The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1861-07-03

The right of h0beds corpus.
The RIGHT of free speech and a free press
The right of trial by jury
The right TO keep and bear arms of any sort
which right says the Constitution shall not be IN
tringed
The right TO be secure in their persons, houses,
papers aud effects, against unreasonable searches
and seizures.
The right of the people of each State to manage
their local affairs, without interference OH the part
of the Federal authorities.
All these rights are soemnly guaranteed TO
them by the express provisions of the Federal
compact, and whatsoever violates any one of
them may lawfully be resisted, let him be whom
he may.
Before the President Of the United States enters
on the execution of his Office, he takes the follow
ing oath:
81 do solemnIy swear that will faithfully exc
"cute the Office of President OF the United States
land will, to the best of my ability, preserUe pro-
'tect, and defend tile Constitution Of the United
States"
Has the man who now occupies the Presidential
chair religiously kept his vow? If he has, be must
hare respected the Constitution in all its parts,
and in so doing, could not fail to respect the rights
of the people under the Constitution If on the
other hand, he has, in any one or more instances
annulled those rights, and usurped powers which
do not belong 10 the Office, he is false to his trust
and can neither claim nor rightfully exact che
dience TO his mandates.
If the people of Maryland have at no time
interposed obstacles Of any kind what
soever, to the full and complete exercise OF
the lawful functions Of the Federal authorities
in their midst, on what grounds can they
be justly Invested of their constitutional rights,
and held amenable to punishment? On the
ground that it is necessary TO maintain the laws
They have broken no laws. On the ground that
the Constitution must be preserved? They have
never sought TO destroy it. They have incurred
no forfeiture of their privileges, yet those privi-
leges have been wrested from them, illegally, I'M
constitutionally, despotically. These are facts
known to all the people of this State, open to
all the world; and being such, it is not difficult
to understand to whom the terms traitor and rebel
would justly apply.
We have said that the Constitution guarantees
to US certain rights, and that the President, the
sworn defender of those rights, instead of faith
fully performing his duty in the premises, de.
Hberately violated them at every step o. his official
career, the manifest tendency of his acts being to
destroy utterly the liberties of the people, and
to establish centralized despotfsm If we
are in the midst of a revolution let us ar
least understand who it is that is the
chief of revolutionists, and to what extent
encroachments have been made upon popu-
lar and vested rights.
The Constitution gives 10 Congress the
sole right to suspend the writ of habeas
corpus, and that only in cases of rebellion
or invasion; yet Mr.. LINCOLN has not only usurped
this authority, but has delegated its exercise to
others, who are, as it has been well said, Gun
''known to the Observation-Disclosures TO the
''people in any legal relation-responsible to no.
"body. and selected by nobody having authority
ITO make the selection" The judicial protest
against this outrage has been set at defiance by
a military officer, and the act is countenanced BY
the Executive and applauded by his partsans.
The constitutional right of the people to keep
and bear arms-not bird-guns merely, but arms
of offence and defence-is clear and undeniable-
arms of precision, as they sometimes called
for every male person of adult age, constitutes
part of the militia of the State, and may be called
out at any time, TO repel invasion, 10 suppress in
surrection or TO aid in enforcing civil or criminal
process. Mr.. LINCOLN has wrested from the people
of Maryland this constitutional right. He has sub
jected them, moreover, TO unreasonable seizures and
searches without warrant of law. He has arrested
private citizens on no further authority than mil
itary order. He has called out immense leves OF
troops without the sanction of Congress and in
contempt of the reserved rights of this State which
has sovereign jurisdiction within her own borders,
has occupied her soil, taken military possession of
her chief city and of her great commercial high
ways, annulled her laws by military edict, and
usurped the functions of her police. The armed
men that are now posted in our streets and en-
camped upon the surrounding heights are all of
them interlopers and have more right to be here
against our wishes and in opposition to the protests
OF the State authorities, than body of Coazaclto
would have nor can Mr.. LINCOLN find any author
ity for quartering them amongst and around US
except his own despotic will. They are, in fact
and in law, invaders, and if they are unmolested it
is bat by suffarance. There other points upon
which might touch at this time with equal
logue which is fresh in the memory of so many
1t will suffice for to up in the words of one
of the ablest lawyers of st. Louis, other
usurpations for which Mr.. LINCOLN has yet to an
swer before the bar of this people Here are the
charges let his partsans gainsay them if they can
1.-THE President usurps the war power-confided
'only to Congress. The President usurps the
Commercial power-copided only to Congress.
"The President usurps the power of appropra-
Citing the money of the United Staes-confided
''only to Congress. The President usurps the
'postal power-confded only TO Congress. The
''President usurps the judicial power-confded to
'tthe Courts of the United States; and he has
'tadded dupcity to usurpaton, for he called out
''his army to aid the Courts and Marshals of the
"United States"
''The government of the United States is now,
''at this moment, military mob, and if the
president had been declared by the people
"Dctator, he could not exercise more power than
che has already assumed"
What more need we add? 1t is for the people
who have been thus outraged, to reflect upon this
matter. 1t is also for them to decide whether
they are prepared to reclaim their rights, and TO
vindicate the Constitution under which they have
lived and prospered; which they have inherited
from their ancestors and hold in trust for their
children.