Daily Nashville patriot. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1860-1862, 1861-05-04
r..u.urna,,ons of the -Admfnistra-

oxists in this country no one
..n now possibly doubt 1t Is conceoeo
IN hands. Whatever may be fhouent
:, the late occurrences at Fort oom-
,hsre can be no sort of doubt that the
o.II;ng forth of $4,000 soldiers, the occupa-
80, If portions of Maryland and Virginia,
- the immense war preparations every day
going ON in connection Herewith, altogether
constitute not only declaration OF war ou.
,bs vigorous prosecution of war. The war
making power is vested By the Consl'ution
.o,elv in Congress; but his war is declared
- = beino prosecuted by the Administra-
ton without authority of law, and IN direct
.iola,;on of the Constitution. In this act
t,e President and his councillors have tram
nIed the organic law of the land under foot
I'D in setting one of its most important pre-
-;.io,s at uauebt, the whole instrument is
.ioIated. and the people are left to choose
between submission to any further usurpa-
tion which il may suit the whims of fanati'
cism to impose, or resistance Besides, 1t
WAS clearly the intention OF the trainers oil
the Consti tuition that the declaration of war
sbonld be directed against foreign nations
nha ,baorv of the Administration is that the
-o.o5sd States are not out of the Union, and
hence the war thus Illegally and unconstitu-
,;oaalIy declared and being waged, is doub-
10 unauthorized in being against those whom
,ba Administration regards as the people OF
.ha limited States Ii the Federal theory is
80 then the war is a subversion of the
Constitutions; and if untrue, 1t is still unau-
,borized and is in violation OF that instru-
ment.
> The power to declare war is coupled
NTH the necessary power to raise and sup
mort armies. which is also granted TO Con-
press and not to the President. Yet the Ad-
,,inistration is raising armies and providing
f,r their support. And the same provision
declares that ''no appropriation OF money
for this use shall be for longer term than
,,oo ,sar,:'' but Mr.. LINCOLN has decided that
ont of the 5000 troops already called into
.eryi.e. 10000 shall serve for three years,
and $4,000 for five years. He thus forces
Congress to accept and sustain his act, or to
refuse compliance with bis demands. The
movers thus assumed are dictatoriai III their
character, and kingly in their results Inc
Congress is the people, but the Admlnistra-
ton exercises the exclusive prerogatlVe OF
Congress, and thus plays the part OF an I'M
beciIe and tyrannical king. A dictatorship
or an unlimited despOtism is hereby set up
on the ruins of constitutional liberty.
G.a- The Constitution declares that no prefer |
enee shall be given by any regulation OF |
commerce or revenue to the ports OF one
State over those of another but while the |
administration processes to regard the United |
States as still existing entire and unbroken,
they are by special proclamation blockading |
and preparing to blockade the ports OF GER
tain of the States, which they contend are
still part of the Union. By an additional
proclamation, they have ordered the ports OF
Virginia and North Carolina to be closed /
against both the ingress and egress of vessels,
except by his own authority. The State OF
North Carolina bad not, at the date of this
inperiaI proclamation. seeded, OF called a
Convention, or taken any steps in that d.
rection, yet the President reeklessly over
rides this barrier which the Constitution in
terposes in the despotic pathway of tyrants,
and by stroke of the pen sweeps away the
pillars of the Republic, and brings it to ruin
over the heads of those who love and cherish
it as the apple of their eyes.
We care not to multiply instances. 1t is
enough for US to know that the Constitution
is overturned by an infamous usurpation of
powers not granted by that instrument, in
point affecting the liberties of the whole peO-
ple-that the sword is thrust through that in
strument into the heart of the citizen it was
designed to protect-and our decision is
made. We care nothing for the pretext, or |
for the grounds upon which it is sought to be |
justified. We shall cling to the substance |
and let the shadows pass. 1t is not the gov
eminent we were born under, and it is not
the COVE rnment we will live under.
If there be living free white man in the
proud State of Tennessee, of sound mind,
who wo uld submit to such degradation, such
such chains, we do not wish to
hear of him. He will pollute the very soil
1pon which he treads, and scatter blight
wherever he goes.