The Jeffersonian Democrat. [volume] (Chardon, Ohio) 1854-1865, 1863-03-27

THE BILL, AND THE COURSE OF TUE DEMO.
Gratis UPoE THE WAR MEASURES.
Mr.. RIDDLE. Mr.. Speaker, tho bill
nominally before the House 10 known as the
Naturalization Bill. Tho latitude Of gen.
eral debate, however, professionally, per.
nits tho discussion OF everything else under
tho sun and "withln the four seas," and l
shall avail myself Of this permission to say
very little of the measure nomnally before
the House, with tho design of saying some
last words, before tako leave of the public
service with which have boen identified on
this floor.
Tho times themselves are exceptiousl,
and we must resort to exceptional remedies.
This measure, undor any other circum-
stances, would DO the most extraordinary
ever considered in Congress- Il is nothing
more than to indemnify the Executive aud
bis agents for doing acts that not only ind
no warrant in our statutes, but arc iu oppo-
sition to the whole spiri, of our laws. Who
ever has listened to the speeches of gcntle-
men in opposition, might suppose that the
President was the most INSCRIPTIONS
usurpor that ever oppressed people, and
that the majority on this floor were in con.
spiracy to betray into his hands tho lasi
shadows Of human righ,a. Nobody would
learn from them that we are ia tho midst OF
any remarkable commissions. They are
brutal ia their assaults upon the Executive,
and fierce in denouncing US. Tho House
resounds constantly with their mourning ol
oquence, as they depict the sufteripgs OF
the few whom the Government, for its own
safety, has somewhat rudely dealt with; but
what mortal has heard them donounee the
rebels, or what voice of theirs has Joined the
great anthem of anguish that swolls through
the land, over our own lost in battle, or who
have perished in hospitals. or who now 81,
In darkness iu desolated homes: And il
seems almost necessary to remind gentle.
men who dwell on the individual grjefs Of
sbeir favorites, that our groat mothor ;s torn
with life-throes, aud that these yisitatons OF
which they complain are reluctantly, rcgret-
fully made; that these Lesser ills, some ID
which are, doubtless, in themselves unmor.
tied, must. nevertheless. DO endured for the
safety of tho whole; and shat, in any ovent
tho openly declared loyal have not, will not
aud cannot suffer by these summary acts
that, in the opinion and Judgment of the
governing majority, these acts woro and are
necessary and wise and that it is expedieni
to make that declaration in the potent form
of law.
1t 10 ldlo to mine back into tho buried
lore Of old, rude timos. and dig up prese
dents for our observance and guidance now,
or to nicely regard tho rights Of persons and
things, whether thoy grow out of mems nat
ural rights, or owe their being to civil pol.
ity, wien the great source of the protec.
ton of all rights ia threatened with de-
struction. Of what avail would be the writ
of habeds corpus and trial by jury, If the
great fountain of remedial justice was to
perish These rights, so inostimable, are
only suspended by the hand of inexorable
danger, to be restored in full vigor when
that passes by. No, sir We arc in the
midst Of an era in which we mako prcce-
dents We cannot now follow old ones.-
And yet these examples from our old Brit
ish history are most valuable; for they show
US our ancestors, in the midst of new and
groat porils, calmly aud wisely judging OF
,heir own needs, and who boldly and lnhes-
itatingly sppled to them such remedies as
thoy found at hand, without reference to
precedents: These rich examples will be
lost on us if, in those fearful times, We do
not reach forth our bands, and pluck from
earth, sea snd heaven, the roadiest meaus
for our deliveranco.
OF COURSE this measure, like every other
war measure. is opposed by tho Democrats
ON this floor and yet tboy assure US tha.
they are not opposed to the war. / pray
gentlemen to examine with little care their
actual position. ! call no names, denouncc
nobody as dsloyal. have learned the diff
ference between strength aud coarse OK
prossions, and facts are more pungent thar
abuse. These gentlemen assure US thai
they are not opposed to the war, but only Il
our policy of the war. They do not oppose
the Government. but cnly the administrs
tion of the Government. The Goyernmen
is one thing, and its administration another
The rule has changed. In General Jack
sons time, be was the Government.
think can understand the difference be
tween tho Government and the adminIatra
tion Of it. In the abstract, the one is a ma
chine standing still. and the other the sam,
machine in motion; and how you can op
pose the motion of the machine without on
posing the machinery. is q question foI
Democratic oasuists.
Not opposed to the war itself9 How
comes it, then, that these gentlemen invari
ably oppose every measure for lite prosecu
tion ? In favor of the war: How, then
does it happen that they can never find any
thing in any measure to carry it on. tba
they eau support We are unfortunate
indeed. that, in these two years, amid th,
variety Of our measures, We have never ye
stumbled on ono that could command thei
support as party. And still more strang'
is IL that. as they are ardentiy Ia favor Of ,
vigorous prosecution Of the war. and as W,