Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-12-20

his liberty. We nav "a well understand this
Let Us talk plainly about it. Let not try to de-
ceiye ourselves or Others We are nn a~stsSius.
We are no law bgeikers Our people have en-
dufeI grsI deal. They have submitted Co ar
bisrar, arresss and IMPROVEMENTS But Ter me
say To yeu. IN Gods name. ''pause. stop: Jsu IAN
not 20 any further - Oar people are resolved
that sou shall not They are determined. Do
net asi-asdeF-isnd them. We are ior as.iaa We
are for Observation-Disclosures liberty Our an
cestoFs. Ia al times past have ,inicated H.: and
their descendants, after long suffering. will. il
need be. viadicate IL before God and the world
: repeat, Mr. Chairman, our people are in earn
est They mean ali that they have said. Thes
love the dag. because il represents constitution.
order law. They 60 not wish % be slaves. and
do not mean to be msde slaves. We have had a
bill pascal here % day. under whip and spur.
without debate. without inquiry. extending am
Desty 10 those who have thus wroBgcd our teo-
pie ] thiuk YOU had better also pass bill ex-
+ tending amnesty TO those OF YOU whom the PEG
T pie have condemned for your course here, so that
YOU can have a political resurrection hereafter
+ That is the only way you can ever have IL done.
lt is the only way in which YOU can ever have
forgiveness. Ii YOU expect that when the courts
came To look at the monstrous bill which you
have passed TO day. wiping out MI the rights of
those who have been immured IN prison. they
will hold il constitutional. you greatly mis-
taken. No court OF justice will hold that that
gives indemnity for the wantun. reckless. tyran
meal exercise OF power 1t is not justice on earth
Ii IS not justice before God in Heaven. Nv opn
ion about " IS that YOU had better have left the
courts opeI 10 our people aud Ter those men who
had ruthle.sly and iecklessly violated every pre-
cept, law aud constitution. take tue Legal conse-
quences "f their acts
But Mr. Chairman there is no excuse or palia
ton Tor the arrests that have been m de | care
not whether YOU take the ol the old man
like Mahony. tottering To the grave: or the little
bow ia New England. who sells newspapers for a
living; or men ct high and spotleSS character and
devoted fidelity 10 the laws like Judge Duff, of
Illinois: or the unfortunate bOv who was con
fined in Camp Chase. who cOald not paw his
washerwoman's bill, and was. therefore. accused
OF disloya practices: OR take the man of great in
telligence like Elson B. 0lds, OF Ohio. or the
unle rned squirrel hunter from my friends Mr.
Robinson district, who did not know but that
JEFF Davis and Lincoln were on the same side:
or the intermediate between these extremes
there i not one of them that could not have been
tried in the place where the offense said 10
have been committed: and. it found guilty. cor
rect public sentiment would have seen th,t the
penalties of the law were enforced upon them. In
all these eases YOU have violated the C6nstitn
ton and laws You have Gsregarded them both
Aud now YOU turn around and pass mn act of i'm
RACES and wrongs You have had injured in
prison men equal aye. superior. in intellect 10
the President or any Cabinet officer; men more
devoted 10 the Constitution and laws of he cOun
try than all of them together. Now. after AL
these outrages, YOU propose TO invest the Pres
dent with power To suspend the writ of habeas
corpus, the greet birthright of Englishmen and
Americans, and which has never. until now
been d>rega-ded under any circumstances il
this country, except inside the actual lines o.
, the army.
Mr. Chairman. have talked warmly on thi:
subject because felt deeply have advised
and now advise. moderation. Our people wan
peace They mean 60 preserve the Constitution
aad the Union They know that You cahno
nersiSt in the course which you now taking
That course leads To the destruction of both the
Constitution and the Union | am author
lied to speak or to lay down the plan which Is tC
govern Woody IN future. do not speak 70 da'
) for that purpose
Perhaps 1 shonId not anticipate the course o.
the President of the United States in regard I,
his proclamation / trust that he will reconsider
IT; that he will pause and not 90 forward with Il
This Government cannot be re. tored by the sworc
: alone You must carry with il the olive branch
The President says we making history
trust are not making such history the ncen
diary who swung his lighted torch in the air tC
burn the temple OF Diana at Ephesus, and who
has left his name behind while the name of hin
Who reared that temple has persisted from ou
, memories think we may expect that. under
change of policy. the blessings of the Union ma,
, yef he restored and made perpetual.
. Mr. Chairman. | am very much Obliged to the
committee for the attention with which il ha,
; listened to my remarks | have spoken freel,
and fairly and attempted to do nv duty in thi
great public crisis of our country.
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