The Nashville daily union. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1862-1866, 1862-09-12
Under the Law.


Il is no uncommon thing TO hear men
who have abjured their allegiance to the
Federal Government, aud acted with
those who are attempting 10 destroy il,
claim the protection Of the very laws and
constitution which they have tried 10
destroy. Slaye-owners who have con
tributed largely to The Rebel Government,
80 boldly to the Federal camps and de-
mand the return Of their slaves who
have ~absconded, under the Fugitive Slave
Law. Farmers who have helped gner-
rillas 70 murder our pickets, claim COM
pensalion for the provisions and PROV
ender which our troops have taken iros
them. They demand the enforcement Of
laws which they have renowned, In their
favor, aud claim 10 be under the law, and
therefore entitled 10 all It's benefits.
They deny Federal allegiance, but de-
mand Federal protection. They even
have the audaciiy to tell as Why, you
deny that we are out Of the Union, and
therefore you are bound to-giFe
protection Of its laws" We reply That
we not only admit that the rebets are in
the Union, but we insist upon It but we
do positively deny that it follows that
you as traitors and violators of the laws,
have any right TO the protection which
they extend 70 the law-abiding. Il Is a
serious and yet a very common error TO
suppose that being under he lac necessa-
rily carries with it the idea Of being
under NE protection of the law.
We must remember that the law con-
sists Of two very different things
First-Of penalties.
Second-0f protection.
Its protection is designed for The laD-
abiding.
It's penalties are designed for Inc
breakers.
It's protection secures the liberty, the
person, and the property Of the obedient.
Its penalties deprive the disobedient
Of property. Of liberty, and sometimes Of
life itself.
Every court Of justice illustrates the
truth Of these propositions. We see
money, lands and personal property re-
stored to their rightfnl owners by the
process of law this is protection. We
see the guilty fined, imprisoned, and put
to death for their crimes and these
are the penalties Of the law.
A man, therefore, may be mder he la0,
and yet, far from being protected by it,
be stripped Of every right that he ever
possessed.
The rebel who asks 70 be considered
under the laws which he has attempted
and is yet attempting TO subyert, is maxi
ing a suicidal request, for if those laws
be enforced, he will inevitably be ruined.
And here let ms add hat the crime of
treason is in the words Of Judge STORY,
"THE HIGHEST CRIME KNOWN TO
DONlAi L. ~ 10 1n dAANihPN " WV
throw the whole social and governmental
fabric. 1t is a desperate and dreadful
conspiracy against the peace and life of
every man, woman, and child in the land.
II is the Pandora-BoN Of sin the En-
c~yclopedia Of iniquity; the concentration
and quintessence Of all offences it is
blasphemy, theft, murder, perjury, adul-
terry, %avarice, ingratitude and impicty.
Itis a well known fact that all traitors
Of whose lives we have any record, were
men Of corrupt moral and proaigate
lives. Such were CArALrNE, ARNOLD
and BURR. The common consent Of
mankind has therefore out-lawed trait
ore, aud denied them the protection of
the laws. We can no more consent 10
retain traitors in a government, than we
can scorpion and rattlesnakes around
our ire-sides. They who desire the
protection Of the law must obey the law,
or else expect TO suffer IFS penalties,