Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1861-08-01
THE RICHMOND WING.
TIE MILITARY DEsPOTIsN OF LINCOLN-sIGNI-
FICANT ARTICLE FROM LEADING ENGLISH
JOURNAL.
From the London Saturday Review

FICANT ARTICLE FROM LEADING ENGLISH
JOURNAL.
From the London Saturday Review .
AT last We have got Government! was the de-
lighted exclamation of Northern journalist when the
Washington Cabinet, having ascertained the will of its
many headed master began TO exchange It's attitude Of
imbece wavering for Of wsrike preparation. The
remark apy ex resses the instructive sympathy Of ul.
trademocracy with highbanded displays Of power, and
It Is not perhaps, without sinister significance
Cards the Interior results Of the struggle into which the
model Republic has plunged. According to present APP
pesrances, there Is every probability that If the
lasts any length Of time the American people may find
before it is over that they really have got Government
in sense little dreamed Of by the founders Of their
stitutioDa liberties. vigorous executive, unem0ar-
raised by oyernice notions Of legality, to be the
pretent ideal Of Transatlantic aspirations; and IL is an
ideal which, under favorable circumstance Is wonder
fully apt to realize itself. Laws proverbiay silent
midst of arms; and civil war, in which the Cen
ra Executive constitutes itself the organ Of the ercest
passions of democracy, Is admirably calculated to
generate what European politicians call 'srong govern
menL"
Some pregress has alceady been made towards this
consummation. Considering that it is barely months
since Lncoln5 Cabinet received lis instructions from
popular opinion il must be admitted that has lot teen
idle. Mr.. Bright never saw" the British Constitution
and he would perhaps be equally loss detect Il
OF American Constitution in the recent history
OF Transatlantic politics Ia whdt respsct the txisting
Washington Government offers from military dieid
torship, q might take time 10 explain We
tho President assuming and actively exercising powers
which might almost the Executive Of the most
ABSOLUTE European monarchy. He invites and accep
unlimited offers Of men aud money from al quarters,
aud apparently dsposts of both az his unetiered
discretion. His Generals take military possession Of
towns and districts where the jurisdiction Of the regular
civil authorities has been formally superseded,
and arrest suspected traitors entirely at their pleas
ure.
As for Congress- nobody appears to remember ts
stepce The institution still survives in contemplation
Of law but It practically speaking, quits super
fluffy The President and his Cabinet his Generals,
and the Governors of States, and the volunteers evil
IDENTIFY consider themselves fully squal all the demands
OF tho crisis and when Congress does assembe-which
will be jus! weeks after the fret proclamation OF
it is not very q ar what it will be wanted do be-
yond the routine business Of providing supplies for
struggle on which it has never been consulted Louis
Napoeon's S.nate and gislatve body respectable
and influential constitutional authorities compared with
the democratic assemblies which the head Of the Amer.
Government has not yet thought il necessary take
into hs conf ience. As it certain that in the present
temper Of the Northern mind, Mr.. Lincoln would have
found Diff ;uty in obtaining from the Federal Legis.
ture any legal powers that he might be nciEed
demand this osteptaticus contempt for constitutional
prophecies is the more marked because IL is altogether
gratuitous.
More shan one recent occurrence has given startling
pi onf Of the superiority Of the Washington Executive
to legal reslIants Two three weeks ago the Presi
dent ordered rszzia TO be made, at given day and
hour the telegraph offices in all the principal towns
10 the Norhern States the chance Of fading evidence
against 'traors" His officers took forcibe possession
4 the manuscript originals OF all teegams sent to the
South during the preceding twelve month"; and carried
them N for Inspection by the Government. This arbi-
rary and violent but uSQuesionaby smart proceeding
which may perhaps afford useiHl hint to European
Acknowledgements to have been decidedly POPULAR.
America editors recorded it With undsguised compe,
cCncy ard evidently adnrcd the sigaCity with which the
little coup deta. WAC planned and tho deIierity with
WHICH 1t was executed.
The Times New York correspondent speaks Of it
with much satisfaction "a bold stroke and pleased
think that "the possession OF such mass OF material
gves the Government guarantee for the quiet beha
of suspected and dsaiiected persons" IL
cessary to remark that the possession OF the bodies OF
suspected aud disafected persons would furnish still
better guarantee for their quiet behavior and in fact
We sha presently see, this obvious reflection has already
suggested itself TO Of President Lncolns Generals
judging from the general APPRECIATION which has attend.
ed the raid on The telegraph Cnces there be little
doubt that Northern opinion would be equally ready 10
saction the administrative seizure" Of The types and
presses Of AZ obnoxious Secessiops lewspaperif a.
least il possible that such journal could eIis.
within reach OF Il New York mob.
The last mail brnga Va word Of still holder stroke Of
miiiiary ,Slr egtioa The collision between Gen. Gag
waadtr and chief Justice fancy is somewhat absurdy
in truth simply conflict bst,oesn lao and illegal violence,
in which lao suffered total dG It just amounts to
this-tha the coIAandcr OF the Northern troops now
in occupation Of baltimore has taken 1t upon him. with
out much Gs the preliminary iorma;y OF proc!ama
ton CT martial law to and imprsoI ~ his dscre
ton civilians accused or suspected Of political Offences
aud that the authority Of the Supreme Court OF the
UGited States is unmlriy set aside by order of Pres
dent Lincoln. Without any sanction from Congress and
By tho simple fiat OF the President aud his General the
writ Of ha5eas corpus is treated much paper
and this too State which still adheres the Union
and 10 which the civil authorities have been super
seded
Il is an ominow fact that This daring assumption Of
military deSpotsm does not appear to srcit. ssaGss
OBJECTION in any quarter. Ira rogihsfp newspapers,
told y,stly .ient on the subject while come
of thsm urge Gsu Cadvslsder to arrest judge, SELF
| convicted OF reasonable sympathies The New York
correspondent Of the Times severely blames Chief Jus
lice fancy for having 'put the in way to excite
the already embit,erei feelings Of the people Of Pat
more" and remarks that the Generals iawess violence
Sin a country which has Just been subiusd, and which
| sympsth-'s actively win the rebels ought not to be
measured by the same critc-p tat would be applied
such ecL in time OF peace" II ju.lif,d ia
sumng this writer to be not uniavorable spesmsn Of
average Northern opinion, /! is clear a, s American
Democracy Is fast learning 20 soSs present Of IFS s6.
ET;iss - guy GJr'rHmsni tkat vN ind Ms means Of
gratifying rs political passions.