Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1861-08-29

tuition in conducting his Administration
Very well there is day Of reckoning to
come with him and his advisers. But L Is
one thing to violate the Constitution in de-
fense Of your country, and quite another to
violate it in endeavoring TO subvert it,
When my Democratic or Republican friends,
''or any other man." are disposed TO call the
President TO account, aud am not his de-
fender, 4 merely beg, when they get through
with him, they will merely inquire whether
Mr.. Jefferson Davis & Co. have gone strictly
according to the Constitution Of the United
States? [Cheers and laughter. have the
impression that instituting pretended Gov
ernment within the boundaries of the United
States; that stealing the treasures of our
Government, its ships; betrsying It's COM
mands; firing upon It's fortifcations organi.
zing piracy upon the high seas, and long
list Of other and kindred acts-I have the
impression, l say, that these are slight in
fringements upon the Constitution, and may
require examination. Laughter. But
want to have my Constitution friends come
along with me, and when they get the Ad.
ministration all regulated and on the con-
stitutional track, to look at this matter q
little; for it seems to me that it requires at
tention. know not whether Mr.. Lincoln
has observed the Constitution indeed, for
all the purpose of resisting the rebellion,
care not. 1t is due to him to say, however,
that he has seemed to be in good faith at
tempting to put down the rebellion. He
has not done all things as would have done
them, because would have multiplied his
men by about four, and where he has struck
one blow would have struck dozen.
Laughter and cheering.] Therefore / do
not agree with him in that respect. When
the day comes we can have settlement with
him, for he is to be held with all other of.
fcers to strict account. But would not
do even that under the smoke of an enemy s
guns Let US see first, that the rebellion is
put down. And when that is done l am
ready to see how it has been DONE l do
not propose 10 yield this Union or any part
Of it to the so-called Confederate Govern
ment that has been made up in the Southern
States 1t is no Government, and there is
nothing in the shape of Government
under it, over it, in it, or around it, diagon-
ally, horizontally, or perpendicularly. Like
boy s training, it is all officers. Laughter. !
1t is made up thus: you shall be President
Of the Congress, and l will be President OF
the Confederacy; you shall be Minister Of
Foreign Affairs, and will be Secretary Of
the Treasury. Laughter. Doubtless, very
well satisfactory. enough. If they had
kept it to themselves no one would have
objected to their strutting in their stolen
plumage. But it is time for the people Of
the United States to put their hand upon it
in earnest, and to maintain the Government
of the Constitution. The habeas corpus
hard kind of name for writ, but one
which lawyer or Dutchman finds little
difficulty in pronouncing-it is said that the
habeas corpus has been suspended and
abused. Well, I think it is because some
have written so much about it, while they
knew so little. 1t simply means to have the
body. A prisoner is alleged to be improper
ly imprisoned; Il, in order that the case may
be inquired into, petition is presented to
Judge, and then the Judge allows the writ,
and the prisoner is brought up and the per-
son who holds him is bound to make re-
turn. If the prisoner is illegally detained,
the Judge orders him to be discharged; if
rightfully impri. oned, he remands him.
That is all there is about it. 1t is simply q
civil writ. But there is an old maxim, as
old as Julius Caesar would have been had he
lived, inter arnta silent eges, that is, the
laws are silent in the midst of arms. Here
is the question: An individual is imprisoned
here; some friend gets habeas corpus,
and he is brought up, and the case is inquir-
ed into. And whoever interferes with, or
obstructs that writ, is sguilty Of great moral
and legal wrong, and incurs heavy penalty
In time of war it is different matter. Here
it is found that man is fixing to blow up a
fortress, or betray an army to the enemy
The officer in command has him arrested.
and sends him to fort with orders that he
be strongly guarded, because he is known
| to be traitor, and in the confidence of
traitors and enemies. A lawyer sues out a
writ of habeas corpus But what is the
result? 1t cannot be served and the prison
er cannot be procured--they cannot see him
, unless the judges tongue is longer than the
soldiers bayonet. Would any one if he wa;
commanding at Fortress Monroe, Fort Nc
Henry, or any where else, where he wa:
surrounded with treason and traitors at every
step, would he, because judge sent wri
Of habeas corpus give up a traitor who wa:
endangering the safety Of his command and
the interests of the country? Cries o.
Never. No man can pretend it for Q
single moment, it is one Of the terrible ne
cessities Of war. And if were in com.
had possession Of a traitor, and no othel
| Tctucuy WOuiu dtICoo IicdCuCly, WOulu
suspend the writ, and the individual too
| [Cheers and cries of "Good," ''That goe,
right to the spot, +" THAT is sound" ''fha
is such Democracy as like to see. There
is no other here. Gen. jackson had the
hearts of the American people more than
any man of modern times. Aud why? Be
cause he met great necessities like man
He didn't go, in times of stirring necessity
TO demonstrate problems from musty pre-
cedents, but when man wanted hanging
he hung him first and looked up the Law
afterward. Laughter. There are time.
and occasions when this is the only way L
\ do in dealing with treason. The civil Law
affords no adequate remedy. While yor
are discussing the question the country may
be ruined, the Capital in flames, the arch
ives destroyed. When the war is over We
may examine and see if any one has secured
penalty for suspending the writ of habea.
corpus. Gen. jackson paid his fine, buI
not till after he had put down both foreign
foes and domestic traitors So long as there
is citizen South that demands the protec
ton Of this Government, then it is our duty
to protect the Government of the Union fol
\ his sake: [''Sound,'' ''That's the talk, y
&c. And when there is none, it is our duty
to maintain it, for politically, geographical
ly, socially, and commercially it is one il
!, every sense-it is utterly impossible for thi
n l.. I..,:IoI ,.kk,