Democrat and sentinel. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1853-1866, 1862-11-05

contendlng- but he % q iaySlqty7' still :
and whether his edicts, are clothed in the
I form of proclamations. or of military
orders, by whatever name they NAV be
called, they are laws. IL he have the
legislative power conferred on him by the
people, 1t Is well. If not. he usurps il.
. He has no more lawful authority to
hold all the c7ticeDS of the entire country.
outside of the sphere of his actual opera
tions in the field, amenable TO his military
edicts, than he has 10 hold all the ,,,ope,fy
of the country subject to his military
acquisitions. He is not the military COM
mander of the cjtieeas of the United
States, but IF its So!de,,<.'
As TO orr duties in this solemn crisis
Of our counry's history, Judge Curtis
speaks in Il strain of manly. decp-toned.
stirring eloquence, worthy of the best
State papers of the revolutionary strug-
gle:
"a leading AMI influential newspaper,
while expressing entire devotion to the
President, and appreciation of his Proc
lamation of emancipation. says:
"The Democrats talk about .uncon-
stitutional acts Nobody pretcnds that
this act i constitutional. and nobody
cares wethcr ii l. or not"
81 think too we'll of tn President to
believe he has done an act involving the
lives and fortunes of millions of human
beings, and tn" entire social condition OF
a great people, without caring whether it
Is comfortable To that Constitution which
he has, many times, sworn to support
'Amone all the causes of alarm. which
now distress the public mind. there are
few more terrible TO rejecting men than
the tendancv to ,avlessncss which is man
ifesting itself In 80 mlny directions. No
stronger evidence of this could he afforded
than the open declaration of a respectable
and widely circulated Journal. that no
body cares whether a great public act
of the President of the United States Is in
conformity with, or is subverSive of. the
law of the land-ihc only basis upon
which the Government rests: that
our public affairs have become 80 dcS-
perate, and our ability TO retrieve them
by the uSc of honest means is 50 distrrrs-
ted, and our willingness TO use other
means 50 undoubted, that our public ser
wants may themselves break The funda-
mental laws of the country. and become
usurpers OF vast powers not entrusted
to them. IN violation of their solemn oathS
of office and nobody cares
1t i not to bc believed that this Is
just to the people of the United States.
They do care, and the President cares.
that he and all other public servants
should Obey the constitution Partisan
journals, their own honest and proper de
sire TO support the PrcSident-on whose
wisdom and .irmncss they rclv TO relieve
their country from liz evils and dangers.
and thc difficulties which the mass OF
the people encounter in forming opinions, .
of constitutional law, may prevent them. 1
for a limited fine, from arriving at a lust .
Judgment OF such questions. or of the .
vast practIclc effects dependant on them .
= But the people of the United States
do not expect national concord 70 spring
from userpations of power; or national
security from the violation OF those great
principles of public liberty, which arc the
only foundation, in this country. of pri-
vate safety and of public order Their
instincts demand purer and more COM
prehensive statcsmaDship than that which
seizes upon unlawful cxpedients. because
they may possibly avert for the momant
some threatening danger, at the expense
of the violation of great principles of free
government: or of the destruction of some
necessary safeguard of individual security.
= 1t is Il subject of discussion in the
public journals. whether it i the intention
Of the Executive TO use the powers assert
ed in the last proclamation. and in the
Secratary of War, to suppress free discus
son of political subjects. have conf
ience In the purity and patriotism both OF
the President and the Secratarv OF War.
fear no such present application of this
proclamation and these orders bv them.
But the execution of such powers must
De lntrusted to subordinate agents, and IL
IS OF the very essence of arbitrary power
that If should be in the hands which can
act promptly and efficiently and mcheck-
ed by forms. These great powers must
be contided TO persons actuated by party.
Or local or personal feelings and preiduiccs:
Or what would often prove as ruinous TO
the citizen, actuatcd by desire TO COM
mend their vigilence 10 their EMPLOYERS.
and by blundering and stupid zeal in
their service
- But IT Is not this or that particular
application of power which is to be con-
sidered. 1t Is the existence of the power
itself, and the uses of which il il suSccp-
tible, while following out the principle on
which il IL ha- been assumed