Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1863-05-07
sympathy. These cowardIy and traitorous

successfully scnemlng anu planning Tor the
spoils of Office, sowing discord and treach.
cry broadcast in the land, seeking TO de.
moralize the army in the face Of the enemy,
the vilest ISLANDERS and most wholesale sys-
TEN Of lying that the father Of lies ever
promulgated, were set afoat by them
| with what show OF reason or sense can
such ineD now fault these measures, when
their vile acts rendered them necessary. -
Through their treacherous proceedings the
army was daily becoming weakened BY de
sertions, and the enemy strengthened by
our divisions at home. Had they given
the proper support to the Government it
might never have been necessary TO resort
to such measures. We hold then, that
these extraordinary measures advocated By
men OF all parties, indirectly caused by the
growing spirit OF di.Ioyalfy, IN our midst,
are not such measures that they should be
denoninated partizan. All parties, all men
loyal or disloyal are more or less responsi
BILE for them And while they may or may
not have accomplished the great amount Of
good their special advocates claimed for
them, It is very certain that few or more Of
the ecik predicted by their enemies. have
come to pass. And we may briefly here,
be permitted to p,rticularizs some of these
acts of the Government, and note some of
the objections
The writ Of habms corpus in accoriance
with constitutional provision, for its suspen.
sion In times OF treason, insurection, &c.
wa, so suspended by the President during
certain stages Of the rebellion, and forth
with from every m,ngrel, pip, whep, and
hou1d and cnr of low degree, that yeips at
the heels of JEFF. Davis 4 Co, set up the
k,,n 81 Il
usurper, and all such vile and ab0minable
names found in the vocabul r. of rebellion
Yet the right of suspension the power
authorized to do it--has never been settled
| by any authoritative Decree The consii.
tuition gives the privilege to suspend it in
. certain cases, but does not expressly declare
who shall do it, Whether Congress. the
President or military power. E,ch Of these
have done it, or authorized its being done.
Jackson did it at New ORLEANS. and when
Judge Hall attempted to interfere, he su,-
pended hun also. Gen. Wright suspen1e |
it at Cincinnati. Aud where there is such
difference of opinion AMI practice on sub
f iect of such importance, common sense
would seem to teach Us, in view of the pre-
vailing facts where its suspension is author
lied, that the military should be the pro
per power to suspend it. And a. the Presi-
f dent is the head of that power, as matter
of course. he has the un1 ,ubtel right to
: make use of it in the specified cases. And
u so far from any complaint, as to its suspen.
9 sion during the present rebellion, being
!, made against the Government. we believe
!, the complaint, if any, justly lies upon the
other sid, OF the question. He ought to
have suspended it, AMI the traitors too.
a The CONSUMPTION Act is made the STUN
d bling block to excuse the di>loyalty Of many.
g And though their traitOrous declaration.
=, against it, and preparations for resisting it.
y enforcement are all likely TO be but cDwardy
{ bragCadoca yet they continue to rail out
n against it as a most desperate usurpation Of
;. power by the Government, AMI extremely
- unfair in its distinction favorng the rich
" and expressing the poor. Al to the first
/ objection, We deem it altogether erroneous,
n as its whole structure is in perfect accord
/, snce with the special provisions of the Con
stitution. As regards the o. ier. that it op
presses the poor, to the exemption of the
u rich, we hold that the very provision OBJ
o jectcd to is the tairest in it, an wa, framed
y especially to favor the poor. No conscrip
n ton was ever yet made that did not admit
y of substitutes. This act not only admits o
l. substitutes, but limits their price, thereb,
t. bringing the poor and rich upon an e1uality
,f The rich man may hire his substitute a
IN any price, AMI if unrestrained would off
" such prices that poor man could neve
p compete with him at ALL
~ We all know how this business was car
{, ried on during the first draft OF this war. -
IN Men set up as brokers to obtain substitutes
:, aud run up the price to such an extent tina
! no man OF ordinary means could hope I,
Of obtain one. But by the provisions of thi