Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1861-05-31
POSITION or HON. CHAHLEs s.
muHnTTEaU.

POSITION or nov. oHARLEs 5.
moHEWEAD.
From TIE Louisville Journal
EDITIONS JOURNAL; In your paper o. th
23d inst, you copy the extract Of letter ffor
2 the Frankfort Hs0mas, 10 which is contains
the following paragraph: saw Gov. More
head to-day lust returned from the South. n
ia tbs most ultra southern Tignts man haVI
seeD.1 And vou add. " Gov. Morehaad, VI
D believe. is now az his home in this vicinity
aud can speak For himself"
Allhouzh the statement IN the above para.
graph may be considered BY some q ehaTgi
sufficiently grave 10 require an answer, ] an
} constrained 70 admit that ] an and have 81
, ny life been southern rights man. have
lsbored honestly and faithfully to secure tht
: enjoyment Of those rights against The fsnati-
cal aggressions OF those who have madly
brought the country 10 it's present deplorablg
condition. Had the wise and moderate snd
lust propositio OF orr venerable and dis7in.
Euished Senator, Mr.. Crittenden, been promptly
aecep ed ty the North, here are but few who
can doubt that we Would now have been q
united and happy people. They were, how
ever, almost unanimously repudiated by the
Biack-RsPuhiicsn party. Stil the lovers Of
the Union did not despair. Seven sisvshold.
ing States withdrew from the Union and form
ed a government OF their own. Kentucky,
ever loyal and devoted to the stars and stripes,
with unparalleled unsnimity Of sentiment, de-
riarsd herself opposed to coercion. My own
opinions and feelings were thoroughly In ac-
cordance with her, and 90 publicly expressed
il the mcst emphatic tsrns IN an address to
the members Of the legislature. After this, I
was uuanimoasly elected az a delegate to the
Peace Confereucs, where ! sxsrted whatever
power OF infusnce 7 could bring to bear for the
settlement Of tie distTseting questions which
were coBvulsinE and dividing the country mv
course IN that convention was the occ sion q
another address before the members Of the
legislature, the substance OF which was pub
hshed and laid before the people Of Kentucky
Tee resolutions Of the peEcs conference,
sistasteful as some Of them were f. msnT
southern men, were siiii mora 60 70 the Black
/ Republicans in power. These resolutions,
! though the very best that We could os.ain, bat
not bg aRy means what We desired them 70 be-
! leli st j bore Congress w1ali not even take
4 lnem up Tor consideration. Still We were as
surtd that there was deep and constantly in
eTessing feeling Of Conservation in tbe North
I which would override ali the Black Repubii-
can influence and give Us every guaranty nee
I essaTy 10 our security and safety. We took
T an appeal from the politicians al Washington
2 to The people Of the North, and trusted 70 the
conssrv alive element 10 do us Justice. Sou'h
I Carolina vas az thst time bringing all her bat
4 teriss to bear on ut Sumter, and making The
I gost vigorous PREPARATIONS for an assault.
/ This was perfectly well understood in Con-
gTess. 4 bill was introduced in the House 70
I give The President the powdsF 70 call ont the
militia and volunteers, v thout limitation, IN
I number 70 suppress the insurrsetion AID
execute the laws. lt was well understood
hat The passage Of this bin would have been
( the signal for the breaking up Of the peace
I conference without action. It vas according
I " Indefinitely postponed Mr.. lincoln came
I into power Immediately after this refusal Of
l Congress to pass any law for coercion or for
I The collection Of revenue in the seeded Safes
( Il was understood that he was in favor Of
Withdrawing the troops from Fort Sumter to
( preserve the uesce Of the country. He kns
well that any attempt % succoT that fort
would inevitably lead N collision and result in
. ruinous and devss at'ng civil war.
