Smyrna times., 1862-12-18


make these arrests or to suspend the writ o
hes1eds corpus. and that in doing so they were
guilty of an usurpation.
Mr. Fessenden (Me.) said he had hoped
that the question of politics would have
been left out of this debate. but il had been
dragged Ill. When the Senator from Ken
tacky talks about the triumph of the Demo
cratic party being a great moral triumph,
ne was at loss to understand his meaning
lie was willing to admit that something had
been done apparently without law. There
has been great cry that the country is in
danger; but when he saw where the cry
came from he regarded it no more than the
cry of a pack of wolves The cry comes
from the newspapers who have assailed the
government and thrown all the obstacles in
the way they could, and from the men who
are known to be i'll sympathy with rebellion.
II he (Fessenden) should find any fault. it
would be that the President had not been
quite strong enough. He should have
stricken down the great heads of disaffecton
instead OF the smaller parties. If any great
paper advised the military commander to
seize the government, he should strike
down that lie was afraid there Lad been
more Sollcitude for the opinions of individ-
uals i'll this chamber than for the interest of
the great masses in this struggle There
are many things which may be done. and
must be done, i'll times like these, which in
ordinary times could not be allowed Does
anybody doubt the patriotism Of the Presi-
dent OF the United States? Does any one
pretend that he has not done what he
thought was best to suppress rebellion and .
preserve the country, or that he has wiful- |
ly violated the rights of any citizen?
The President did not take an orth to
support the court, he took an oath to pro-
tect, preserve and defend the Constitution. |
and his paramount duty is to preserve and
defend it, and the occasion may arise when
he is compelled to violate the right of a cit .
zen tor time in order to preserve the ma
ton. And does anybody pretend that he !
should hesitate an instant. Nobody can
pretend that.
Mr.. Morrill, (Me.) contendcd that .hc res
olutlon as it now stood was not a mere res
oluton otinquirv, but charge against the
Government and Indictment against the
PRESIDENT, and he should vote for no such
resolution He claimed that III this state of
war and rebellion, with the land fn!I of
traitors and spies, the Commandcr-in-C Chief
mas the right 10 arrest such men. No on. /,
lot even the Senator from Delaware t.; ais
JuryJ has claimed that these mn were loyal
here had been many arrests made. ana tn,
ar and proper presumption is that the
resident had arrested gulltv men. and had
lmp.y done his duty as he ought to do it,
t will not do to pretend tAat whole State
'nd all its people are loyal
MIR Wright lind Democrat. moved to
amend the resolution so As to .nakr a cal.
lpon the President. instead Of u.,on the
Of War In a time like this he
";s willing to trust the President. and he
wanted none OF that miserable doctrine that
here could be loyalty to the Government
1nd dlSOyalty to the Administration. There
vas onlyan unconditional loyalty to the GOV !
'rnncnt and to the party in power to he al-
owed at time like this. when the Gf. Of .
he nation was at stake He dare not do
nythng else than to give his hearty sup
'Ort to the Government and to the Presi-
lent. lie said reference had been made to t
he elections in the West He met the
'ther day lifelong Whig, aud asked him
low ne had voted, and the reply was
hat he had voted the Democratic ticket.
lie (Mr. Wrighp expressed his great sur
rise at that; as lie had long emdeavored to
ret his vote for the Democratic ticket.
ghereupon the gentlman replied Cover
lor Wright, the Government is not in ear I,
lest." He (Mr. Wright dared not now
10 anything to confirm any such opinion as
hat. If we were to ask jeff Davis how he I
this rebellion, and how he united
he South so bitterly against the North. he
would reply that he had permitted no man
o live South who opposed his Government,
'r said anything against it.