Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1862-02-15

10 the constitution tnan that man VINO, be-
meath the cloak of power, conceals the
stiletto with which he thrusts at its vitals.
Since his release, your memorialist has
applied again and again to the Secretary
of War, for the cause and nature of the
accusations against him; but thus far all
his applications have received not the
slightest notice. This persistent silence of
the Secretary of War raises the presump-
ton that the unconstitutional warrant by
which he dared to deprive acitizen of New
jersey of his liberties, has not even the
bald pretonoe of written accusation to
give it the fimsiest shadow Of a decent
formality.
Your momorialist, by reason OF this
cruel, unmsnly silence of the War Depart
ment, has been compelled to submit to
have his goot name and fame called IN
question, lis toyalty 10 The Constitution
douJted, md the most ungrounded ond
wye@ prJ@litcS c"geadercd against Him.
1t is the grossest injustice to place an in
dividual in such a position---violate all the
rights, privileges and immunities that be-
long to him as q citizen--punish him as if
he were the viIest criminal, and then cruel.
ly withheld from him the nature and cause
of the accusation against him.
Your memorialist therefore makes this
appeal TO the Legislature of his native
State, that it will, through our Senators
and Representatives in Congress, demand
of the War Department the nature and
charges on file in said Department, upon
which such warrant was issued, OF, if no
such charges ure upon record, that then
it shall be so made to appear.
| am fully aware that in the aucient
commonwealths, sef-preservation was con.
sidered the first necessity OF the State, as
it was of individuals, and could be used as
a justification of "Me temporary ue,liny
gthe Statues Of Libeny." She dictator
who, in the houy eff the Nations peril
came forth fl ON the Roman Senate with
absolute powers over the he, lberl and
property of the Roman citizen, was only
the creation of this dangerous idea. And
during the rel ign of Elizabeth there was q
notion that kind Of paramount sovereign
ty existed which was denomiuated her
absolute power, incident, as it was p-eten-
ded, to the abstract nature of sovereignty,
and arising out of its primary Office of
preserving the State from destruction, -
But even then in that tyranical reign, it
found men bold enough to dare the ter
rors Of the royal frown, and declare 9Th at
this insidious plea Of necessity means too
often the security of the sovereign rather
that of the people, The opposition to
this perniciouS doctrine went on gathering
strength until, in the reign of the First
Charles, it eliminated in the far famed
Declaration Of Rights, that is the beacon
light, casting its blaze atar, to warn tyr
annIcal governments against the invasion
Of the liberties of the people.
And yet, we are asked to believe the
monstrous doctrine in this high noon OF
the nineteenth century, in government
like ours, made by the haters of kingly
prerogativo, with a written Constitution
defining and limiting the powers Of every
department, there really, in time of war,
Turks in the Executive this dangerous ee-
mcnt of power and against which there
had been a continued and successful strug-
gle Of five centuries in England. In the
eloquent words of Mr., Pendleton, of Ohio,
words that have the true ring Of the metal
of the olden time, "Can it be believed
that our fathers, protesting against kingly
prerogative, revolutionists because of out
RACES on personal rights by their sovereign,
would clothe the executive ot their new
government with power over the citizQes,
which their former master lad never dared
to pretend that he possessed Can it be
believed that they, proud of their English
liborty-ayc, proud of their LOYALTY to the
English Constution, would sacrifice that
right, which their English ancestors ac-
counted their chefest glory. Those an
cestors had battled for centuries, brayely
for popul ar rights. They had placed the
crown upon the brow of the people-they
had decked it with many jewel, it was
rad liant with the glories of Popular libe rty
and can it be believed that our fathers
would tear away this priceless gem, that
sparkled in the very forefront of that
coronet, and with it adorn the spectre Of
executive power. In no other point in the
Constitution did they limit the rights of the
noonln d. aln,ittol NJ III ~ d,y oo, - h.