Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1861-09-10
NUMBER 1873

law. On the other hand t5o s s,-s u I,e
ne,eu win hotnlng but their own discretion o.
[a1r, suelr uDIerylency to their commander A
political opinion differing from tbst - - -.
party, an imPrudent word, wrtta1 a.. .nl.- -
Complaint against cur masters or anz,so.tE tii.s
matter, may be made the pratext for
; under the sanction Of the bill
Have we come to this? Does r,li+i,,I -.
dare thus attempt to confer such an env,e - 80
amy upon their party chief-tkus elothe him vifb
the power Of mercileSs persecution against thss-
opposers! Do they think that all serse Of iusfies
all appreciation Of liberty is dead with the nation
that nothing can arouse from its iethargy. Ara We
20 permit the fastening upon Is argiallaWshat Il
the viii Of acOmmaadeF-in lieu Of Law, under the
new phrase Of police regulations. or the old one Of
aiding and abetting," expOunded By military dez-
Mr.. Lincoln has not waited for the passage of tis
bill Martial law has already been proclaimed at
| ot LOUIS with an accompanying declaration that
All lnactlon Of its rules viii be promptly punished
tnree newspapers have been suppressed, and quiet
citizens Of the first respectabiltY arrested and de-
ported TO distant Bsstiies; this too. without a1y
proclamation Of rebellion against either the Stts
| or the city.
AF. Lincoln can easily create a rebellion when
ever ne wants enc. To do this he need only repeat
In any Stste having the semblsnce of power to re-
| sist what he he's already in the two uuproclaimed
states OF Maryland and Missouri and he will have
/ not rebellion IN aid Of disuniOn but within the
Union under the national flag, against the unccn-
/ rebellion he can issue his proclamation. and then
VIII coma TINS act Of Congress pretending to lega-
lze his dictatorship. His partisans NAV pretend to
think his discretion may be safely trusted not to
AOlse znch poWeri but the ConsdSution places no
su-n feLlance on any mans fOrbearance or discre-
lon Neither Is the nation disposed or bound so to
trust hlm or any other President He who could
SHOW, without even public rebuke. three repettons
OF "anton massaeres BY his German soldiers in the
streets Of st. Louis Of unofsnding men women ard
cluQrel. and he WIN innno .oh
orous imprisonment upon citizens as respectable As
himself or any member Of his Cabinet for no eanse
but that Of their political opinions in favor Of the
right of secession. deserves not 10 be an trur+si
As 10 a practical distGOTship, hat Is rast prqDing
against We already hare dictGt0rshiD VIA q
SJtbssrUieHt Congress gih an Obedent enormous a,t
lOA GctiUs assisting ciUI e0rpS Of q hundred did
soon tObe increased TO t,o) hundred thousand loih hun
dredsof Thousands Of pGtdters and # hungry sssE,rs
OfpGlroRGys. cti m,zai press and D7tosrlsss E,i
cldry Mr. lincoln is nOg he HlIsisTg his nation Il
loA is everywhere lao Tie dictliGrSip is n rRfOrcs
AHtat IS left for Us Is 20 DO l1hdt t5B may ODrsUsn
Us becoming permanent Institution.
The higher law dOctr.ns, that last refuge Of IA
neticism after thorough defeat in the field Of ar
gument. was forever buried, as it was hoped IN
der an immovsbls bad Of national Contempt and
odIum. But we fndit now not only resuscitated
into new life, but with vastly increased vig0r.
From the mere shibbOlath Of power!ess faction Of
fanatics. It has been inaRgurated by the President
and bis higher law Cabinet Into the ruling principle
Of the Government. They have eunningly dropped
It's CID name OF Odium and reDroach. substitutin.
that more imposing one the law of war. They tell
US that ours Is a mere fair weather Constitution
not made for the stormy weather of war and rebel
ion that whilst peace has its Constitution AMI
avs, wTr has also its approPrs e law, supereedng
be OtheF-thls supreme, paramount law Of war be-
ng the uhbridl-d viii Of its cOmmander-R-chief
lhls IS the recognized higher law Of the day which
openly claimei 10 be above all constitutional re.
trant 1t is, on larger scale, what has been long
n0wn IN this co Insry under the nams Of lynch
Nv.
