Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-10-10

The following letter indicates a disposition o
returning sense aRd reason on the part Of the
Northern people, especially the Democratic pOr-
tion Of them
Special Correspondence Of the Chicago Tines
WAsHING GTON, September 3O--The proclana-
tions recently issued by the President constitute
part Of plot the part of the abOlitionists and
radicals for controlling the approaching cleo
IONS. The President himself Is either unaware
OF the existence Of the plot or increduious as to
It's being of any cons quence at all. But it does
exist, and the chief conspirAtors are the we'll
known leaders Of tbs radical abohtionists Uu-
conscious Of tho fact, Mr. Lincoln has been
made the instunent, Ia tho hands of these uu-
Ncrupuous and wicked men, Of iuV stiug them
with the power to rob American cit zsns of that
right SECURED to them by the express terms Of
the COnst tuition, the right freely to express their
sentiments
The approaching elections cannot be fairly
conducted uuless the people are left at liberty to
do what they have her tOfore done, namel, to
discuss freely aud without restraint the merits of
| the respective candidates presented for their
votes, the merits Of every public measure affect
ing the welfare of the c Iuntry, and the official
conduct Of their public servants. Ali this is for
| 0ldden by the 2 eSdenG's last proclamation
True, the words are not plainly expressed; and
! t1e power is there conferred upon the provost
nIsrshals, creatures unknown to the law TO EN-
ploy The Odious race OF spies, pimps, and in
| formers, to watch, and listen, and sneak around
I the daily path of honest men, to catch up some
! ungusTded expression which may be tortured
lntO the crime of discOuTsgin enlistmsnts. Why,
| no election for any msm0er of Congress can Be
conducted without tbs fullest discussion a. 10
/ tho merits OF the pubic measures now bofOre
| the people, and without full discussion a. TO the
! hicIsi conduct Of our public servants But the
slightest expression OF dIsspproVal OF any act Of
/ any such public servant. or Of doubt as to the
wisdom of any public measure may, under this
/ proclamation, DO tortured into the discourage
ment OF enlistments
( Nor is this the worst The radicals have de-
vised punishment for this grave crime of exer-
| cising constitutional right. WhosoeveT shall
express freely his views on p iblc questions, and
on the official conduct OF his public servants,
shall be arrested and imprisoned, and the only
limit to the duration Of his imprisonment shall
be the arbitrary will Of the chief military off ser
who Is the President of the United States
What can be not have the beHrfit of the writ Of
habeGs corpus 70 ascertain whether or not he is
g.lly RESTRAINED of his liberty (Fnr this is
he purpose Of that writ, and this is all that it
ian accomplish No The Presidents procls-
nation abOtShsS that writ in the case of al per
sons who may be so arrested.
The Piesidrnt has been led into doing that the
doi g Of which would cost Q lesn Victoria her
head. No E0glish monarch would dare TO sus-
pend the writ of ha5sas corpus Such an act IN
England would cause q revolution there Eng
land, as well as America, is a land Of liberty
bat 1t Is liberty restrained by law. The laws
Of both England and America the Constitution
Of both Great Britain and the United States, sol
EMMY declare tha in8lensble right of every citi-
n to this precious right and have placed the
awful power Of suspendinR it, not in the capri
ci'us will of the Chief Magistrate, but in the
nstionsl legislature alone The only power in
England that can suspend. or that would dare to
suspend, the habsaS corpus is the Parliament
The only power in America that can constitu
tionaliy suspend it is Congress. The abolition
i4ts have usurped that sacred function, and have
persuaded the President 70 exercise il.
1t remains now with the American people to
decide whether they intend to be ffeempn or
slaves; whether Ihry intend to give up, without
struggle 10 a radical faesiOa, their inslienable
rights; or whether, planting themselves on the
Constitution, they will demand and maintain
the rights which it secures to them The courts.
wherever the judges mAiutsin their integrity,
will sustain the position that b We stated above
Judge Hall, in the United States district court
tor The western district of New York, SO decided
only few days ago. The venerable and learn
ed Chief Justice Taney so decided more than q
year ago. Those newspapers which best fulfill
he functions Of organs of public opiuion-the
Chicago Times, the National LatsIiigsaesg, the
New York EZPrsss, the Albany ArgEs, snd
many Others OF shs most influential journals
have denounced as it deserves this gigantic step
toward deSpotism. All that is now wanting Is
for the American people to stand f mly On the
Constitution, 30 demand no hing that Is not
right, and to submit to no wrong
The tflrts Of the radicals are now directed to
the task OF making the people believe that Mr.
Lincoln IS the government, and that to oppose the
government Is treason. The irreverend Henry
Ward Beecher' in q sermon @ in his church %
last Sunday ser mon which was interrupted
by cheers aud lsugnter-said, President Lin
roin and his Cabinet are the government
Fatal, Pernieious mistake. The President is
OnlY the servant whom the people hsvs chosen
10 administer the gO0srHmsHt What the form of
the guveTsm-Ht Of any country shall BE- is laid
down in the COnstitu ion Of that country. Oar
COnsitu gusran ees to US free republican
goverum' Mt, in which the peOpe are the sover-
elgns, and the President is elected in order that
hs may administer that government according
to the Constitution
Ouce admit the absurdiiy that the President
is the government, and all is lost; our liberties
are gone; We are no longer q republic, but a
despO'ism more grinding than that of the most
absolute monarchy. For it is apparent thst ths
President has yielded to the pressure which he
has not the hrnness TO resist, and is hencefOIth
to be only the medium through which the de-
crees Of the abOIirOnists are to be eommuni-
Gated to the country.
The next decres is said 10 be in the form Of
proclamation aboiishing the State government
Of Florida, reducing that State TO the condition
OF territory, and appointing some Of their creA-
lures 70 & its territorial Offices. This Is TO be
followed By similar action in the case Of South
Carolina sud than all the other Southern States
81 ghar, if the radicals to bear sway, We are
70 be governed by prOclsmAtions, and thus will
terminate the bossted freedom of the American
spublic
NJ event since the beginning Of the war has
had such a depressing il f fence in regard to en-
listments as the emHnc patton proclamation. Il I
mas discouraged enlistments ten times mere than |
all he other causes combined This is the uni |
versal testimony OF sli the recruiting officers in
sll the large cities, and in ali the States. |
have made she matter subj ct of special in- /
quiry, and I kHOW It to be so Therefore, the |
InsIigators of that proclamation ought to be At
once arrested.
The radicals had another object in visw in
persuading the President to issue the ems ePa-
lion proel m alton You will observe that il is
20 worded as to not emancipste the slaves,
unless the war is not ended by next January
Tnsre was every prospect, before the prOclams-
Iion was is-usd, that General Mcclellan would
falIow up his victory at Antistam by the deStruc-
ton of she rebel army, the capture Of Richmond.
and the end Of the war, al before she end Of
this year He would certainly have crossed the
Potomac and annihilsted General Lees army,
if be had been properly reinforced since the
I7th inst But this would not suit the radicals
They therefore procured the issue Of this prOcla
nation, which will not take effect If the war is
ended by next Jsnusry. In order to make as
surAnce doubly sure, they have prevented Gen
eral Mcclellan from being reinforced, and at
temrted in the governors convention at Al
toona, and are now attempting here, to effect |