Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1862-12-11

people have retained thai right 70 them
selves and be has no moro power 70 dsel
with the matter than ws have With The
specie N the vsnlts a The New Yuk
bankA Be6nre b procceds--uplep -
csr see his authority, which We 6l te-
let him ask tho Stafcs; OF dthe cxis;s i %
great ~ not to admit o delay. YET him q
least do rs mnch as did Louis Napo1eon.
when be would proloug bic term of o0,cs.
appeal to the people Let him hear whas
the border States viii say-whai the great
Northwest will say-whaf every State
west of the Hudson river viii say; aye,
and what New England even. will say.
But we have the righ, in the war pow
er,they tellus War power War power
What is that: Will somebody please de-
fine il: Does anybody pretend to say
that because the nation may be engaged
in war therefore the President is endowed
with absolute authority that he may
say the public good and the national well
fare demand this or that, and 90 and do
il, of his 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-enablc the Government
to do:-to take your property and mine,
when we are loyal citizens: If not. then
ii cannot take the property of any South
ern man who may be a loyal citizen. VIII
it justify the instigation of the servants
about your house or mine TO burn the
10. l.. Il
dren and deienseless women in them?
Then il will not admit of such crimes in
Virginia and Tennessee. How strange
that people should ever be 30 carried away
as to believe that we have endowed any
one or any number of men. when we may
be unarmed and peaceful, wishing well TO
our country. 10 seize our property, or pa
pers. or persons. and TO send Us 10 the dun
geoh or the block, without any process Of
law. This is what is claimed by the adj
vocatcs Of emancipation under the war
power. But this is sheer nonsense: and
it is nothing but the madness of the hour
that begets or tolerates such an idea"
l have been charged on this floor with
disloyaliy. How has this charge been
has been maintained that as Mr.. Lincoln
has been constitutionally elected President,
he has been placed at the head of this ma
ton bv God. and that opposition tn any of
Mr.. Lincolns official acts. is disloyalty.
Sir. | frankly confess that l am opposed
to some of the official acts of Mr.. Lincoln.
but the charge of disloyalty repel. Such
ea charge is an insult to nv heart, as well
as to my head. Nv idea of LOYALTY is.
fidelity 10 the constitution, and obedience
to the laws of our country. The gentle
man who charges me with disloyalty. evil
IDENTITY thinks MIR. Lincoln Is the govern
ment. The government is high above Mr..
Lincoln as Heaven is above the earth.
Ii is the product of the glorious efforts
OF the prayers-of the iaith-of the tears
and of the blood of the revolutionary faith
ers. It's the ark of our political covenant;
il is the result of the wise deliberations of
men who possessed the clearest minds and
best hearts with which morials have ever
been favored. Mr.. Lincoln the govern
ment. The very idea is absurd. Are
these ruling Elders the Presbyterian
church OF Indiana! Neither is Mr.. Linz
coin the government of the United States.
These Elders are but the representatives.
the servants of the churches. Mr.. Lin
coin is but the temporary servant of the
government. is il not possible that these
Elders may, in their official acts, violate
the constitution of the church! So may
Mr.. Lincoln violate the constitution of the
country. Have we any authority from
the Lord Jesus Christ To issue a bull"
to the churches forbidding them TO criticise
the official acts of their representatives?
And shall Americans who dare criticise
the official acts of Mr.. Lincoln be si-
lenced by -bull" issued by any person.
though he occupy the executive chair!
But we are told opposition 10 the official
acts of Mr.. Lincoln is disloyalty. Let us
test this theory: Ii is a fact known TO the
country that n L. 5. Senator received a
bonus of fifty thousand dollars for gov
ernmenial contract; it is also known 10
the country that. because of the public in
dignation against the persons who stole
by the wholesale from the government.
an act was passed on the 2d day &c Nav
last for their punishment; but another fact
is also known: ust fifteen days after the
passage of this act. the party IN power
passed another act. which reads thus: 8 BE
il enacted. that the operation of az
titled an act To provide and punish frauds
on the part of officers entrusted with max
Ing contracts for the government. approved
June I'd, 1862, be, and the same j. here
by suspended until the first Monday Of
January, 1861 l. il possible Mr.. Lin
coin approved such an act! Yes. he
signed it the very day of its passage!
According to the theory advocated on
this floor. we must approve this act, or be
dsloyal Writers in our religious papers
favor the same idea Of loyalty, as appears
from the following extract, taken from a
paper edited by one Of our own minis
ters:~
"Show your colors now. BY siandingby
fhe authority Of the government and eter-
nal right. Let precedent be considered
of secondary importance: let the consiiiu-
tion itself. as you interpret "a merely. BE- Sec
ondary. Whatever the authorities con-
slider constitutional" should not only be