The daily Evansville journal. (Evansville, Ind.) 1862-1863, 1862-12-17
ARREST OF POLITICAL OFFENDERS.
Speech of Senator Fessenden.
His COllOquy With Mr.. Powell.

The following are the-s------v-'Frvv-' on
M--E-.-yi on winch our dispatches gave
a very meager notice: l.3sf1er
Mr.. Fessenden, (Rep) Of Me-, said:
Mr. President, l am one Of those who
had hoped that nothing would be said,
in the present condition of the country,
about the differences of political parties
/ think that the President has given the
best possible proof by his acts, especially
by his appointments, that he was dispos-
ed, in this great crisis of our country, to
forget that there was such thing as p0-
litical parties, but vet it is dragged into
this debate, and we find ourselves en-
gagged in a political discussion. shall
not follow in that line, but allude to it
simply for the purpose of saying that
when the Senator from Kentucky talks
about the triumph of the Democratic
pfry as great moral triumph, /, sir,
for one, am at loss to understand what
he means. 1t would seem TO be a mis-
nomer, a contradiction of terms, a thing
that all of us who have known anything
about the Democratic party in its recent
exhibition of patriotism would scarcely
imagine IL to lay claim TO- A moral tri-
umph, was it2 My friend from New
Hampshire has just illustrated what
kind of moral triumph the Democratic
party has gained But with reference to
these arrests / am willing 10 admit that
some of the arrests which have been
made by the President, have been appa-
rently without law, as it has been con-
tended by many persons claiming TO rep
resent the Democratic party or the Dem
ocratic element, as it is called, though
for the credit of many men who claim TO
be Democrats, | am willing to admit that
they were not united in this. 1t has been
said that these acts are entirely unlusti-
fable, and made without warranted law
and in violation of the Constitution. We
have heard this cry of danger to the
country..and to the Constitution continu-
ally and continuously. am free to say
that | am Influenced some in my opinion
in the results | come to with regard to
the danger by looking at and seeing
where this cry comes from. Ihear long
low howl, as it may be called, and look
to see where it comes from, and the kind
of pack that makes it, and | apprehend
Just as much SIS | should if heard it in
the woods from pack of wolves What
are the newspapers from which you have
heard this cry that the Republic was in
danger2 Newspapers who have taken
occasion to denounce this war, and to
express their sympathy with the rebel
lion, from the beginning in every way
they dared to do it, and to throw all the
obstacles they coud in the way of its sue
cessful issue. II comes from men who
are as we'll understood by their neigh
bors, and those who know them to be at
heart in sympathy with the rebellion as
any other fact that perhaps cannot be
proved by legal evidence in court of
justice Is it not so? Every Senator
knows from observation and experience
that it is So What should blame the
President for, if should undertake to
find any fault at all, is that he has not
sheen strong enough in his hands. have
ways held to the doctrine that if Won
strike at all, strike the strong and not the
weak. If there has been failure any
where, it has been in not attacking
the great heads of the disafection, in
stead of the smaller parties. If it had
been my fortune or misfortune to be at
the head of the Government, should not
have come 10 the bottom or the center,
but / should have struck at the TOP. And
if found a newspaper, in whatever part
of the country, which was boldly advis-
ing the military commander to seize on
the Government, would strike at that.
But that is not the question, whether
any great wrong has been done. read
in the newspapers that it has been done,
and come into this chamber and tell the
Senator from Kentucky, and l mean to
say it in parliamentary language, that
there are gentlemen here who have man
ifested more solicitude about the rights
of individuals than about the great inter-
ests of the question at Issue. Far be it
from me to intimate that they do not
feel all, that feel, but repeat that
am afraid that their solicitude for the in
dividualis. greater than taat for the mass-
es of humanity who are engaged in this
struggle. Well, sir, what is the que;s
ton. The question as amended by the
Senatorfr ON Indiana Mr.. Wright) would
be of no great moment 1t simply in
forms the President that if he thinks it
advisable and consistent with the public
interest, that we would like to know his
reasons for this arrest. o That is not dis
respectful On the contrary it is an ims
plication that we trust entirely to his
Judgment The Senator must acknowl-
edge that the people think that the coun-
try is in great danger, and he must ac-
knowledge that in times like these, many
things may be done, and must be done,
which in ordinary times would not be al
lowed He must acknowledge that when
the nation has war upon its hands like
this, an intercine war with traitors in ev-
cry part of this country, it is not time
to stand upon tribes and to exact a strict
account, by our resolutions, of what the
Administration are doing and their reas-
81 See fourth PaRe.