Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-08-11


OF them inadmissable under tree Constitution.
aud under system OF laws which recognizes the
power OF the people In the language OF the e
oqoeat and patriotic Judge Thomas, (hImseli a
supporter in Congress Of this Administration
declare our intention 10 Labor earnestly for the
suppression Of this rebellion, and the restoration
OF order. unity, and peace. But there are two
things which We can hot and will not do. We
will lot trampse beneath our feet the Constitu
ton We have sworn. before God, 10 support. We
will not violate, even against these rebels, the
laws Of nations, recognized and upheld by all
civilized and christian States The love Of the
American people for the Union is interwoven
with the high prerogatves which the Consttu-
ton confers upon them and their pOsterity The
Constitution is The Union, and without the former
the latter would be of no value as a system OF
Government. When man tells you he is for
preserving the Union, and in the next act strikes
down the Constitution, that man Is false TO his
professions, and unworthy of your confidence.
Men must be judged by their acts, and not by
their words The false plea that this rebellion
can not be put down without ourselves resorting
to measures of rebellion and outrage against
the Constitution, is an admission which the
American people viii not make to rebels in arms,
because it would argue indeed, that our Govern
ment was failure which no loyal and true
Union man is disposed TO admit. IL has no
foundation in truth The people of this nation
believe in its Self-sustaining power and If all
constitutional guarantees, are preserved, this war
will end in the utter discontinue of the rebellion.
Let there be no tinkering with the Constitution
as il Is" by quack politicians, bigotted partsaus,
and Abolition members of Congress, and it will
carry the nation safely through all It's perils. Like
Judge Thomas the people will not believe the
Constitution is weak and helpleSs--so inca
pable of self defense. Nothing, in our judgment,
so shows its majesty and strength, pray God,
immortal strength The powers of war are
almost infinite. The resources of this vast coun
try spring TO open hand. All that men have
even their lives, are at the service OF their coun
try; and, in this great conflict, how nObly and
freely given We can and have raised ar army
of seven hundred thousand men-we can give
them the best appliances of war-we cover
our BAYS and rivers with a navy-we can block
ade coast OF three thousand miles-we NAV cut
down the last rebel in the field OF battle. Such
Is the p0iceT of tcari But when we shall have
used all these powers-when peace shall have
been restored, or when the rebels shall come and
lay themselves at our feet, or be taken captive by
our arms, then also will the power OF that Con
stitufi0n be made maniiest-then will this Gov
eminent be shown TO be the most powerful and
noblest upon earth, not because the captured
rebel is at your feet but because he is not. lou
can not touch hair OF his head or take from
him dollar OF his property until you shall have
tried and condemned him by the judgment of his
peers aud by the law of the land Does this
show the weakness of the Constitution, or does it
not rather show its transcendent strength This
is the language OF an eminent lawyer and good
man from the old Commonwealth OF Massachu
setts--the friend and companion of Webster
Choate, Winthrop, and that phalanx of true
national statesmen that once graeed and rendered
immortal the halls of Congress. They are words
OF encouragement, and are fifty and eloquenty
spoken. Let the freemen OF the Northwest catch
them up, and re echo their inspiring strains in de
Tense of constitutional liberty throughout the
land. That liberty belongs TO us, and We will de
fend il.
There has always existed q class of politicians
in this country who distrusted the powers OF the
Constitution, both in peace and war. They fear
ed. protessed TO fear, that it was not strong
enough to answer tie purposes of national de
tense, and hence they sought TO enlarge the au
thOrty and prerogativeS of Congress and the
President. These men, when invested with au
thOrity, and when they were in power, have al
ways found some royal road outside of the ConSti-
tuition for the accomplishment of their purposes
Characters OF this description are not all out of
public life to day but control for evil many of the
measures of the Administration and of Congress
In the days of the elder Adams and during the
reign OF Federalism, this class enacted the famous
alien and sedition laws The brought 10 bear
against the freedom OF opinion and of the press
the whole weight of the Federal Administration
and loyal and patriotic citizens were incarcerated
and fined iOr an examination into the public con
duct of the then existing Administration The
triumph OF Jefferson and the Democratic party,
III 1870, put end To the tyranny of that pro
scrpuve faction, and made such experiments on
the rights of the citizen costly for repetition
i'll the United States AT Il later day however,
IN 1872, when out of power. these same men in
augurated opposition to the war with Great
Rrlta lipa III. OH to1
Cony entl0n, that first reasonable assemblage
against the Union and the Constitution IN
which 1t was resolved that the States represented
therein be recommended TO adopt measures
against lendering military aid to the Admnistra-
ton of President Madison. The six New Eng
land States were present, by delegates in that
Cony eEtion, and it recommended that each of
these States adopt measures "efectuoHy to pro-
tect the citizens OF said States from the opera
tons and effects of all which haze been or
may be passed By the Congress of The United States
which shall contain provisions subecting the mi
lita other citizens to fOrcible drafts conscrp-
tons, or inpresSnents, not authorized by the Con
stitution of the United States" This resolution
called upon the six States represented in the
Hartford Convention to render no aid to the Ad-
mmistrdtion IN carrying on the war, where their
services were required outside of their own State.
1t made the General Government powerless, and
asserted tue very doctrines for which the South
ern rebels now content 1t struck down the
Constitution. aud asserted dogma which would
make this Union IA rope OF sand. IL is in keep
ing. with their other proceedings in later wars.
In the with Mexico, all New England did not
send many soldiers TO the field as Indiana nor
many the little State of Arkansas. She
had no heart for IA with foreign foe Her
politicians were out OF power in 1912 and 1876
and that made the difference Mr.. Madison's Ad-
mInistratlon, while contending against the cOlos-
sal empire of Britain, denied the aid OF \ ew
England, il that aid required outside OF the
six little States which compose that close corpo-
ration of manufacturers and tratiickers. She re-
fused ali aud every particle of war power and
defed the laws of Congress for drafting" her
unwilling citizens into the National army. She
even talked about the Constitution, and seemed
to have vague idea that such ar instrument of
compact betw ecu the States had real existence
That is more than she acknowledges to day
The "war power" in 1912 had very innocent
and limited meaning and did not extend particle
beyond the confines of State. and in some cases,
not beyond the limits of some petty town. corpora
ton or municipality. So tenacious were these New
England men of their rights-their State lights
that several of the Incorporated cities OF that Id
caty passed ordinances prohibiting the beating of
drums, the marching OF United States soldiers
the posting OF pacarGs calling for volunteers
within certain boundaries OF their towns They
hated the "war power then, and went TO the
verge OF treason in opposition TO this Govern
ment. They raised strong, violent and malig