Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1861-07-13

1assable one, for, under the guise of
trality, it would be in the hands of the
union men, and freely pass supplies from
ng them to the insurrectionists, which
odld not do as an open enemy
AZ stroke it would take all the trouble
81 he hands of secession, except only
p ,t.proceeds from the external blockade.
i yoald do for the disuuionists that which
. 81 things they most desire, feed them
sell and give them disunion without
ugle of their own.
It recognizes no fidelity to the Oonstitu
Nra, no obligation to maintain the Union,
iu1 while very many who have favored it !
sre doubtless loyal, It'll nevertheless very
ouriousin effect Recurring to the action
the government, it may be stated that
9 6rs. call was made for 900 militia,
bnd rapidly following this proclamation
vas issued for closing the ports of the in
eurrootionary districts by proceedings in
the nature of blockade. So far, all was
believed to be strictly legal.
At this point the insurrectionists ann
ounced their purpose to enter upon the
Practice fprivateering. Other calls We're
made for volunteers to serve three years,
aness sooner discharged, and also for large
additions to the regular army and navy.
tnese measures, whether strictly legal or
not, were ventured upon what appeared to
be popular demand and public necess-
ity trusting then as now that Congress
. WOULD readily ratify them. 1t is believed
nat nothing has been done beyond the
constitutional competency of fCongress.
f. Al g. ito -
considered duty to authorise the COM
manding General in proper case, according
to his discretion, to suspend the privilege
of the writ of habeas corpus or in other
words, to arrest and detain, without resort
to the ordinary process and forms of law,
such individuals as he might deem danger
GUS to the public safety. This authority
has purposely been exercised but very
sparingly. Nevertheless, the legality and
propriety of what has been done under it
are questioned, and the attention of the
country has been called to the proposition
that one who is sworn to take care that the
laws be faithfully executed, should not
himself violate them.
Of course some consideration was given
to the questions of power and propriety be-
of the laws which were required to be faith
fully executed were being resisted and iall-
ing of execution in nearly one third of the
States. Must they be allowed to finally fail
of execution, even had it been perfectly
clear that by the use Of The means necessa-
nv to their execution some single law, made
in such extreme tenderness OF the citizens
liberty that practically it relieves more OF
the guilty than of the innocent, should to
very limited extent be violated 10 state
the question more directly are all the laws
hat one to 20 unexecuted, and the govern.
= ment itself 20 to pieces, lest that one be vi
loated? Even in such q case would not the
official oath be broken if the government
should be overthrown, when it was believed
that disregarding the single law would tend
to preserve 1t
But it was not believed that this question
was presented. 1t was not believed that
any law was violated. The provisions of
the Constitution that the privilege OF the
writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended
unless in cases of rebellion or invasion the
public safety may require it, is equivalent
to provision that such privilege may be
suspended when in cases Of rebellion or in
yason the public safety does require it, 1t
was decided that we have case of rebellion
md that the public safety does require the
qualified suspension of the privilege of the
writ, which was authorized to be made.
Now it is insisted that Congress and not
the Executive, is vested with this power
But the Constitution itself is silent as to
which or who is to exercise the power, and
as the provision was plainly made for dan
gerous emergency, it cannot be believed that
the trainers of the instrument intended that
in every case the danger should run its
course until Congress could be called togeth
or, the very assembling Of which might be
prevented, as was intended in this case by
she rebellion.
No more extended argument is now offer
"a, as ON opinion at some length will proba
bly, be presented by the Attorney General
Whether there shall be any legislation upon
tho subject and if any. what, is submitted
entirely to the better judgment of Congress
The forbearance Of this government has
been so extraordinary and so long continued
as to lead some foreign nations to shape
their action as If they supposed the early
destruction of our national Union was prob
able. While this on discovery, gave the
Executive some concern, he is now happy tt
say thai the sovereignty and rights Of the
United States are now everywhere practl
cally respected by foreign Powers, and 6
general sympathy with the country is man
ifested throughout the world.
The reports Of the Secretaries of thu
Treasury, war ana navy, VIII give Tue III
formation in detail deemed necessary and
convenient for your deliberation and action
while the Executive and all the Department.
will stand ready to supply omissions, or t
communicate new facts considered import
ant for you to know.
1t is now recommended that you give tht
legal means for making this contest a shor
and decisive one that you place at the con
troll of the government for the work at leas
100000 men and S4C0,000,000. That nnm
ber of men is about one-tenth of those o
proper ages within the regions were appar
emily all are willing to engage, and the sun
is less than the twenty-third part of tn
money value owned by the men who seer
ready to devote the whole.
A debt of 5000 000, 900 now is less sun
per head than was the debt of our own Rev
oiution when we came ont of that stru Gle