an Informed and I believe that a Cabinet
order was made 10 evacuate the fort, but that
letters from the radical wing Of the party
poured in from the North, and the Cabinet
again assembled and the order was changed OF
moaifsd He then Immediately conn msnced
bis warlike preparations. He believed that the
order to withdraw the troops would dissTm bis
party in the North, and that on the other hand
a collision at Sumter would unite the entire
North To prssent he conservatives IN the
North from triumphing over his divided party,
be and bis Cabinet were willing to inaugurste
a frsricidal war, bringing desolation and ruin
on both sections. / am not BOW defending
Sou'h Carolina or her action. Having with
draWn from the Union eitbrr By secession OF
revolution, and meaning to maintain her action
at all hazards, she Of course would not allow
Fort Sumter IN remain in the hands o. her ere
mics Her great fault, ard what we have
complained o., was the original act OF sacss-
sion. Her Interior action seemed to be &
necessary. consequence Of that. But whether
that ulteTisr action was right or wrong, i
agree with vou. Messrs. Editors, Haost cordj-
ally 10 ~ condemnation and reprobstion Il
I the prociamati0u Of the 15sh Of A 7rl last, TO
which Il gave rise. II YOU will pardon me for
using your langusgs-sths policy announced
in the proclamation deserves the unqualified
condemnation Of every American citizen. i
is unworthy not merely OF a statesman
but Of a man. L is a policy utterly
hairbrainsd and ruinous. r. Mr.. Lin
coin contemplated this policy 10 the
inaugural address, be Is a guilty dsstmbley,
II be has conceived It under the excitement
raised by the seizure Of Fort Sumter, be Is a
guilty hotspur. IN either Gaze be Is nissFsby
lnh. for the exalted position In which the enc
mics Of the country have placed bim.o But
this proclamation had something like the sem
biance Of law 70 authorize If. The act Of Con-
gress OF the 2Sth Of February, 1875. au'h5ri1es
bin to cali out The militia of the States when
the execution of the laws is obs'FHcted BY con-
binations too powerful 10 be suppressed by the
ordinary course OF judicial proceedings. The
use q the Uiiitia is, however, limited 70 three
months. and cannot extend beyond thirty dsyH
sf-er the commencement OF the next session oi
Congress. n nothing elsa, this shows that
the Law hss placed this whole su5iect IN the
bands Of Congress, and that the President can
only act where it is not, or has not been in ths
power of Congress to act Il is known that
/ these combinations existed during nearly the
whole period Sc last Congress was in session,
Z Ter not one step was taken locking 20 a CO.
srciEe policy. How far he mas the power 10
altsmpt to suppress combinations which were
in existence when Congress was in session,
and which have still continued, e is unnecea-
sarv now to discuss. Another prorlsnat ion
was issued on the l9'h Of April In which,
after recitng that letters Of msrqus were
tArsstened BY ths seseainz states, be deems it
advisable to SET on foot a blockade IF the ports
{ in the States aforesaid, 10 pursuance OF the
laws Of the United States and the l1io Of aa-
F fioas in such cases provided. and concludes hT
declaring such priFatFsTs pifatss,
u there be the ssmhisnee Of authority for
this moVsmsnt By the most latitudnaTisn con-
struction sf the powers Of a constitutional
President, have been unable to perceive it.
is gross and psipsble violation Of toe Con-
Htitution and wanton usurpstion sf poWeF.
. u tho tims of South OsFaHns nuiii6caHon, It
vas said by Tie friends e President JscksoR
and the pqpeFs IN bis interest, that be would
put it JswB bF blocksding tie port Of Charles
ton, and MF. Webster, IN al'uding to those re-
{ Torts 10 bis speech az Worcester, Msssacbu-
sets, said " TIE President has no su.hority
70 blockade Charleston; the President has no
authority 10 employ military farce, till BE- shall
be duly required so 10 DO BT law and BY the
civil autborities1 The fame o. Mr.. Webster
+ bss IN no small degree been enhanced BY bis
unanswerabls argument against nuillhcstion,
yet ss 2 constitutional lawyer be proclaimed
tsstfhe President bad no authority 70 hlssaade
ChaTlsstons and be aidsd n passing the force
bliis limited to tygn years TO enable hin to DO
It. The law Of 1928 confers upon the Prssi-
dent bis only power to act in a case Ike the
present, aud that law was scrutfR zed and crit
lcized BY the fathers of the Republic, aRd
framed with auch cautious wisdom ss 70 pre-
vent itH being greatly abused, even in the
hands Of a wicked President.
Under this usgrpation Of authority, be IL
row interfering VITA the commerce OF loyal
states; while stating in bis proclamation OF
I april 18Th that his first object wi be to re-
possess the property and places belonging to
me United States, be is daily preventing sap
plies Of food TO the helpless women and chill
dren and slaves Of TIE soutA, in order that
under the desperation Of stsTVasion the slaves
may be excited to servile insurreetion. Ths
delusion that they can Be thus starved is won
derful, but the criminslity af the MOTIVE is not
the less on that account, or the act itself less
despotic. Having thus violated the Constitu-
tion, be seems to have lost sight o. every re-
striction upon his power, and afterWErd acted
~ utter defiance Of lie most sacred provisions.
Ihs Constitution gives to Congress alone the
power to "raise ard support srmissD Our
iethers were justly Jealous Of placing, IN arv
manner whatever, power Ike this in the
bands of one nan. The friends Of the Con-
stitution IL urging ita adoption pointed TO this
clause ae conclusive evidence o. a safe
division Of power. Colonel 6sores Mich
oisa, who was member Of the Virginia con-
Venlon which adopted the Constitution o.
TIE United States, and VINO afterwsfd moved
60 Kentucky declared that g the most efecsusl
guard which has yet been discovered against
The abu7e Of power, is sas division OF it''
But" said be, 10 Constitution affords any
real security to liberty, unless Il is considered