Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1861-09-20

"tuef IiUerIieS we ENJOY, OUT has no right u
commit treason. One has no more right Il
commit treason aud destroy the Governmen
by press, than be has by any other mode
The rights and liberty of the press is one o
our greatest aud most sacred blessings, to b,
guarded with watchful vigilance But wha
does that mean2 10 time of peace, to discus
all measures of Government freely and fear
iessly. But the one who has press has ne
more right TO overthroR Government by
reasonable means in war, than one has bJ
rltlng treason without a press. There is DC
charm a5ont printed treason which gives it i'm.
punity. 1t will do we'll enough to hang up a
parrot iu cage, to say, oLiberty of the press.'
ssLiberty Of the press." aud We have parrot
crying it now who needs caging, and some 9th
ers who ought to be Gagged. Suppose / was tc
write to Mr. a, or B, and say these Rebel;
are, after all, right; hope they viii succeed
| am glad they are fighting our armies; and
hope they viii be successful; / hope the Ad-
ministration will be overthrown, and devise
means and plans to aid rebellion. That would
be treason in a private letter I woul
be liable to be imprisoned, because it would
be afording aid and comfort. And if In q
private letter, how much moro in an internal
Secession press, which soRs lis dragon teeth
broadcast to poison the MUD of the country
and urge on the rebellion How much lnore
should they be arrested2 I approve Of every
strong act of the President. | would approve
of more if be would do them. Individual
rights is great right and great blessing;
and We have right to come aud 90 where
we please, aud eGjoy 0ur liberty as re please,
but if instead of going about our laHiui busi-
ness, our social and domestic enjoymsnts, Se
GO strolling from house TO house, flom camp to
camp, as spies for the enemy, We are liable to
be imprisoned, and deserve to be. The right
to enjoy FIRE as an element Of domestic COM
fort, to discharge the thousand Offices, is a
sacred right too, and an Administration that
would interfere with that right would be ty-
ranical indeed. But suppose enc takes his
torch in ihe dark hour of midnight and plies
it to every dwelling he can ignite, hos long
will be be allowed to enjoy that sacred right
of Gre? He will be arraigned aud imprisoned
and deprived of this liberty, Which lawful
citizen might enjoy. And when you come to
examine, you will find that the President has
desc no pHore than bis duty in laying bis hand
upon these papers individually. The Day
Book is one of them. 1t has had It's dag, like
every dog, and goue to its account. The
Journal Of Commerce, which undertook to
skim along under cover with disguised treason,
has been obliged by public opinion to
change editors and tack ship, and the treason>
able DAILY .News exists yetas daiiysnuisance,
but its day is not far of. The war power is a
dangerous power, but it exists from necessity,
and its exercise shows the terrible dangers Of
war, aud that it cannot be abolished with safu-
ty to national existence. These questions are
coming TO be understood. let us see what
this Convention says about this very matter,
for their views are important, as have shown:
Resolved, That while we admit the necessity
of summary process and martial law among insur-
gent populations the grammer is their ownl and
within the lines of military operations, we protest
against the doctrine that any power except the
the representatives of the people can suspend the
writ of habeas corpus for civil ofenses. How if
these offenses are committed when Congress is not
in Session2l We protest against the assumption
of the Executive power to establish a system of
PASSPORTS against the right of the Federal Govern
ment to organize systems of State Police, against
the assumption of the Federal Executive to repress
the discussions of "a free press by the refusal of
mail facilities, or in any way except by the deei
sions of the civil tribunals; and that, finally, We
protest against the doctrine OF President Lincolus
message that the States derive their authority from
the Federal Government President Lincoln has
never claimed anything of the kindl, as subver-
siye OF the fundamental doctrine of American
liberty.-Res ". y. Dem. Con.
Now propose to compromise laughter l.
that President Lincoln has the right to sus-
pend the haboas corpus as long as it takes to
read that foggy resolution and understand it.
[Great laughterl As the school boy sail,
at is pretty considerably difficult to under
stand ideas which one is not possessed Of
Notwithstanding, peradventure, undoubtedly
may be so, gaess it is" Most certainly!
[Laughter.l Now have read President Lins
coins messages csrefully-and he does not
say, so far as have seen, that the States de-
rive their powers from the Federal Govern
ment. If he does, he is in error. That reso>
luton is remarkable, at any rate, for its length
and its fogginess and obfuscation. u, 1t is. as
clear as mud There can be no doubt that
the rights of the Executive, and os the peo-
pie, will be understood heresfter-nu matter
whether they were before. 1t is very weI
that that resolution came into the Convention
as it did, The members were dry and parch-
ed for the lack of some stream of living doc
trine, when this modern Moses smote the rock,
aud out gushed this refreshing, constitutional
well-apr;ng to gladden. them as did the waters
of old the wandering tribes Of Isreal. But
ell this death-bed repentance is too late.
You will remember few years since, when
Louis Philippe, with his stealthy usurpations,
finally ranged his guns SO that they would bear
on the city of Paris, aud relied upon bis mill,
tary arm to sustain himself and bis family as
the house of Orleans through all time--of a
sudden commenced one of those revolutionary
surges and ground swells of the French people
1t swayed here and it swayed there; aud al
last it appeared that the people were going to
rise against their Government byrevolutiou in
earnest. He first few to his army of defense
aud bis guns aud guards. They failed him.
He then began to make concessions aud apollo