The Plymouth weekly Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1860-1869, 1863-04-02
Important Position Of Archbishop
pattOns.

See what Archbishop Hughes says ii
speaking of the terror Of terrors-tht
Conscript law;
"All the citizens of New York liable to
military duty under this law can be call
ed upon by the President whenever he
shall deem it necessary, and on the refu
sal of any one of these to obey the call, he
'shall be deemed desertel, be arrested
by the Provost Marshal, and sent to the
nearest military post for court martial.
If this is not the establishment of a mill:
tary despotlsm then We shoulds. like to
know the true meaning of the word. We
have no hesitation whatever in saying that
this law is unconstitutional, and of course,
not binding upon any citizens of the Uni
ted States, and since the miscalled Nation
al Legislature has so far exceeded its pow
ers, the people must. under such circum-
stances. look for protection to the only au.
thorities that can grant it, the Governors
Of their respective States. We owe allie
giance as citizens of the State ofNew York,
to the Constitution of that and in the exer-
else of his lawful authority we are SOL
emnly bound by that obligation to sustain
and support its Chief Magistrate, whom.
that Constitution declares is the Comman-
der in Chief of the military aud naval for
ces of the State. If allegiance belongs TO
that regularly constituted power which, in
the general community, affords protection
to life and property. then we sag our 10y
atty is pre-eminently due to the United
States, that instrument no longer affords
protection to its citizens, and the only bar
rier which now interposes between the
liberties of the people and the consolida-
ting powers o. a centralized despotism at
Washington is. the sovereignty of the State.
'Let not the willing tools of the recent
y inflated tyranny. in this country imag
iue that the Press ,s,to be deferred by the
threats contained in this unconstitutional
aw against all wto interfere with its opera
ton. We have too much faith in abe Ex
ecutive CT the Empire Slate to suppose
that he will ever slow an administration
which is sapping the very foundations OF
constitutional freedom 10 seize upon his
fellow citizens as tle Russian autoci a It has
attempted TO do with the ill-iated victimes
of his most tiendish rule in Poland. The
moment such an assault is made upon citl-
zens' rights the last links that bind tie
States together will be rent assunder like
SO many cohwebS. The administration
will then find, when it is 100 late, that II is
The States which constitute the Republic,
aud TIL at they are sovereign, that 1t Is the
p wers which they have delegated that
make up what is called the general govern
ment, they are the pillars which suppor.
grand dome, and that the moment their
support is Withdrawn, that part of the edi-
lice must fall to the ground.
1--WE know there are men in our midst,
for we have lately had disgraceful evidence
of the fact, who would aid the newly con-
stituted tyranny at Washington in riveting
its fetters upon the people,. Such men as
sumo to be the mouth h-pieces OF the con-
servative masses, but they will find, when
too late, that the tritkery Of the dema
gogue to which they have resorted will
not save them from the judgment of an
inceused and outraged people. Such men
may imagine that the liberty of nation is
"a thing Of triiing value; but as long as the
great heart of the people is right. their in
trigues in the interests Of American autoc-
racy will prove wretcbed failure. These
are the enemies against which the geat
statesmen of the Republic have warned US
again and again; it is they who are ready
to assist IN undoing the work of the pat
riots of the Revolution by ignoring the
Constitution, and handling over the ights
of the people to military dictator to put
under bolt and bar. Such men can see
no harm in the suspension of the haJeas
corpus. in the suppression Of the liberty of
the press, in the overthrow Of State SOW
ereignty. in the arbitrary arrest and incar
ceration in government dungeons of loyal
citizens, in proclamations placing loyal and
sovereign States under martial law and in
investing the so-called President of the
United States with supreme power above
the Constitution, above State rights, above
all law over the personal liberty ofthe citi-
zens. Such things in their estimation are
mere bagatele. The liberty for which
the infant Republic waged seven years
war against Great Britain is to be bartered
away. and for what! A military despo-
tism-not even such despotism as they
have in some parts of Europe-but des-