The daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1863-1864, 1863-11-09
The Government Not the Ad.
ministratiOn.

hAxhASGA ahSASAAs
The Constitution makes provision for
change of Administration once in four years,
but makes no such provision for change
of Government. An Administration passes
away but the Government remains. The
one NAV be detested, the other loved. We
have now, however. party which at
tempts to merge both in one, to make as
loyalty to the one eisloyalty to the otner'
This.is an attempted stride towards despot-
ism, which the people must see is not sue
cessfully taken. For the Government we
have the most profound admiration, for the
Administration the most profound detesta-
ton. The former gives us the protection
of habeas corpus7-the great magma charta
of human liberty; gives us the right OF trial
by jury; makes military subservient to civil
power, securesfr freedom of elections; prevents
seizures without warrants of law; protects
by the genius of its own chivalrous spirit
the honor of the army; dictates no political
opinions to its generals; make US sound
currency; ends our wars speedily; seeks to
avoid oppressive taxation; takes no insults
from foreign nations; recognizes the Mon
roe doctrine as our true policy; makes no
crusade against slavery; furnishes no aid to
its enemies; protects commerce upon the
high seas; and fights with its soldiers no
political battles. The latter does precisely
the opposite in every one of these particu-
lars In the pointed, admirable language OF
the New York World. at has suspended
the habeas corpus; it has abolished trial by
Jury; it has made the military independent
of aud superior to the civil power; 1t has
iuterfered with the freedom of elections; it
has made searches and seizures without
warrant of law; it has degraded the honor
able profession of arms; it has dismissed
able generals and sent them into retire.
ment tor their supposed political opinions
it has debased the currency;it has needless
" prolonged the war and piled up noun
tain of oppressive debt; it has quailed before
the arrogance of foreign powers; it has toll
Grated, nay, aided the abrogation of the
Monroe doctrine; it has perverted war for
the restoration of the Union into crusade
for the abolition of slavery; it has strength
ened the rebellion by furnishing to its lead
ers arguments which have enabled them to
unite the southern people in determine
ton more unanimous and indomitable than
Was ever exercised by any other people;
with great navy at its command it has
surrendered our commerce on the ocean as
a prey to two or three privateers; it has
caused important campaigns 10 miscarry
by withdrawing Republican soldiers to vote
in State elections in order to give to these
elections q delusve appearance of indor-
sing its own unconstitutional facts and ia
tutous measures.
In addition to the above extract we can
not refrain from quoting the following from
the Void. We commend it to the careful,
calm consideration of the Democracy aud
Conservatives of West Virginia:
For these manifold abuses of power it is
the duty of the people to arraign and re-
buke their temporary rulers. Our frequent
elections, occurring in time of war no less
than in time of peace, were designed foI
this very purpose Of checking official ma
ver.ation, for which temptations and oppcr
tunites are infinitely greater In troubled
than in tranquil times. lt is dangerous,
short sighted, and pusillanimous notion that
a vigilance which guards our liberties ought
to be relaxed at the very time when those
liberties are. in the greatest jeopardy
When the peril Of the country is made an
ARGUMENT for unreserved confidence in our
TEN porary rulers, it is the duty Of those
rulers to prove their title to confidence by
assuming no doubtful or questionable pow
ors-much less any which the Constitution
explicitly intsrdicts.
Ata time when such grave and para
mount interests are at stake, rival ambi
tons for place are of little account; though
they are never more active than in general
upheaval Of the foundations of political So
ciety. For all minor and merely local off
ces, for all places which do not affect the
vital issues of this great contest we refuse
To be seduccd by party spirit into vehement
advocacy Of any claims not founded on per
sonal merit. For all local nominations
which reinforce, or at least do not impair
the strength of the general ticket, We earn
c,tly counsel all our friends to vote, as a |
duty which they owe to the cause. But
the oily thing which will tell, the only
thing witch tends to cheek abuses of power
and rescue the violated Constitution, is
the success of the State ticket. IT, unfor
there should be differences of
opinion in relation to very few local no
.nlnations, the personal susceptiblities
thereby wounded must not interfere with
a ong, cordial, aud united support of our
State ticket.