Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-07-20

cltlLeuS vi TIE Clhte OF new tOfk Tue IFcsiucnb
makes use of the following extraordinary Ian
guage:t
"lndeed, arrests by process Of courts, and arrests in
cases Of rebellion, do not proceed altogether on the same
basis. The former IL directed at the small percentage Of
ordinary and continuous preparation Of crime, while the
latter Is directed at sudden and extensive ~uprisings
against the Government, which, at most, will succeed or
fail in no great length Of time. In the latter case, arrests
= maoe' not - mucn lot "hat mas oeen cone as lot
what probably would be done. Applause and %laughterl
The latter "a more for the preventive and less for the vim
dictive than the former. In such cases the purposes Of
men are much more easily understood than in cases of
ordinary crime. The man who stands by and says moth
ing when the peril Of his Government is discussed, can
not be misunderstood. tLaughterl If not ~hindered, he
Is sure to help the enemy; much more, IL he talks ambig-
uously, be talks for his country with butts and ifs and
'ands.'"
1t is seen by this letter, at least. that there is
no longer doubt as to where the responsibility
for those unconstitutional acts of the last two
wears, perpetrated by subordinate officers of the
Federal Government, both civil and military.
properly attaches; but who. | ask. has clothed the
President with power to dictate to any one of us
when we must or when we may speak or be silent
upon any subject, and especially in relation to
the conduct of any public servant? By what
right does he presume to prescribe a formula of
language for your lips or miner 1t seems in
credible. and even with this authentic paper be-
fore US, is amazing, that any such sentiment
should have found utterance from the elected
ItDICccnldtlfC " n lECc kO1CTuI0tUb, like THAI Oh
the United States.
NY friends, let those obey such behests who
will; you and | have been nurtured here among
the granite hills. and under the clear skies of
New Hampshire. into no such servile tempera.
ment. True it is, that any of you. that | myself
may be the next victim of unconstitutional ar
bitrary, irresponsible power. But we, neverthe-
less are free men. and we resolve to live. or if IL
must be, to die such. l"Amenl" "That's it,"
and cheers. Falter who may, We will never
cease to hold up on high the Constitution of the
Union though torn to shreds by the sacrilegious
hands of It's enemies. A voice-"We1l do it."1
How strikingly significant, how suggestive to us,
on this occasion, is the contemplation of that
august spectacle of the recent Convention at In
dianapolis Of seventy five thousand citizens,
calmly and bravely participating in the discus
sion of the great principles underlying their sa-
cred rights of freemen-neither awed by cannon
frowning upon their liberties, nor provoked by
threats into retaliatory violence. would say TO
you. fellow citizens. emulate that exhibition of
wisdom and patriotism. Be patient, but resolute.
Yield nothing of your rights, but bear and for
bear. Let your actions show to the world that,
with courage to confront despotism, you have
also the discretion to avoid incOnsiderate action
in resisting its advances.
trust it may be profitable on this occasion, as
the end of your meeting suggests, to revive the
memories of that heroic epoch of the Republic,
even though they come laden with regrets, and
hold up that period of our history in contrast with
the present. Though they com to remind us of
what were our relations during the revolution,
and in later years. prior to 1861, to that great
Commonwealth which we were accustomed to
refer to as "the mother of statesmen and Of
States;'' and of what those relations now are.
Can it be that we are never to think again of the
LID uboro fbo duet Of Waeh;npfon anA patr;oL
Henry, of jefferson and Madison repose, with
emotions of gratitude, admiration and flial re-
gard? Is hate for all that Virginia has taught,
all that Virginia has done, all that Virginia now
Is, to take the place of sentiments which we have
cherished all our lives? Other men nav be
asked to do this, but it is in vain to appeal to
me. So far as nv heart is concerned, il is not a
subject of ~volition. While there nav be those in
whose breasts such sentiments as these awaken
no responsive feeling. | feel assured, as | look
over this vast assemblage, that the grateful emo
tons which have ;ignalized this anniversary in
all our past history, are not less YOURS than they
are mine to day. Let us be thankful, at least,
that we have ever enjoyed them; that nothing
can take from US the pride and exultatiOn we
have felt, as we saw the old flag unfold over us.
and realized its glorious a~ccretion of stars from
the original thirteen to thirty four; that we say
much, when we say in the language of New
Hampshire's greatest son, if we can with assur
ance saw no more, 1.-The past at least is secure"
But If we cannot be joyous, my friends, as we
have been on this anniversary. let ~ show that
it is our privilege, with the blessing of God. to be
considerable, brave and wise. Ii there be anything
of the great Inheritance, under existing circum-
stances, to save. NAV we not in an humble. ear
nest way. contribute to that salvationf If We
can not do all for which our hearts yearn, NAV
we not at least approach its consumation in that
spirit of devoted loyalty to the Constitution and
the Union which we feel?
George Washington and Samuel Adams. Mat
thew Thornton and Charles Carroll, George
Reed and Roger Sherman, Phillip Livingston and
William Hooper. Benjamin Franklin and Edward
Rutledge, George Walton and Richard Stockton,
with their associates of all the thirteen then indie.
pendent and sovereign States. stood eighty seven
wears ago to day in that simple but most memo
rable room, where the declaration was signed
like the people of the States whom they repre-.
scented, with the solemn grandeur of high resolve.
if apparently weak, yet with their armor on and
their hearts strung for the great contest of civil
liberty. If we can not be Joyous and ~exultant
on this anniversary of that day, il may do US good
to remember that Joy and exnltatiOn were far
from the hearts of the brave men who sanctioned
the Declaration of Independence, and then fought
seven years to MAINTAIN it. No! they were not
Joyous, but determined. They felt the inspira-
ration of a great object. and they sought It's ac-
cOmplishment with a stern, devoted, self sacrif
cling spirit. They were animated by that deter
mination which. in a righteous cause of self de-
Tense and self vindicatiOn, is inyincible. They
knew the condition of the Province in point of
men and munitions, and they had a clear percep
ton of the colossal power which they were to
confront. But neither one nor the other consid-
erations, nor both combined, shook either their
faith or courage. They compensated for the
want of numbers. arms. ard all which under or
binary circumstances goes to constitute the sin
ews of war. BY the glow of their patriotism and
the strength of their purpose. To be sure, they
fought for their rights. but their endurance and
energy were quickened by an incalculable power
they fought for their homes ard their hearth
stones. their wives and children behind them.
Let the disregard of others for what the revo-
lutionary fathers achieved, and for the compact
which they made. subdued as they were in all
things but a sense OF right and honor by the suf
ferings of a seven years war, now stand out be-
fore US. Let the people realize what this con-
slant ringing in their ears of the charge that
"tbe Constitution is a covenant with death ana a
League with hell, !" has brought about. And then
let them see and feel what we had in eighty years
of unexampled prosperity and happiness under
that Constitution.
Let them look back upon those eighty years of
civil liberty-of the reign of constitutional law
eighty years of security to our homes, of living
in our castles, humble though they may have
been, with no power to invade them by night OF
by day. except under the well defined and exhib
tied authority of lava written, published law,
enacted by themselves for the punishment OF
crime and for their own protection, eighty years
of the great experiment which astonished the
world.
II the people will do this, | will not, | can not
believe that we are so smitten by judicial blind
ness that the great mass of our population. North
and South, will not some day resolve that we