putation of crime have been dragged from
their beds at midnight and hurried away
to distant fortresses without warrant of
law, and without the poor consolation of
knowing the charge upon which they
were arrested. The sanctity of the church
has been invaded and their ministers
driven from their pulpits. Woman, whose
person has been held sacred by all civil.
lied nations, has been taken from her
home and imprisoned under the reign of
this brutal despotism. And in mere wan
tonness of cruelty they have denied to
these victims OF tyranny the privilege of
communication with their families and
friends even in the presence of their
jailors.
In whatever direction we may turn to
examine the operations of the Govern
ment of the United States under the con-
troll of the party now in power, we behold
the same disregard of the rights and priv
ileges of the people.
Look, for example, at the fate of down
trodden Mary land A ruthless soldiery
lords it over every city, village and ham
let within her limits. Men, women and
children are fleeing from their homes to
seek an asylum amongst their friends OF
the South. Many of her best and noblest
citizens are the tenants of dungeons. and
OF all the free men who few short
months ago discussed without restraint,
the policy and measures of the Govern
ment, there remain none who dare to
speak except in terms of adulation of the
tyranny which has robbed them of their
liberties. Not content with the degrada-
ton imposed upon the people, they have
| caused TO be arrested and imprisoned
ther'Alected Representatives to the Leg
islature, who were suspected of entertain
ing opinions adverse to the measures of
President Lincoln.
In Missouri the despotic rule of the
| military leaders sent there by the United
States, has been even more calling and
oppressive, if such were possible.
The bloody code of military laws by
which that unhappy country is at present
| governed, is equal in enormity to any of
which there is record in the pages of
the history of the civilized world Martial
law has been proclaimed and established,
| so far as the Federal Government has the
physical power to establish it, and the
civil authorities superseded by the mill:
tary. A citizen charged with an offence
against the law is no longer allowed the
privilege of a fair and impartial trial by
jury of his peers, but Is subjected to the
mockery Of a trial by drum-head court
martial, composed of members who may
not comprehend word of the language
in which the laws are written; and who
have entered the military service OF the
United States as mere Adventures, or
mercenary cut throats, who are willing to
butcher their fellow men for hire.
AS independent States, both Missouri
and Maryland have ceased to exist They
have been blotted from the catalogue of
sovereignties and foreign master has
placed his foot upon the necks of their
once free anil happy people.
What may be said of that once proud
Kentucky, which Tennessee has always
regarded as twin sister? She, too, seems
almost ready to fall a victim TO the arms
Of our common enemy. For the admira-
tion we feel for her noble sons who are
rallying by thousand to rescue her from
the perils which overhang her present
and future, and in memory of her glorious
past, let us hope, and hope without doubt
| thaN ,l. ,u,D k,,,,l . H.. Il
her limbs before they have been firmly
riveted, and once more stand forth
amongst her sister States of the South re
deemed and ddisenthralled, the same as we
have known her in other and better days.
Maryland, Missouri and Kentucky may
have to bear yet a little longer the tor
lures of their enslavement, but the day OF
the slsliver~nee. will Hfififons- or
their sympathizng friends of the South
regard their cause as their own, and ii it
is the wish of those States to he saved, the
soldiers of the South will never lay down
cenary has been driven beyond their bor-
ders.
The States of the South now engaged in
this momentous struggle for freedom may
behold in the present condition of Mary.
land and Missouri faint picture of what
their own fate would have been if they
had delayed their declarations of indie.
pendence and postponed the work of pre-
pairing to resist the encroachments of an
unscrupulous enemy. Had we remained
short time longer in inglorious ease, liv.
ing in the enjoyment of the delusive hope
that a returning sense of justice would in
duce the Northern people to award to us
our full measure of constitutional right
) we would, like the victim enclrcled by the
Anaconda, have been crushed without the
!. power of resistance. rNl
The condition Of Maryland and Missouri
furnishes US with dim ioreshadowing O
what our own fate would be if the for
: tunes of war should result even in par
!. tial subjugation of any Of the Confederat,