The Tipton advertiser. [volume] (Tipton, Cedar Co., Iowa) 1856-1962, 1863-04-09
For the Upton Advertiser.

Mr.. Editor: President of the
United States is not an irresponsible des-
pot. For if he violates tie Constitution
or does anything wrong, he may be i'm
peachcd by the House of Representatives,
and deposed from his Office, as the Con-
stitution provides; and he may then be
tried for his misconduct in Office, like any
private individual; so that be has 10 pow.
err which we have any reason to fear
Still he has power, and great power, for
otherwise he could not discharge the du-
ties Of his Office, and the nation would
soon be ruined. He is Comma der.in.
Chief Of our army and navy. 1t is made
his duty to support the Constitution and
see that the laws are obeyed. For this
end he may, when he pleases, call ont the
militia for three months, and with the
appreciation of Congress, for longer Pc
Rod; and in order to repcl an invasion or
to put down rebellion, he may use the
soldiers under his command IN any ecdy
he thinks best, for the Constitution ard
laws of this nation do not say acora as
to how military operations shall be con-
Quoted. They are left entirely to the
judgment Of the Commander-in -Chiefand
of the officers under him. He may, if
he p!eases, destroy railroads, sink vessels,
burn cities, and shoot men without tri.
al, and do anything else which be thinks
the safety Of the nation requires. But
the power to DO these things belongs to
him only in times Of rebellion or war
lis doing them at any other time would
forfeit his life. The power to do these
things, or to disregard all the laws which
are usually binding upon men, may be
called the war power; and it belongs not
only to the President, but to every man
and to every company of men on earth.
for example, If man or a company of
men should undertake to kill me or to
make me slave, have right to defend
my self in any way | choose, even By kill
ing them Or by hberating their slaves, if
think it necessary for my safety; though
have not a right to do these things
except in SELF defence. This is plain
common sense which no person on earth
except an idiot or a lunatic will deny.
The President is the military head of
the nation, and when the nation is at
tackled it is lis duty to defend it in any
way he thinks best. Ia defending the
nation he may totally disregard that i'm
Portant principle OF the Constitution
which says: "No person shall be depriv.
ed of life, liberty or property without
due process OF law for he may burn
cities, take prisoners, aud shoot men by
the wholesale, without sending after them
constable or having them tried. If he
las right IN time Of rebellion to deprive
men OF their property, liberty and life,
without process Of law, although in a
time Of peace it would be unconstitution.
al to Go it; in like manner he has the
right, III time Of rebellion, to set slaves
at liberty, if he thinks it is necessary.
although in time Of peace it would be
unconstitutional to do it, Hence the
emancipation proclamation is just as con-
stitutional as shooting the rebels without
hrst sending after them an officer and
having them tried in some court. As
the President has a right to shoot men
III time OF war without trial, he has a
right to DO what is less; for example, he
has right to tako up and con6ne any
person, IN any part of the nation, who,
ne has reason to think is traitor, and
afterwards to release him if he sees fit
This he has done in perhaps eighty cases,
and the Democrats are awfully frighten-
ed at it, and talk about it a great deal
more than they do about the rebellion
and the numberless evils it has brought
upon our country. They say that this
power makes the President despot, and
threatens to overthrow all our liberties
But this power, at which the Democrats
are or pretend to be so awful|y frighten.