The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1862-01-08
IeoseLuDEDl


powers shall be vested in Congress. II he
may suspend anv clause Of The Constitution |
or any right secured by Il Jortio'I may he
suspend the laws OF Congress, and the rights !
and remidies prescribed, the powers granted, |
or the duties enjoined hy lhen.
And thus, according 10 this new thsory, !
the President may snpersede entirely the
Constitution and the laws; SET aside every
guarantee Of liberty; disregard every liinita
lion upon his own power; abolish all the civ
iiiinstltutions Of the land. snd substitute for
@ them his own undispa'ei will, he may dis.
= place the governman', which he has sworn to
preserve, and which We baye been accustcm
ed to believe, AMI to boast, IS the best ever
framed, and iRaugurats in Its room the ear
Hest and worst form Of epvernment--,hs
tlespotic command Of military chief; he may,
. with q word, abrogats the entire system
! which We haze built upon The foundations
laid by our laihers, AMI with another word
% build up new and differenl system; and
, a different spsiem; and all this rightiuiy, ls
Ultimately, without uSurpation.
-. The position is uttersbly pntenable. It,
~ has no warrant in the Constitution, nor in
tho principles which underlis our system Of
government, nor in the spirit Of liberty. II
{ is inconsistent with them all It's deliberate
adoption BY the people would destroy them
all. 1t is the offspring OF cOwardice, and
world become the fruitful parent OF tyranny
aud disorder II would reduce any nation to
the position Of slaves; indeed, any uaton
willing to adopt it as theory ofgovernment,
is so lost to every manly aspirations for iree-
dom; so lost to true appreciation of its dig
nifty and rights; so wanting i'll constancy 10
ii maintain them, that it is slavish already, so
weak and degraded that the yoke is but the
outward token and fitting emblem of its true
condition.
We are told in defense Of thi; new theory,
that the power is never to be exercised, in
deed does not exist, except when the rebel
lion il threatening the existence of the Gov
ernment. reply in the languag9 OF the
President in his argument upon the question
OF secession:
"The little disguise that the supposed right
is to be exercised only for just cause, them
selves to be the sole Judge of its justice, is
too thin to merit any notice, Message 10
Congress, July 4, 1861.
We are told that the Constitution was not
intended for times of civil war. Doubtless
our fathers hoped that calamity would never
befall our land; but they knew human nature
too wei to expect, forever, profound repose.
They hemselvea had just emerged from a
civel war marked by more than the usual tri-
ais OF revolutionary government; they had
eontended with the enemy from aproad, and
with the tories in their own midst, and with
remembrance fresh upon them, they framed
this Constitution and Government. 1t is an
impeachment OF their honesty or their good
sense to say that their work. was designed to
be operative during the quiet days of pros
porous pc ice, and to be superseded whenever
STRIFE and commotion should afford both op-
portunty and temptation TO usurper.--
They intented that the Constitution should
prevail at al! times, in war as well as in
peace They intended by it to define the
p bounds of power, and forever to restrain il
within those boends. 1t has done so. II
has uested the Government in some Of its
departments, with all the power which il
was intended ever should be used. Some
power was not to be used; for our fathers
thought--their sons should never forget it.
that the liberties of the people, the rights o
the citizen, were to be preferred to any form
of government, even their own handiwork
that when they came into collision the Gov
ernment must 90 down, that it would be bet
ter to risk the destruction Of the Government
than to imperil those interests, whose secu
rity is the only object for which all goot
governments are created.
If the laws are too mild, let them be mad
more stringent; if crimes have not been de
finel, let them be denounced, and punish
ment assigned them; If officers are corrup
let them be removed, if judges are imbeci
or dishone IT, let them be impeached; let tn,
machinery Of the Government all be used
and power enough will be found. Whoeye
would go beyond this, would subyert tn,
Government under pretense Of upholding il
would destroy Constitution under pretense Q
preserving it The Constitution is the war
rant of the Government, gives it power anc
substance, breaths into it the very breath c
life. The Government has no power, n
being, except that given it by the Constitu
ton The President holds his office, the Con
gress exercises its functions the courts 81
and give judgement by virtue oil its provis
ions alone. Il the Constitution is suspende.
the Government falls These officers has
Il not--no, not for an instaht-more powe
than the humblest and every citizen. I
suspend the Constitution in order to presery
the Cover nment, would be 10 stop the Gu
rcut of blood in the veins in order to impro'
the health; to take out the heart in order
nreserye the life. To preserve the Govern
ment the Constitution must be preserved, i
principles must he cherished; its limitation
must be reSpec,ed; its prohibitions must
obeyed When these are powerless for i
preservation, our fathers intended that
should TALL; Tor they ordained and eStabIisht
the Constitution "to secure the blessings
liberty to themselves and posterity," and il
vented the Government only as q machine
administer il. 1t it shall ever fail to do th
and if its existence shall ever become cor
patibIe with the existence Of the Constitutio
+ ( Il will have tailed in its Office, and ought
give place to a more efficient organza ion.
Every instinct OF PATRIOTISM, every hope
safety, every aspiration for national Ii
(which is with US but the emblem oil natio
& alliberty,) should prompt, nav, should cor
fnaod, IN thunder ones, this people to rebu
every attempt at usurpatlon, Let there
no change by usurpaton," said Washingto
in his farewell address; "Ior though this,
~ one instance, may b the instrument Of goo
it is the customary weapon by which free go
ernments are destroyed" .. .,..s
1t is attempted now, in times Of great e.
s citement, in amoment OF great pubnc alan
ny. II it is permitted now, it will be repe
ted; precedent vii give authority; tho ton
'' OF the public mind will BE- gradually degr
ded; lis sensibility to inractions Of publ
public liberty will be deadened. The peop
will Yield again and still again, tillzthe pu
lie sentiment debauched, the public virtue d
stroyed, the national character tarnished, Il
national love OF liberty diminished, they W
become an easy prey to the tyrant. Ea,
successful aggression upon peoples right
degrades its appreciation OF their value, al
OIL with the loss OF. if, the nation loses both t
/ desire and power to MAINTAIN them
These are not vain'iears. Already the
begin te be realized. Wher, six months ae
4 the writ Of habeas corpus was suspended
4 in the case o John Merrlnan, who was he
ye on charge of treason till the grand ju
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