The Portland daily press., 1862-09-23

erty, or property, without due process OF law !;
1t does not in terms say he may point his can
non North, or South it does not in terms say
he may take the life or liberty of white man,
or of black man.
stltution and the laws, the army, navy, and
militia are called into actual service. to sup
press the insurrection. As the army, navy,
and militia, are, by the Constitution and laws,
placed under command of the President, to
enable him to put the insurrection down, and
no specific directions are given him how they
are to be used, they are to be used in such
manner as such bodies have heretofore been
used according to the laws of war among civil
lied nations. He may arm the men under his
command with the best armor he can obtain;
he may use all the appliances of warfare of the
latest invention; he may point his guns to any
point of the compass; he may march the ar
my over any part of the American soil, where
he judges it necessary. He may go through
the territory of Kentucky that has not seced-
ed, as well as through that of Georgia that has.
He may go thro' Baltimore as well as around,
by the way of Annapolis; He may go thro'
the farm of Union man as well as through
that of traitor; he may take life, liberty, and
property, without any process of law. That is
what he is constantly doing with the army
He may not take the life of non-combatants
without due process of law. But he may sus-
pend the great writ of liberty, called the Ha-
beas Corpus, and take their liberty, without
any process of law. He may take the proper
ty of any citizen he judges necessary, the
property of Union men, as well as of traitors
The only difference is this-n case of the 10y
al citizen, the State takes his property, and
he, as the representative of the State, under
the right of eminent domain. If the proper
ty of Union men is taken, they are entitled to
just compensation. But the property of trait
ors may be taken and confseated, according to
the laws of war.
The President may take the liberty OF white
men or black men. He may seize Union men
or traitors. If he takes the person of a Union
man, white or black, from the hands of a trait
or, it can only be to liberate him. He cannot
surrender such men TO traitors. He cannot
return such men to slavery. But il he arrests
traitors, he may retain them, arraign them for
treason, and if they are convicted, he may
hang them.
If black men or slaves, are to be regarded
as property, the President may take them and
confiscate them according to the laws of war.
If they are taken from loyal citizen, he
Is entitled to compensation. If they are taken
from traitor, he is not entitled. But if black
men are TO be regarded as persons they may
be taken as captives of war. Though capfives
of war may be returned to the enemy, or ex-
changed, if they are willing, in no case should
they be forced back into the hands of the enc
my without their own consent. There is no
more doubt that the President is authorized
by the constitution to proclaim the emancpa-
tion of all the slaves in the country, if he
judges that a necessary means to put down
the rebellion, than there is that he is the COM
mander-in-chief. All the men and all the prop
erty in the country must be at his disposal for
the suppression of this great rebellion. This
great power is entrusted TO the President by
the constitution, in time of war, for the safety
of the state, subject only to be re-examined
before the Senate on impeachment for mal-ad-
n,inistration in office. jew.