Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1861-07-04
Riebmon0 Enquurcr,
THURSDAY MORNING. JULY 4, 1861.
War and constitutional covernrnen,s.-
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by TYLEk, v l>E L ALLEGRE.

I
War and constItuii"nni GOVERNMENTS
Condition OF The North.
y condition Of war is one of more or less
peril to lloerty. Its exIgcncies arc cf.cn such
as render the restraints Of constitutions in
convenient TO rulers; while the passions of the
sriie readily dispose ct:z ms to surrender those
safeguard which stand in the way OF prcsen;
success
For these reasons it wss that Jcha Rudolph
so earnestly opposed war, and even the war o:
1912.
But il all wars render a greater degree Of
vigilance and seil.res.raint necessary, lest the
found ,ioaS OF fyec governU cnt be endangered,
,norv especially is this thu case with war Of
conquest and suhjugation.
\ war Of defence is war Of patriotism, and
for liberty; while a war Of conquest is war
Of ambition, and draws its vital breath in the
spir:: Of iyra.ny. Ia jnst that degree in which
patriotism, is nobler than ambition, and the de.
sire To preserve ones liberties superior to The
dark spirit s!ch srtk, to take away the li5cr.
ties of others, in that same degree will it be
found that the suicidal cicments Of an aggressive
war exceed those of m,r Of detence, to the
communities ergase'! IN them.
| In our u;rsrli! contest with the North, ,hcre
ture, while Our rulers and citizens owe it to
! themselves 10 n,4niiust ,nat same patriotism
which urges ihrm 10 the field, By habitua
respect or ;!u Authority Of the Law and frl
the safeguards of pur liberties, We yet have
comuars,iyer lIt.e 10 excite our Sosicitude,
while We have happily had nothing thus far 10
demand our condemnation.
Mt so at tho Norla-very far from it. The
FIRST sacrifice which the people there have OF
fered on the altar uf the bloody god is their
own freedom. They became the worshppers
of Moloch, and THIS WAS the oE.ring the,
brought in ,hei: 10 3D.. The people Of ,hi
North haze no Constitution. The empty pre-
tencc is lllrre; but the very ministers Of JUS
tice are mcckeI in the inner courts OF The TEN
pIe aud arc set at nought by men Of war
Their President no lorger wells his usurpa.ions
even under pre,ences. Vice no longer pays iD
virtue the homage Of hypocrisy. The Sworn
officials Of the law lra;nple 1t under foot with
out hesitation and ~ilhout apology or shame
And the people OF the North, -wta! do the!
say? Do they stand patiently hy and see hui
wark after bulwaik o! their liberties fall brfoT'
usurpation after usurpation2 They have sren
Lincoln declare war,-wh!ch the Constitution
says he sha! not do They have seen hin
spe.k standing army into being, before which
our lo7vf.thvS would have stood appalled,.
even though CJntress mad ordered it, a:iG
Washington s,on;l ut me head. They haS,
seen States Invaded, the civil authorities dir.
placed, citizens Iiaged, and their persona
immuuities denied with scoiRag,-snd the alb.
solne rule and summary proceedings Of epau.
Ie.tel despo.s backed by bsyo:.e.s, substituted
for the written laws md ju5. ru."s of cur frc'
and hulnane institutions.
They have eern Gil this and more ;-wtut d.
they say D. they cry ONT agairs: such usur
pations, which have reduced the rights Cf eacl.
one Of them selves, to the will Of their rulers !.
Alas, not they! On the contrary they applaud
them They ure 50 transported wita rage
against the South, SO eager to crush us. con
quer US, suljagate Us, that they are willing 10
pay any price for the grau 6ca;ion Of thei
frantic desire. Their passion is de,noniac and
therefore they arc reckless. Docs Judge Ia,
ney from the highest seat Of Judicial power
lift up his reverend vcice and demand that the
rights Of every ciliz"n be vlndicuted in the
person Of the prosecuted and imprisoned Johr
! Nsrr,mau? Lincoln hears with cvn!emptuouS
silence, while the swift aud obsequious instru
men,s Of his tyranny transfer Melryman frou
! the urson 10 tho criIninsla box Congress is
% NEE, We hre told, no. to vindcate the laws
aud Constitution, but to c0rer up L;ncoln's
violation Of them by is endorsement! Says
the New York Times" ''lt will BE- for the
President merely TO submit his past action for
the approval j: IS qui." sure to receive" NoI
! ID Congress to stop there. Il must emulate
what il stands so ready TO applaud. Nay il
possible, it must surpdss Lincoln himself in
nIs conteuPl Of constitutional Limitations and
oii :si ollhs. Stys the s.i!ne \. I Times :"
''Congr,ss will act as ii invested With tue
power OF q uuLionul convention; for in merely
Snrctinuing what the cxrcu i've has already
done, in the !cyying Of tronpo f@r three years,
! in the use OF uusppToprHted moneys iur tx
,ra9rdiIlary eXpcnseS, uad in its appointments,
| it will have TO tralisc:hd The au,h0rIly Of thr
| Constitution. And there can be no hesitation,
not only in app'Cvulg iI,ac acts, bu', u ncces'
! sary, rcsorting ~ other measures equally un.
wal ranled by lie precise letter Of luat inSlru.
! menL"
What vs have given is sans, and no
! more than n sample. We :sk, then, kav. the
Northern people constitutional government
! Ells citizen there any rights? Is There any
| law? The only reason that the people are ig-
norant oi their condition AMI DO not feel liz
intolcrabe evil. ,s, that for the present the pas
sions Of the government coincide with tho pls'
sions Of the populace. The government is now
the rchtx of tho mob. When that many
headed monster shall change It's f!fn frenzy,
it may fnl that ths CLEAN of the hayenet AID
the gloomy mouth Of tho cannon arc III its path.
| When men would even Cent? ~ their senSt S.
and return to gentlsr tcmpers and juster ideas'
ar,ued Zouaves may dictate their conclusions,
and Billy Wilson's may administer the law.
They will .hen, with bitterness Of s?u', reEnt IN
Der John MIryr, and how they cried, d,away
with him They @il then mourn and lament
as they read above the crumbling arches Of the
dcsecrated temple Of liler former liberties, ,he
terrible epitaph "Ichabod. and underneath
the brief story Of their fall: Here lie peo.
pie who sacrificed their liberties ia the ef,rt to
easlavo men who had done them no wrong In
t.cir rag. ;hey ,:aked l;fe against li!e-stak'd