Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1862-09-11
THE ARBITRARY INCA RCER RATEOH
OF gEEEZ EEs.
A Coassrratioe Republican Pggsr on Hc Despot
Lsm IF ~ Sserslarg of Nar.

ISM gf hss Secretary ~ HaT.
From the New Yo-k World Septcmber3l
The Secretary of War, with the fatality q
tending all that he puts bis hand to- drives th
iron home to the marrow The ten citizen
Z whom he last week threw into the station
house by eI posi- fgct0 rascript, he now consiyn
: to Fort Lafayette. Ia thus establishes that IN
original arrest was not inadvsrLent, but delibsr
ate and prepense. Charity is silenced The out
outrage stands out c0Hsu0ase and unmistakable
me Secretary hatteT5 himself that this loyal cit
has neither the sense to feel nor the spirif to re
sent, He is mistaken. His provocation IS an
swed with detestaten aud defiance.
The peoples concession OF the power of arbi
trary arrest was meant solely for those extreme
cases where the regular course oflsw would hay
I lmperlied the public safety. 1t was a dreadfu
expenditure, penetrating the very heart of IN.
Constitution, but was intended only for dreadfu
eXigencias. The undue frequency with which
lt was used long ago disqUieted the thoughtful
\ ct little public comment was made, for there
was trust It would soon regulate itself Tina
trust has been disappointed. The evil has only
gathered strength from fJrbearancs What was
( st tirst inconsiderateness has become spitefa
wsntonhess. What was At FIRST simply g terror
to traitors has at last become an intJlerable ana
/ accursed despotsm to loyal men.
] Here are the citizens whose patriotism is un-
( questioned. who have su5siantiatad it by con.
I tributing Of their money and by sending theil
sons 60 the battle field, arrested Tor action winch
/ at th5 time it was committed both they and
the public at large deemed perfectly legilimate
( and proper. The first public notification chat
the War Department interlicted the business Of
/ procuring substitutes for the approaching dcaf.
I was given on Thursday, the 2Ssh ultimo, and
20 tlisse streets for cOntgaYenug that interdicE
/ We're made on the morning ts day r,r4vie1ls-
/ Granting that the prohibition was expsdi-
ent when It came-though of that there may be
/ reasonable doubt-the retroactive enforcement
/ OF it was an ab5urdisy that confouuds reason,
and barbarity thst shocks justice It is i'm
possible to pretend that any public advantage
| required it. These citiz ms would all have
cheerfdily complied with the regulation from the
moment 10 had been brought to their knowledge.
Had their simple promise % that effect not been
enough, they would have been ready TO furnish
bonds guaranteeing its faithful observance.
Therefore it eaunot be said that their arrest and
Incarceration were prompted by the spirit Of pre-
caution. Their case cannot be made one Of
that extreme sort in which it is necessary that
innocent and true men should be sacrificed foz
the public safety Il is oppression, pure and
slmPle-oppression without cause, without
benefit, without excuse. As such we deuOunce
it without qualification.
Does Secretary Stanton seriously believe that
New York city IS going tamely to submit 10 this
outrage is u really his idea that, because ne
has put provost marshal over us, he can do
with US as be pleases If he has the glimmer
Of such notion, we charge him, Ter his own
sake, to get clear Of It gs soon as NAV be- It's
lure IS destruction. This community is loyal
none ia the land more SO. Our people have
poured cut there treasure like dust and their
blood ike water to yindicste the Tightful au-
thOrtY of the government. They intend - DO
so to the end. BUt-will Secretary Stanton
please to un1ersland-she d. it not as Spartan
helots, nor as Russian serfs, nor as Austrian
subjects, but as American tfeemen. They 90 It
not to meet any mans behests, but to meet thsir
own sense OF duty; not because they are driven
to it by power, but because they are drawn to It
by ibeuy. Ii is an stT0cious iusalt for Sscreta-
~ Stanton to assume that New York city can
not be trusted with the regulation of its own
patrotism-that he has got to intruds upon us
an experiences Of what be dsres 10 do in the way
OF tyranny, in order that we may be the more
hsediul and submissive. We can tell him that
his hardlhood will not serve him. Our people
viii stand no such domineering. They have
gone into this contest for tAs sole purpose Of pre-
serving their civil rights, and they no more
mean to surrender them TO uSUrpatioa in Wash
iugton than to usurpatian in Richmond. They
are not to be deceived by any pretext of STATE
necessity. They thoroughly understand that
tyIant's plea. There IS 10 such necessity. In
the very nature Of the case there can be none,
inasmuch as the rery first necessity of this re-
publican government is the preservation Of its
essential principle-whjcL IS freedom, regulated
by law. When that is lost, all is lest. He who
destroys 1t is Of all public enemies the worst
He may call himself friend. yea guardian aud
champion, but he is like him who, when the
highway man Is upon you, defends your pulse
by taking your life.
Has Secretary Stanton ever heard Of the Bas-
tile whose key hangs at Mount Vernon Has
he yet to learn how it was leveled BY hands thLt
c0uid no longer hold of, aud how its stones built
the bridge of revolution over the Seine for the
express purpose that they should be trampled
upon By the feet Of the people forever What
nfatusti9n for him 20 imagine that they can be
Te-eTected in this land Of Washington. The
thing IS impossible We warn him not to persist
in attempting it. lie would be crushed G thou
sand times over sooner than he could begin to
succeed But the bare attempt we will say the
mere sem0lance OF an attempt, is mischiev0us
Done n the name Of public Authority, il is only
calculated TO embitter the people against public
authority. Protesting to establish unity, it only
promotes disc0rd. Pretending to concentrase
the public spirit, it only distrscts and weakens
1t. Jealous loya.l5ts are panied aud humiliated
The lukeWarm relapse into apathy. The ii-dis
pUSSA AiOi4o are bltuuIaStC- lhb8G gam q ue-
tense Of a strength infinitely beyond anything
they could otherwise command. They give us
the lie when We say tina. We are fighting for
constitutional law, and we have ngught 70 an
swer. When the controversy touches traitors
we msy perhaps dare tell them that traitors are
outlaws-lhst they have no rights which the
government is bound to respect. Bat when loyal
men are in questioG-those whose fidelity IS clear
and ndispuEabie-whas can any h0aest man re-
Join to the thrust that loyalty has no security,
that it, too, is a. the mercy Of arbitrary viii
The Secretary Of War might better supply the
rebel eannoneors with steel-pointed shot, than
thus furnish The rebel advocates with steel-barbsd
arguments. Physical force we can Overma5ter,
but tsntb and reason never
Secretary Stanton must pause, OF ne viii soon
hear thunders more dread than any which are
now pealing around Washington. We allure
him for his countrY's sake, aud for his own, to
have done with this wild crusade, and to keep TO
the landmarks Of the Constitution There alone
lies safety