, 1862-07-02

esThe Constitution as it wns.s'
We find nowhere more sensible articles or
more uneompromising in opposition to the
traitors and their northern sympathiEers than
in Ha7pe''s Weekly, which In the beginning Of
tts career vas positively pro-alayery.
. In the last number We find the following
Vigorous reply to the constant yelplng Of
northern defenders Of slavery: T.:
Whenever vigorous" military me.sure is
proposed 1nere Is cry from certain people
of the constitution and the Union as it Yss.
Certainly u Is; but what then? What is the
Union as It Was? It is the Union of the pso-
PIE living in thirty-four States under ons su-
preme national government, which by the
obedience to its authority from every citizen
IL the land, By military force Il necessary.
Inat Is what the government is doing. This
war Is the effort of the government to reduce
armed rebels to its authority. By the consti-
1fntion ne president is made commander.lp-
insui1eetion., When that military force is
counted by hundreds Of thousands; and con
tTunted BY hundreds of!thpusands Of armed
rebels, when bloody battles are fought, cities
bes1eged, and q stern blockade established,
there Is war between The government and the
insurgents, who Ere, at once traitors aud enc
mics, and who are to be suhdued by every
means known to war.
When the government acts under the clause
Of the constitution which authorizes the milf
ta1y suppression Of the rebellion, and all con
war,aEe suspended. For instance, every cii-
gen Of the United States has constitutional
/ immunity against the taking Of his life by the
government except after due process Of law :;
meanlng Indictment, trial, etc: But the goy-
s?1 s3nment took The lie of Sidney Johnston, at
ever. Was 1t an unconstitutional act? Not
ct all It was just IS constitutional fas tie
hanging Of Gordon. For the constitntib ibn-as-
tits authorizes the use Of military measures,
atte1 due warning, as much as it guarantees
individual Life and liberty, and when the
Union-as-it- is restored, every citizen who
has not lost his life by military necessity VIII
| enjoy all the civil guarantees for it.
:. And 20 With whatever else may fall within
the scope OF military necessity. By the late
| law paseed in the House our army is to be fed
| at the expense Of the rebels. Every citizen
| the cattle Of every rebel Will be pesemptogily
| seized and appropriated to the use Of the GOV.
eminent wherever the army needs it. Does
| that interfere with the urion-as-it-was7 No
1t Is simply an integral part Of the necessary
| military operations to restore the union-as-it
was. IL Ike manner, the slaves of every rebe1
WHO have been used against the government
are liberated. Does TINT interfere with tbs
| Union-as-it-was Not at all Its only parto
the constitutional means to restore tht
| UDl0n-as-itW was.
/ By-and-by it may become clearly necessary
| to summon I'LL loyal people to the defense o
1 the Government. and to that end the slave:
may be freed. viii TINT interfere with ths
Union-as-it-Was Not at all: it will be only
another blow which may be constitntioaall}
struck at the rebellion. 1t is true that in tht
Unlon-as-it-was there were slaves lawful!
| held in many States So there were in tht