Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1861-01-12


must be court to receive it and arraign
the prisoner, and jury to try him.
This last was the protection which Par.
ker and Phillips and their associates found
when they were indicted for what they
called "free Speech" in connection with
the murder of Bachclder, and the OBJ
struction of the laws of the United States
for the rendition of fugitive slaves. The
President could not seize them, nor could
they be tried anywhere but in Massachu-
setts and though there were all the Off
GERS of law here and grand Jury indict-
ed them, they escaped trial and got off
upon very srfall technicality, which
was, that the commissioner who issued his
warrant of arrest had signed it only COM
missioner, without saying what commits
sioner and the court held that the in
dictment, however drawn, could not sup
! ply this deficiency, because it could not
60 beyond the description in the warrant.
just so President Buchanan has no
power to seize or arraign or try anybody
in Washington or anywhere else. If
there have been acts Of treason, they have
been committed only in South Carolina.
The parties charged must be tried in that
State by a jury of the State. There is
no United States marshal to arrest them
no district attorney to indict them, no
grand jury to find bill, no court 10 ar
raign and no jury to try them. How then
are the steps to be taken which the con-
sti;ution demands in every case of alleged
crime And if there were all the officer:
of the court and juries, everybody knows
that court in South Carolina would hold
that the right of secession absolved the
party accused from his liability to the
laws Of the United States, and no jury
would convict.
1t would be the same in Massachusetts
if, under the personal liberty bill, fugi
tive from labor should be taken before 6
jury to be tried No Massachusetts, Jury
could be found to agree that he was a fu-
gitive slave. Thus it is obvious that Mas
sachusetts and South Carolina stand il
the same category of disunion and seces'
sion, SO long as these laws remain on hel
statute book, and so long as her peopl'
resist and refuse to execute the laws of tn,
United States within her borders.
But it is said, suppose the Judge and al
the United States officers have resigned
in South Carolina, why don't Presiden
Buchanan supply the vacancies? Blu
what then? lie could find no men il
South Carolina to accept the Offices, ant
the law requires that they shall be ap-
pointed in the district Even if he sen
Northern men there they would not b.
allowed to act, and if they were resisted
then it comes back to just where we start,
cd from; those who resisted must be in
; dicted and tried by court and jury in tn
State.
If mes of sense would look at the fact
t and law, and read the Constitution, the
t would see the practical difficulties in tn
way of tho summary process with whicl
}. they require the President to deal wit
, existing difficulties. He can only NOV
the constitutional machinery of govern
: ment in executing the laws. If the ma
chinoryis all broken up in State, h
e cannot invade State, or send an arm
: there, to enforce martial law, unless til
4 Governor OF Legislature call upon him t
: suppress insurrection or domestic violenc,
" lie eau eo,.a I.~ars To tho forts, ond if tb
C commissioners of South Carolina requir
II him to order troops to one or anothe
# fort, they assume what does not bclon
to them. The President, as commander
&c in.chief, is to judge for himself of the ex
l. pediency; and Oh this point he should in
d sist, and yield TO no threats from Sout
l. Carolina, or any body, if they are mad
d 1t is this question of expediency as
h reinforcing the forts at Charleston whie
e the President has gravely considered.
d If Major Anderson has solved IL
= difficulty without bloodshed, SO much IL
le better. Of what avail would Unite
} States troops have been there if sent,
Is they must have been, when their presen,
d would have brought on bloody conflict
is If any were sent in such crisis, an arm
1t should have been sent sufficient to conou
te South Carolina, aided as she would b
l. the moment blood was shed, by the syn
ie pathizing States That would have be,
e. civil war. The President did not bril-
lie on this "irrepressible conflict" and W
ne endeavcr to avoid staining his hands wi
O. the blood of his feliow-citizens in fratr
o. cidal war. 1t is his purpose land he wi
prove the true patriot and Christian if !
y succeeds in doing it) to leave his high off
without drop Of blood having been neet
,y lessl ly shed in this awfully impendil