The Portland daily press., 1862-09-26

The claim of military necessity Is here styled
a "shdlto,o pretert'' The President is not on
ly fool, in that he is shallow" but he is made
knare. for none but a knave would resort to
preterts. which are but false allegations, pre-
tentons, or excuses, to cover base or unwor-
thy purpose. The editor of the Advertiser,
who thus disposes of the President, goes so far
as to say that:
The whole theory of proclaiming freedom to
the slaves i'm the rebel States is against the ac-
knowledged rules of civilized warfare. And
no act ofCongress, and Judgment OF the Execu-
tive can impress it with the nature of a militia
ry necessity.
But we pass all this for the purpose of max
ing one more extract, which we venture to say
has never been matched in the Saco Democrat,
the defunct Bangor Union or any other paper
in the loyal States. 1t is not often that we
have found man bold enough, even though
sufficiently disloyal to do SOTO defend the
right Of rebellion, the right of citizens to re-
nounce and oppose the federal government, or
to deny that such renunciation and opposition
constitute the crime of treason But Hon.
Francis @. j. Smith-the editor of the Portland
Advertiser-does all this, and to show that we
do not misrepresent him, we give, aud invite
critical examination of, the following:
When the Federal government shall, of its
own measure, assent to, or aid in the destruc
ton of any State constitution or Of any State
institution rightfiliy eristing under such con-
stitutiOa, as does the institution OF slavery, it
becomes itself party to "A REVOLUTION; and
every citizen is justified in renouncing and
opposing it, from that instant, as un usurpd-
ton, and despotism, and no longer as the
government acting under, or by authority of
the constitution of the Union. There is nei-
thcr rebellion, or treason, or crime, or derelic
tlon of duty, in fighting such an usurpation, by
all the means that God and nature have put at
the command of the States, or of individuals.
The President, as the Executive head and
representative of the Federal Government
having issued his Emancipation Proclamation,
the very thing has occurred which the writer
of the above declares makes the Federal gov
ernment party to a rerolution, and "JUSTI-
FIES EVERY CITIZEN IN RENOUNCING
AND OPPOSING 1T, AS A USURPATION
AND A DESPOTISM' The President hav-
ing "assented" to the destruction of the State
institution of slavery, the editor of the Adver-
bistI uccIirts nun 10 De " uSufI)SF ana ueSDOt,
that every citizen is justified in renouncing
and opposing the government and that there is
neither rebeiiion,or treason, or crime,or der
election Of duty, in fighting such usurper
by all the means that God and nature have put
at the command of the States or of indivd-
ualsl
We don't know how this may strike the
minds Of our loyal people, but to our mind
more unblushing encouragement of rebellion
was never uttered in Charleston, Savannah or
Richmond. And yet all this is in the paper
that has claimed to be par excellence, the sup
porter of the Administration, and whose col
umns are now crammed with the patronage
of the very government which 1t assails and
denounces as worthy of being renounced and
opposed by every citizen, for its official act,
done by its federal head. But we stop. We
don't know what great sin our people may have
committed that such unpatriotic and disloyal
doctrines should be propogated among them
We don't know what offence the Republican
party has been guilty of that its late organ
should thus go over to the enemy; but unless
we greatly misjudge both our people and the
Republican party, they will most heartily, in
view of such a scourging and its further con-
tnuance, join in the petition: "Good Lord,
delirer u.s."