Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1861-07-18
from the London Saturday Review
CIVIL WAR AND STRONG GOVERNMENT,


from in the enemys ranks.
>O>--
from the London Saturday Review.1
CIVIL WAR AND STRONG GOVERNMENT.
cat last we have got Government % was the
delghted exclamation Of a Northern jour nalist,
when the Washington Cabinet, having ascertaned
the will of its many-headed master, began to ex-
change its attitude of imbecile waverng for one of
the instructive sympathy of ultra democracy with
high handed displays of power, and it is not, per-
haps. without sinister significance regards the
Interior results Of the struggle into which the model
Republic has plunged According to present ap-
Pearances there every probability that if the
lasts any length of time, the American people may
find, befole it is over, that they really have got
Government in sense little Oh canned of by the foun
ders OF their constitutional liberties. A vigorous
Executive, unembarrassed by over nice notions of
legality, seems to be the present ideal of Transit
lantlc aspirations and it is ideal which, under
favorable circumstances, is wonderfully apt to real
ize itself Laws proverbially silent in the midst
OF arms; and a civil war; in which the Central Ex-
ecutive constitutes itself the organ of the fercest
passions of democracy, is admirably calculated
to generate what European politicians call ssshong
government
Some progress has already been made towards
] this consummation. Considering that it is barely
two months since President Lincoln's Cabinet
ceived its instructions from popular opinion, it must
be admitted that it has not been idle. Mr.. Bright
snever saws the British Constitution, and he would
perhaps be equally at loss to detect the traces of
an American Constitution in the recent history of
Transatlantic politics. In what respect the existing
| Washington. Government differs from military
dictatorship it might take some time to explain.
We see the President assuming and actively exer-
cising powers which might almost content the ex-
ecutive of the most absolute European monarchy
He invites and accepts unlimited offers of men and
money from all quarters, and apparently disposes
of both at his unfetter ed discretion. His gen.
erals take military possession of towns and districts
where the jurisdiction of the regular civil author
ties has been formally superseded, and arrest
suspected traitors entirely at their own pleasure.
As for Congress, nobody appears to remember its
existence. The institution still survives in contem
plation of law, but it seems, practically speaking,
quite super fluffy. The President, and his Cabf-
net, and his Generals, and the Governors of States,
and the volunteers, evidently consider themselves
fully equal to all the demands of the crisis; and
when Congress does assemble-which will be just
ten weeks after the first proclamation of war-it is
very clear what it will be wanted to do beyond
the routine business of providing supplies for
struggle on which it has never been consulted.
Louis Napoleons Senate and Legislatite body are
respectable and influential authorities
compared with the democratic assemblies which the
head of the American Government has not yet
thought it necessary to take into his confidence.
AS it is certain that, ip the present temper of the
Northern mind, Mr. nLinepln would have found no
difficulty in obtaining from the Federal Legislature
any extra legal powers That he might be inclined
to demand, this ostentatons contempt for constitu
tional proprieties is the marked because it is
More than one recent occurrence has given start
ling proof of the superiority of the Washn gton Elk
L
ago, the President ordereda razzia to be made, at
given day and hour on the telegraph offices in all
the principle towns Of the Northern States on the
chance OF finding evidence against ORATORS" His
omcers took torclble possession of the manuscript
originals OF all kilograms sent to the South during
the preceding twelve months, and carried them off
for inspection by the Government. This arbitrary
and violent, but unquestonably smart proceeding.
which may perhaps afford useful hint to European
despotsms-appears to have been decidedly popu-
lar: American editors recorded it with undisguiscd
with which the little coup d'etat was planned, and
the dexterity with which it was executed The
Times New York correspondent speaks of it with
much satisfaction as ga bold stroke,' and is pleased
to think that sthe possession of such mass of ma
terlal gives the Government a guarantee for the
quiet ofsuspected and disaffected PERSONS
1t Is unnecessary to remark that the possession of
the bodies of suspected and disaffected persons
would furnish still better guarantee for their quiet
behavior; and, in fact, shall presently see,
this obvious reflection has already suggested itself
to some of President Lincoln's Generals. Judging
from the general appreciation which has attended
the raid on the telegraph Offices there can be little
doubt that Northern opinion would be equally ready
sanction the administrative seizure the types
If, at least, it were possible that such journal
could exist within reach of New York mob
| The last mail brings US word of still bolder
stroke of military usurpation. The collision be-
tween General Cadwallader and Chief Justice Tanev
is somewhat absurdly called in the newspapers ga
conflict Of laws;,,' but it was, in truth, simply
ICOIiCt DeCWeeu law ana Illegal violence, which
law suffered total defeat. 1t just amounts to this
that the commander of the Northern troops now
in occupation of Baltimore has taken it upon him,
without so much as the preliminary formality of a
proclamation of martial law, to arrest and imprson
at his discretion civilians accused suspected of
political Offences and that the authority of the SUI
preme Court of the United States is summarily set
aside by order of President Lincoln. Without any
sanction from Congress, and by the simple fiat of
the President and his generals, the writ of habeas
corpus is treated as so much waste papcr-and this,
in which the civil authorities have never been SUI
perseded. 1t is ominous fact that this daring
assumption OF military despotism does not appear
to excite the smallest objection in any quarter. The
Northern newspa pes are told, mostly silent
on the subject, while some of them urge Gen. Cad
wallader to arrest Judge elf-conyicted of trea
sonablesympathies. The New York correspondent
of the Times severely blames Chief Justice fancy
for having sput the in way to excite the al
MORE" and remarks that the Gcncral's lawless
violence tsin a country which has just been SUBJ
dued, and which sympathizes actively with the
rebels. ought not to be measured by the same crit
cisrn that would be applied to such act in time
OF peace" If justified in assuming this
writer to be not unfavorable specimen of avefage
Northern opinions it is clear that the American de-
Inocracy is fast learning to make present Of lis
Liberties to any government that will find the means
OF gratifying its political passions 81
MARRIED.,
| On the 10th instant, by Rev. LEMuEL WILMER,
HENRIETTA M, daughter of Mrs. CArHARINE
BRAwNER and the late HENRY MIDDLETON BRAw-
NER-all of this county.