Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-10-08
DEPARTURES.
as viewed by Repub-
lican.

The Newburyport Herald Republican news
paper, believing that the Constitution confers on
the General Government no power to alter the
domestic relations of the States, and holding that
AN effort on the part of civilized Government to
engender servile insurrection is contrary to the
usages of warfare recognized by Christian
tions, in a series of ably written editorials.
pletely refutes lhe subterfuges which the radicals
use as reasons why Mr.. LINCOLN should ignore
the law of the lard and cut loose from the moor
ings of the Constitution. The following is No.
3 of the series, and, as it comes from a man who
voted for the present vacillating and weak
minded President. We conceive it TO be meet that
our political opponents should know what a con-
servative Republican thinks of the emancipation
proclamation:
Our third objection to proclamation Of eman-
cpation is that il would be contrary to the usages
of civilized warfare. 1t is plainly a proposition
TO incte domestic insurrecton for the massacre of
millions OF people, portion of them supposed to
be loyal, and one halt OF them defenceless women
and children. We do tquote here the censures
heaped upon the Europeans who, in former days
moved the Indians to atrocious deeds; but let
turn to other cases. Said John Quincy Adams
in his correspondence relating to British Admiral
Cochrane's proclamation referring to slaves in the
war of 1872: 1T is not conformable TO the es
tablished usageS OF war among civilized nations"
again: The principle is that the emancipation of
enemy's slaves is not among the acts of legiti-
mate war;" once more: "The right of putting TO
death all prisoners in cold blood, and without
special cause, might as well be pretended to be
law of war, on the right to use poisoned weapons,
or 10 assassinate."
John Quincy Adams was right. Napoleon
refused 10 arm the Russian sers against their
masters, though they we're of the same race and
color, even when they came in thousaL DIS offering
their services. Revolu;ionists have resorted to
such warfare, but il would not be tolerated by the
civilized nations OF this age.
Blu, suppose such proclamation would ac
complsh even 80 much; by what authority can it
be doner We are contending for the Consti,u-
tion as it is, and under the Constitution. If not,
we must be in violation of il, and without sane
ton of law, in which case JEFF Davis's Govern
ment is Just as legitimate as ours, and the rebel
States are the United States as much as the
Northern States.
In subduing rebelon-of which this is the
most infamous the world ever saw-we can 60 as
far as the Constitution allows, aud there We must
stop We know it is becoming common in this
day for persons 10 say, I'VE will exercise certain
powers, Constitution no Constitution, but that
that is the doctrine of revolutionists-of the
Robesperres and Murats who in ninety DAYS of
administration would plunge this people into all
the horrors of the French revolution, when no
mans life would be safe and all property would
be worthless
Mr. Lincoln is not of this class, he and his
Cabinet and the Congress derive their powers
from the Constitution, and to that they must ad-
here or ruin comes TO ALL By that instrument
Abraham Lincoln is President at Washington:
beyond and without it he is simply A. Lincoln, Of
Illinois, and has more rights powers than
has Sam Jones of Seahrook If that Constitu-
ton gives him the power to emancipate slaves
within the States, and against the will of the
loyal people thereof-for the loyal people are the
State-then be can do it; if not, then the States
or the people have retained that right to them
selves, and he has no more power to deal with
the matter than we have with the specie in the
vaults of the New York banks. Before he pro
ceeds-unless he see his authority, which we
fail to-let him ask the States, or If the crisis is
so great as not TO admit of DELAY, let him at least
do AS much as did Louis Napoleon when he
would prolong his term of Office, appeal 10 the
people. Let him hear what the border States
will say-what the great Northwest will say
what every State west OF the Hudson river will
say; ave. and what New England even will say
But We have the right in the war power. they
tell US War power War power What il thatr
Will somebody please define it2 Does anybody
pretend 20 say that because the nation may be
engaged in war therefore the President is endow-
ed with absolute authority I-that he may say the
public good and the national welfare demand this
or that, and go and do il, of bis own will Why,
the Autocrat of Russia has no more power, and
Nero in his bloodiest days never dared exercise
so much. Why, what does this power-this war
power-enable the Government 20 do?-to take
you- nropertv and mine when we are loval citi
zens? II not then il can not take the property
Of anv Southern man who NAV be loyal citizen
Will il justify the instigAtion of the servants
about your house or mine 10 burn the house over
our heads and our infant children and defenseless
women in thems Then it will not admit of such
crimes in Virginis and Tennessee. How strange