What calumny upon the great founders Of ths
.epubiic % say the mama of Government formed
y them with so mach care vas intended merely as
fairwesther Constitution. It cO1templates wars
nd rebeDiOus, and gives the nesdful power for
ealing with both yet it was intended not to have
way during war or rebellion During war and
ebeIi0n II vas to be sUsPended-and BY WHAT By
lat thing of all others the most abhoFrent to the
len of the ReyOlutiOn-that then detasted and for
yer exec-Sble thing, military despOtism. II nil
ary desFntism ever be an indispensable aid in
lrryiDg war. it must have been for precisely
lat seven yesrs' war through which they had Just
lssed-a feeble people struggling for independence
yainst powerful enemy, aided by tens of thou
lnds of tories and traitors. If ever there was
ilitarY commander fit TO be trusted with arbitrary
)wer, they knew Washington to be that man. But
ey gave him no such tTus-; they acquiesCel IN no
lch supposed necessity for military dominance, but
their proud successful example gave the lie to the
u ImpU.ati0n upon republican institutions, and
ught their pOsterty that there never could be need
lder any circumstances for military dictatorship.
Again, we have the example Of the last war with
1gland, as righteous war as was ever waged by
le nation against another, yet during its whole
.Ogress denounced by powerful political party,
and out Of Congress, by public speeches and the
Ibiic press, together with endless charges Of cor
lption and imbecihty against the Administration.
lch was the ascebty and untiriDg zeal Of that par
A, that, having entire political control CT New Eng
nd, it rendered the whole Of that large part Of the
ton's population and wealth almost perfectly neu-
al in the.Tar, giving the Government no aid, but
nging upon il like palsied limb During the
cking and burning Of Washington City and the
mediately succeeding attack on BaltimOre-in
ct during the years Of rigorous blockade of our
Fts, the opposition never ceased to thunder forth
cir denunciatiOns sgainst the war and the Admin
ration. Did the Administration resort 20 arbi-
lry measures to silence this opposition, to pro-
It itself against the secret machinati0ns of sus-
cted spies and traitors; Not so. No man, no
ess was disturbed for political opinion II the
hey of the present Administration had been
rsued not prominent politician editor Of the
deral party in New England would have been left
tside Jail. But President Madison and his Cab
It were tmbuea with the true spirit of the ReyO-
n. They recognized the supremacy of
E law as the Indispensable price Of liberty,
all times, and under all circumstances, aad they
wed to it in willing obedience.
The pretext of any absolute necessity for the ar
raPy unconstitutional measures now adopted as
aid in auppressing rebellion IS a mere sham. 1t
pretext gotten up, not for national protection,
{ for political persecution. Il is mere absurdi-
to contend that the protection Of this great na-
n of twenty million needs the institution Of NAT
law-the arbitrary, lsWless suppression Of
Y newspapers the Imprisonment of a few
ndred suspected persons, scattered thr0agh the
lntry. Party vengeance, not national safety,
lst be the true motive. All that those presses and
spected persons could possibly do, would not i'm
r the strength of the Government half so much
lay not tenth part so mueh-as such manifesta-
ns Of deiberEt purpose of the President to cast
nsef free from all constitutional restraint and to
himself above the law. Such course, if there
re no alternative, would drive tens Of thousands
loyal Union men to the dire alternative Of aiding
her the rebellion against the Union or the rebel
4 against the Constitution. But there being
er far better Alternative, they VIII aid neither
nee, tens Of thousands Of these who otherwise
uld be active jealous supporters Of the Govern
Mt are driven into inactive neutrality, and to that
ent its strength is crippled and impaired.
he whole theory upon which the policy Of ar
-ary illegal coercion rests. if not mere @pusi-
iity" as sad by Mr.. Dana, is a total misCOncep-
Of the character Of our people. There Is moth.
in the whole circle of Government or individual
ratons which they hold in such utter abh0r-
ce as arbitrary, illegal oppression. Give the
mics of the Government the means Of PLAYING
n. exciting this feeling, and y0u furnish them
Md Of great potency, whilst yOu correspondents
weaken the Government. Look at the oppOsis,
mple Of Kentucky and Missouri The .latter
, st the commencement of these troubles az
yed 5y the elections, much larger proportion
on men Khan the former They bofh Al tba