The southern aegis. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1857-1862, 1861-10-05

ana thus at his mere Will and pleasure,
restraining them of their liberty, for in
definite periods, bidding defiance and
standing in open resistance to the writ of
habeas corpus, writ sacred to freedom,
and dangerous only to tyrants. And now
the freedom of the press, the palladium
of our rights, which even in England, in
all her troubles and conflicts, both domes-
tic and foreign, during the last hundred
years, has never in single instance been
suspended, is here stricken down-papers
not supporting the Black Republican ad-
ministration at Washington being entirely
suspended, or not allowed to pass through
the mails. These are few of the enor-
mites which the men inpower are COM
uniting, and by which they are making
the cup of their iniquity to overflow, and
preparing for themselves day of terrible
retribution. And yet, with all the les
sons which the worlds history presents,
of the fearful fate that is sure to overtake
the assassins of liberty, Lincoln is daily
committing fresh aggressions upon the
peoples rights, and seems determined to
leave us not vestige of the free govern
ment won by the blood and patriotism of
our fathers. But, though the hour is one
of deep gloom, and the worst may not yet
have been reached, we do not despair of
the republic. We have faith in the spirit
of liberty-we have faith in the people
and we have undoubting confidence that
we shall live to see American freedom,
our own cherished constitutional freedom,
re-established in this distracted and un-
happy land.
But what are we to think and say of the
men who, when our government is thus
turned into worse than Austrian despo.
tism, and the men in power openly avow
their determination to permanently change
the form and character of our institutions,
overlook and disregard all these things,
and call upon us "to sustain the govern
ment"-not the constituted government
of our country, but this usurpation at
Washington which has superseded the
government of our fathers-in its war for
the Chicago Platform, and, what is worse,
in its war upon all the cherished princi-
pies of American liberty? In their de-
sire to govern others; who seek only to
govern themselves, and. not to govern us,
or to prescribe to us what government we
shall have, these supporters of the war are
ready to see sacrificed all constitutional
rights and principles, and surrender the
whole Northern people to despotic rule.
This is the consistency and patriotism of
the advocates of the war. In order to
govern people who do not want to be
governed by them, they will give up their
own liberties, and consent to transmit to
their children an inheritance of shame,
oppression and wo. And these men pro-
fame the sacred name of the Constitution,
in their war TRADES, and talk about "our
benefcent government" We had "bene-
6cent government" "a glorious government,
and should still have had. but for the ad-
vent to power of the hereditary enemies
of our institutions. They have laid their
unhallowed hands upon it, and it has with
cred in their grasp. They have got up
this war, as means of carrying out their
long cherished purpose of transforming
our government into centralized despo-
tism. All the support that is given to
the war, by whomsoever given, and with
whatsoever motive, strengthens the hands
of those who are using power to destroy
our institutions. Can any man be de-
ceived? Can any man be mistaken as to
his duty? For ourselves, We see the path |
of duty plain before us, and we cannot
swerve from it. Let others do as they
may, we take the side of Constitutional
Freedom, even as our fathers did, and
with their glorious example before us, we |
will strive not to falter. Theirs were
Chimes which tried mems souls" and it
may be that these will prove not less peri
lous and eventful. But we doubt not the
result. Even as they established Ameri-
can liberty, we believe that their sons will
be found equal to the task of restoring it,
though now trodden under the iron heel
of a military despotism.
D@n Hon. Edward Everett's letter of
acceptance for the Vice Presidency in 1860:
0The srppestion - said ha N that All