East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1862-12-16
The Arbitrary Arrests OF the War
Department.

Department.
The following letter on the subject of
arbitrary arrests is addressed 10 the
President by Judge Gould, OF New
York State, republican and Judge
of the Court of Appeals:
New York, Nov. IA, 1862.
To His Excellency, Abraham Lincoln, President Of
the United States;
SrR-On my arrival in this city, from
my residence in Troy, N. Y, find that
a cousin of mine, G. Golden Tracy,
broker of this city, has been, first, ar
rested and sent to Fort Lafayette, and
secondly, to day taken as a prisoner to-
Washington. The newspapers say-anL
so far as | can learn 6y all Inquiries of
authorities | can hear nothing different
that the cause Of the arrest is some
dealings be has had in contractors drafts
on government officers for moneys; and
it Is sail some frauds were committed
in or 10y tho drafts. and he is charged
with completely herewith.
If this be SO, it is crime cognizabe
by the courts, and only by the courts,
aud | am amazed at the faulty of public
officers who can take no warming from
the distinctly uttered voice of free
people.
| am, and always have been, an ,un.
wavering enemy of this rebellion (curs
ed IN us origin, most accurscd its pro.
| grcSS,) and "a supporter of the admins
tratlon. | am "a Judge of the highest
couf. of this State And it no honest
voice has yet reached tho ears OF our
government, | wish to say, and to be
heard In saying, that Star Chamber
process and Secrctary'S warrants are
dangerous Instruments Ia play with, and
that among us, the true, staunch sup.
porters of the government. who would
crush treason with the iron heel, but
who know the law, are compelled to
hang their heads 10 silence at the men
ton of cases which have occurred in our
midst.
Spies are hardly cautioned when they
arc where they can do infinite harm;
but powerful hand, and an oppressive
one, Is laid on a person here, who is
not in position for doing mischief, if
he would aud who is supposed to have
no friends.
In this respect thank Go there has
been mistake. 1t is true he is young
man of not much means or Influence; it
is also true that he has n young wife
(married not long sincc), and for no as.
signed cause, and for no assignablc
cause that those ia power dare give
breath to, he is taken away from home,
without giving to his wife an instant's
interview or chance to see him. Is
this country the France of a century
ago
The young man is grandson of that
Urah Tracy, who lived AMI died a
Senator of the United States from Con.
nectlcut. who was the first man buried
in the Congressional burying ground st
ashington, and whose ashes are insult.
cd by this atrocious invasion of the
liberties of the PEOPLE in the person of
his descendant. r,
am not merely speaking my own
opinion of such arrests. know the
opinion and the feelings of many of my
brethren Of the bench. And if the
government is really DESTROYS of so pro
ceebing as to- make it our duty to make
public our opinions, they will be heard,
not merely in the writ of habeds corpus
but in open declaration to the world
Had | been few hours earlier made
aware of this case, | should not have
troubled you with word; but | would
have seen that the process of the Su.
preDe Court of the State was SO execu.
ted as To protect its citizens accused of
such offences from any arrest, other
than one under tie appropriate process
of the courts
beg again 10 assure you, in all sin.
cerity, that this kind of proceeding has
goue too far already, and that, while to
the last OF our men aud oar means we
are ready and determined to sustain the
law, and the government in enforcing
the law over this whole land as one
country, We are also determined to be
Judged by the law, and not by any Sec
rotary or any one who is not conmss-
ioncd for that purpose. We know and |
acknowledge the rules of war, where the |
necessity of the case requires the exist
ence of martial law. But we know also.
the comrnonlaw OF liberty, aud ,he broad
great charter ct the constitution.
write warmly, zealously, because |
cannot bear to think of our cherished
governments taking amy course tn in
lurc itself; at - time, too, when our only
hope of escaping the eternal Disgrace
and humiliation of letting the cause of
human liberty perish in our hands is
to sustain this government ot'this Union,
and to have it government worth sus-
tanning. M Hrt
With great respect, yours, etc, 80
GEORGE GOULD.
EEThe famous New York Seventh
regiment, which has been sneered at for
avoiding "hard knocks," has furnished
over 700 commissioned officers to the
army since the war broke out Ii is said
that there are not so many graduates
of West Point IN the service aud Ger.
tainly there arc not any better officers.
The law is a pretty bird, and has
charming wings. Twouli be bird of
paradise fit did not carry such terri.