Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1861-08-10
alogue Of daring executive usurpations.

alogue Of daring executive usurpations,
comes the proclamation of the Sd Of May,
and the orders Of the War and Navy De.
partmonts in pursuance Of it-a proclama.
ton and usurpation which would have cost
Fny English sovereign his head at any
time within the last two hundred years
Sir,the Constitution not only confines to
Congress the right to declare war, but ex.
prcsSly provides that "Congross (not the
Presldcnt) shall havo power to raise and
support armics;' and to "provido and
maintain a navy In pursuance of this
authority, Congress, years ago, had fixed
the number of officers, and of the regiments
of the different kinds of service; and also
the number of ships, officers, mariners, and
scamcn which should compose the Navy,
Not only that, but Congress has repeatedly,
within the last five years refused to in
crease the regular Army. More than that
still in February and March last, the
House, upon several test votes, repeatedly
and expressly refused to authorize the
President to accept the service of volun-
tcers for the very purpose protecting the
public property, enforcing the laws, and
collecting the revenue. And yet the Pres
ident, Of his own will and authority, and
without tho shadow of right, has proceed-
cd to increase, and has increased, the
standing Army by twenty-five thousand
men the navy by eighteen thousand; and
has called for and accepted the services of
forty regiments of volunteers for three
years, numbering forty two thousand men,
and making thus a grand army or military
force, raised by executive proclaim alton
alone, without tho sanction of Congress,
without warrant of law, and in direct vio-
lation of the Constitution and of his oath
of Office, of $4,000 soldiers enlisted for
three and five years, and already in the
field. And yet the President now asks us
to support the Army which he has thus
raised; to ratify his usurpations by law
er post facto, and thus to make ourselves
parties to our own degradation, and to
his infractions Of the Constitution. Mean
while, however, he has taken good care,
not only to enlist the men, organize the
regiments, and muster them into service,
but to provide in advance for q horde of
fOrlorn, wornout, and broken down politi-
clans of his own party, by appointing, oi-
thcr by himself or through the Governors
of the States, major generals, brigadier
generals, co'onels, lieutenant colonels,
majors, captains, lieutenants, adjutants,
quartermastcrs, and surgeons, without any
limit as to numbers, and without so much
rs once saying to Congrcss-"By your
leave, gentlemen
Beginning with this wide breach of the
Constitution, this enormous usurpation Of
the most dangerous of all powers-the
power of the sword-othcr infractions and
assumptions were easy; and after public
liberty, private right soon fell. The pri-
vacy Of the telegraph was invaded in the
search after treason and traitors; although
it turns out, significantly enough, that the
only victim, so far, is one of the appoint
ees and especial pets of the Administration.
The telegraphic dispatches, preserved un-
der every pledge Of secrecy for the protec,
ton aud safety of the telegraph companies
we're seized and carried away without
search warrant, without probable cause,
without oath, and without description of
the places to be searched or Of the things
to be seized, and in plain violation of the
right of the people to be secure in their
houses, persons, papers and effects, against
unreasonable searches and seizures. One
step more, sir, will bring upon us search
and seizure of the public mails; and final
ly, as in the worst days of English oppres-
sion--as in the times of the Russols and
the Sydneys of English martyrdom-of
the drawers and secretaries of the private
citizen; though even then tyrants had the
grace to look to the forms of the law, and
the execution was judicial murder, not
military slaughter. But who shall say
that the future Tiberius of America shall
have the modcsty of his Roman predecess-
or, in extcnuation Of whose character it is
written by the great historian, a0crtit Oc-
cutos, .jaSsitque scelerI non spccsava.
Sir, the rights of property having been
thus wantonly violated, it needed but q lit
tic stretch of usurpation to invade the
sanctity of the person; and victim was
not long wanting. A private citizen of
Maryland, not subject to the rules and ar
ticlcs of war-not in case arising in tho
| land or naval foroaa nor in fbn militia