The Weekly Perrysburg journal. [volume] (Perrysburg, O. [Ohio]) 1861-1???, 1862-08-06


military officers Of the United States, and de- .
no way in which the disloyal citizens of States
thus guilty can be reached except by our Army,
under the rules Of war, and they cannot honor /
ably complain II, after invoking the arbirament
Of the sword, they find that "they who use the
sword shall perish by the sword" aud that as a
punishment tor their crimes their property is
conhscated and their slaves emancipated.
LOYAL people, DEMAND coNFsclrtos AND ENAScI-
PATTON.
Mr.. Speaker, trust that both Congress and
the President will have the courage, in this hour
of trial, to meet these questions as become
statesmen, and boldly exercise whatever power
the Constitution provides for our safety and de-
liversuce. Il the voice OF the loyal people
could be heard in this Hall tonight, it would de-
mand of the Government that il strike the reb-
els in their most vulnerable point; it would de-
ulsnd that We should confscate their property
and emancipate their slaves The people of this
country are eminently practical people, and
they cannot comprehend the cause of our hes
itation and naciion. They demand that We
shall weaken the enemy by all means which the
laws of war will justify. They demand that we
shall deprive every slave-mOster of his slave,
upon whose labor both he aud his family sub
sist that we shall take his property and declare
his rights as citizen forfeited. They know
that il we wish to strike a fatal blow at the
very hear. of the rebellion, and conquer a
speedy and enduring peace, if we wish to go to
the very root of the evil and make like re-
bel!ion impossible hereafter, that wherever we
have the constitutional power we will destroy
slavery utterly and forever.
STATE REBELLION STATE TREASON.
The honorable gentleman from Massachusetts,
Nr. Thomas, in his speech on the 10th of April,
in speaking OF the relation OF the States to the
national Government, said "thst their life was
one " that the body is one, and hath many
members, and all the members Of that body, be-
ing many, are one body" The argument OF the
honorable gentleman, as understand it, is this ::
that If, from any cause, one or more Of the
State governments should cease permanently to
exercise their functions, or become part of an-
other government, dissolution of the Union
.
( this act would be accomplished, because one or
more of the members had ceased to be part OF
the body. In other words, the life of both ma
tional and State Governments being one, the
death of Il State government would necessarily
be the death of the national Government.
dissent from this theory, and am gratifed to
know that the Administration is not governed
by it. | embrace, rather, the doctrine declared
by John Quincy Adams in the speech from
which have quoted, that the national Gov
ernment may cede State burdened with slav-
cry to foreign Power" without destroying the
Government of the United States.
Sir, if it becomes necessary, to save the life Of
the nation. under the war power you may arrest
the Legislatures of sovereign States, as the
President has done may depose Governors oi
States and appoint new ones, the President
has done, without mourning the censure Of Con
gress, or, so far as | know, of a single loya
member of it. I adopt, in all its length and
breadth, the position Of the distinguished Sena-
tor from my own State, Hon. Benjamin +. Wade
when he declared that
the limits TO which man might go in the hon
est defense of his life when assaed, so no states
man would undertake TO limit the powers that
the Government might use 10 preserve its li(C
when assailed by traitors ! defy the gentle
, man to make an argument worthy Of the name
against that proposition"
do not design, Mr.. Speaker, at this time tc
! enter into lengthy discussion of the power o
a State to commit suicide by rebellion and levy
ing war on the national Government. reserve
that for consideration until the question comes
before us of providing temporary civil govern
meuts for the saiety and protection of loyal cit
; izens while engaged in The work OF reconstruct
ing their State governments ! think il proper
; however in this connection to refer to an i'm
portant historical fact. quote from the pro
ceedngs of the convention which framed tn
national Constitution. Luther Martin, a dele
J gate from Maryland, offered the ieilovias pro
vision
a That 10 act or acts done by one or more O
y the States against the United States, or by an
citizen of any one of the United States unde
the authority of one or more of the said States
d shall be deemed treason, or punished as such
: but, in case of war being levied by one or NOR
i of the States against the United States, the con
y duct OF each party towards the other, and the:
adherenls respectively, shsl, 5e regulated p
e the laws OF wer and q natioha"
l. HAD this prSyision been adopted as part Of tn
Coastituon Of the United States, 1t is clear tina
the citizens of no State could have been pur
l. ished for treason against the United States whe
y obeying the laws and ordinances of their ow
Il. l.
=, ish the treason "ithe. ii state or the citizen
OF atste, practically that which we call nj
:, tionai Government would he no Government
n all, but n more voluntary confederation hetWee
: sovereign atates, to be broken at the pleasur
of any one Of the parties Whenever in the est
nation of the other he CONTRACT he's been vi
! l.ted, tRe R4EtT belle TIpg useii uronged CLAIM
- ing the right 10 judge of the iufrsction of sa
g compact, and to determine for itself its own
Iion, This very fact the proRoaitieR was vote
. doSp Is the beat evidence that the CepventlC
oF intended to leave tho States as well as the pc
- pie OF the StGtes, ln case OF rebellion, ju
!, where claim the Constitution has left the su
A. jeet to the Government and control OF ConCrs:
"A The Constitution empovIrs oolgress TO ppni
~ treason, ana reduired tito see that each Sta
:. has secured to it a republican form Of Cover
- !. mept. Shall We disahaEse she duty, by punis
~ ing traitors and securing to the loyal citizens
s o the rebel States government republican in for
- l trust we shall.
"A can not forbeSr, in passing, to qpote p'
mo agrsph from the excellent speech Of the al
NS m f ,ha oomm m confederation ,o,,,
ing this subject. 1t is full of meaning, and v
:, afford food for serious reflection to all the
zee ponents OF these measures. After claiming Il
be State may commit treason, he says:
es, "If, then a State may commit treason, ant
he no laws exist under the Constitution FOR its
1y, propriate punish.aent, Il NAV become the d,