Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-10-13
From the New York Journal of CommerS
The Government.

There is hope for the future, if the people
of the United States abandon the principles of the
Constitution We may conquer the rebellion,
we may crush all our enemies, and if we come
out of the war people without a constitutional
government, we shall have TO repent in long
shame and sorrow the loss of the greatest of po-
ltical blessings
Keep before the people always the grand prn
cipIes on which the Fathers formed the Union.
Let neither the excitements of war, nor the folly
of political campaign, blind US to our grand
creed OF Union and Government.
In the contest now going on for the political
power in New York, there is at stake principle
on which rests the entire fabric of American in
stltutiOns Ii the radical party is successful the
blow struck at the Constitution will be fatal. Ii
the conservative party is successful, the grand old
instrument will be strengthened and its lie will
be ensured, trust, for thousand wears
The radical principle is this: The Govern
ment is the Administration. The powe: OF the
Government resides in The President and Con-
gress, and the President.in time of war, possesses
it all. He may, for war purposes, exercise abso-
lutte power over the persons and property OF all
citizens in the loyal well the rebellous dis
tricts. He is superior TO the Supreme Court of
the United States, and the judgments of that
Court may be suspended by the will of the Presi
dent"
The conservative and constitutional doctrine
on the contrary, is this: The Constitution of the
United States is the Government 1t creates
three independent departments of the Govern
ment. Article l. creates the Legislative Depart
ment, and confers the LegiSlatiye4b bower Article
Ill. creates the Executive Department, and con-
fers the Executive power. Article III. creates
the judicial Department, and confers the Judi
cal power. These three departments, and classes
of persons, must be independent OF each other in
order to the perfect system of American Govern
ment. The President can not suspend Congress;
the Supreme Court can not control the President;
neither Congress nor the President control
the Supreme Court, so long rs the great system
fulfills It's functions. The Supreme Court has the
power of calling the citizens to execute its
mandates, the President has the power of calling
on tie citizens 10 execute such orders as are pro-
vided by law, and Congress has the power of call
ing the citizens to execute Its enactmelts
The Executive Department is inferior to the 9th
er Departments, in as much most of its func
tons depend on the previous acts of Congress,
and its independent powers are few. But the
only method by which the perfect working OF the
system is attained, is found in the words of Wash
ington himself:
"It is important, likewise, that the habits of
thinking, in a tree country, should inspire caution
in those intrusted with its administration, TO con-
fine themselves in their respective constitutional
heres, avoiding. i'm the exercise of the powers of
one department, to encroachment upon another
The spirit of encroachment tendsto consolidate
the powers of all the departments ia one, and
thus to create, whatever the form of govern
ment, real despotism. A just estimate of that
love of power and proneness to abuse it, which
predominate in the human heart, is sufficient to
satisfy of the Truth of this position. The ne
cessity of reciprocal checks in the exercise of po
litical power, by dividing and distributing it into
different repositories, and constituting each the
guardian of the public veal against invasions by
the Others, has been evinced by experiments, an
cient and modern; some of them in our country,
and under our own eyes. To preserve them must
be as necessary to institute them. If, in the
opinion of the people. the distribution or modi6-
cation of the constitutional powers be in any par
ticular wrong, let il be corrected by an amend
ment in the way which the Constitution desig-
mates. But let there be change by usurpa-
ton; for though this, in one instance, may be