The star of the north. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1849-1866, 1862-10-08
Proclamation No. 9.

ITUCldHtlluu NU 2.
The slaves are allowed three months and
hall before they are converted ialo free
men. Freemen have no snch day of grace:
for Mr.. Lincoln's Proclamation No. 2 goes
into effect at once and everywhere 1t de-
cIares martial law throughout the North with
Provost Martial and his deputies in each
State and county. Itsnspends the writ of
! habe1s corpus, not in specified regions but
everywhere, in the case of suspected indi-
viduals !. II degrees he trial Of persons be-
/ fore Military Commissions These are
lis chief.provisioas, Interesting to every man,
woman and child IN he Northern States.
Let us, in plain and direct way, reduce
these large sounding phrases and annuncia-
;iens 10 their clemens. What does martial
, law mean Ii means, in plain English the
supremacy OF the military to the civil au-
thoriiy. When they do not come in con-
I fict, the civil authority possibly may act
but when they do, The civil authority must
yield. The commanding general is the
Federal Mayor, and The provost martial The
Federal high constable. II Mayor Henry is
! willing 10 do y hat The commanding general
directs, then the Mayor may continue his
functions; but if Mayor Henry demurs,
then General Montgomery. or some other
general, may put The Mayor in custody
All cons'ables subject 10 the provost
martial, and $50 says the order OF the adiu
tant-generai,) must obey his orders II du-
fte,f i.~t..
chooses, he may take possession OF any
house in Philadelphia and do wha: he
p!eases with ii. He il not answerabIe 10
he law, only 10 his military superit rs, and
they are. a hundred miles distant from
Washington. Such is martial law, which
Mr.. Lincoln's.procamation says exists in
Philadelphia. The marshal, as an agent OF
the war Department, claims the right 10
make MILITARY arrests and if Judge Cad
wallader dsses = s-y he f-s 80 @so!. r:ssl.t,
the marshal will, by virtue OF martial law,
exercise in spite of the denial. Such, we
repeat, is martial law.
What does suspending The writ OF habeas
corpus mean ? Lel as see. 1t means de-
niai OF the right 10 meet one S accuser face
to face a right 10 know why a citizen is
deprived of his liberty and locked up in jail
man is accused, on an er paFte affidavit,
made before some magistrate who neither
knows nor cares for It's contents, or, as is
the fashion, before some man who has no
right to administer an oath or witness an af-
fidavit. 1t is sent 10 Washinston, and Il.
c. Tuner sends word 10 arrest the man,
and the arrest is made, and he is hurried
away TO the Capitol prison, or kept in Gus
ody here and when be or his friends-his
wife or his childfen-ask why what is The
charge against Eim they are told it is none
oil his or their business, because the Presi-
dent has suspended The hd5eas corpus aci,
and they must submit The suspension OF
the writ gives glorious immunity 10 spies
and infofmers and deleciors, and stool pig
cons, and all tha; brood of noxous vermiu
which the stagnant pool OF rres ponsible
power creates in profusion,
Having secured the citizen and carried
him of where neither vile nor children, nor
friends nor relatives can trouble him with
questions, he is brought before a MILITARY
Commission" $50 says Proclamation No ?
in so many words a SORT oi grand drum
head court martial, and there he finds oui
what he is accused OF. Military Commis-
sions are summary tribunals, not much re-
strained by lechnicaties and having su
preme contempt for Constitutions and laws
and rules Of evidence. General Hunter,
who, we see, is Presiden, of one OF them,
might give black man far trial. ut will
make short work with white one. The
poor citizen ventures suggestion as TO trial
by jury, and his peers, and his vicinage, ard
his distant witnesses i: but be is pooh pooh
ed, and maybe he Is told to prove his inno
cence, and, failing in that, is sentenced TO
one OF the humane penalties OF military law
mot hogging, which has been abolished,
but ball and chain, or perhaps 10 be shot,
and so the matter ends.
Now, this is The plain English of martial
law-suspension of The habeas corpus, and
the establishment of military commissions
But something else remains to be consi6-
cred.
Who does the Proclamation say are 10 be
arrested The old-fashioLed rule was, that
man was penalty responsible for ''llegal
acts" Misdemeanor Is the legal ierm-ris
ing on the scale OF gravity 10 felony. Both
mean illegal acts" The new ProcIana-
tion says men are TO be arrested and tried
for sdisloyal practices, >; and the postscript
of the Adjutant- General says "disloyal per-
sonsD are to be arrested. What exactly is
meant By "disIoyal practice, ," as distinguish
able from an illegal act or s.disloyaI per
son" from criminal, il is hard TO say but
something is meant, and the public is left TO
The mysterious awe which these dark threats
inspire-no one knowing what he may not
do 10 attract arrest, or what he may not do
ia make him obnoxious TO the new Uhoiy