East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1863-07-28
Reply Of the Albany Democracy "a
the Presidents Letter Of
Jane E2.

10 Ills ENcelency Abraham Lincoln, President o
| the United States:
SIR: Your answer which has ap.
penred in the public prints, to the reso
lutions adopted at recent meeting il
the city of Albany affirming the person
al rights and liberties of the citizens ol
this country, has been referred to the
undersigned, the committee who pre-
pared and reported those resolutions. s.
The subject will now receive from us
some further attention, which your an.
swer seems to justify, if not to invite
we hope not to appear wanting in the
respect due to your high position if VIC
reply with freedom and earnestness
suggested by tho infinite gravity and
Importance of the questions upon which
you have thought proper to make issue
at the bar OF public opinion.
You seem to be aware that the Con
stltutlon of the United States, which
you have sworn TO protect and defend
contains the following guarantees, to
which, we again ask your attention: (l)
Congress make no law abridging the
freedom of speech or of the press. ~
l he right of the people to be secure in
their persons against unreasonable seiz
ures, shall not be violated, and no war.
rant shall issue but upon probable cause
supported by oath. (3) No persons
except soldiers and mariners in the ser
vice of the government, shall be held to
answer for capital or infamous crime,
unless on presentment or indictment of
a grand jury, nor shall any person be
deprived of life, liberty or property
without due process of law (4) In all
criminal prosecutions, the accused shall
enjoy the right of a speedy and public
trial by an impartial jury of the state
or district in Mch the crime shall have
been committed, and to be confronted
with the witnesses against him.
You are also, no doubt, aware that
on the adoption of the constitution these
invaluable provisions were proposed by
the jealous caution Of the States, and
were inserted as amendments for per.
pctual assurance of liberty against the
encroachments of power From your
earliest reading of history, you also
know that the great principles of liberty
and law which underlie these provisions
were derived TO us from the British
constitution. In that country they were
nundreu ears ago, ana tDcy nave peeh
confirmed by many and repeated stat.
utes of the realm. A single palpable
violation of them in England would no!
only arouse the public Indignation, but
would endanger the throne itself. For
persistent disregard of them, Charles
|. was dethroned and beheaded 10y his
rebelious subjects.
The fact has already passed into his
tory that the sacred rights and immuni
ties which were designed TO be protec-
ted by these constitutional guarantees
have not been preserved to the people
during your administration. In viola.
ton of the first of them, the freedom of
the press has been denied. In repeated
instances newspapers have been sup
pressed in the loyal States because they
criticized, as constitutionaly they might,
those fatal errors of policy which have
characterized the conduct of public at
fairs since your advent to power. In
violation of the second of them, hun
dreds and we believe thousands of men
have been seized and immured IN prls-
ons and bastiles, not only without war.
rant upon probable cause, but without
any warrant, and for no other cause
than n constitutional exercise OF the
freedom of speech. In violation of all
these guarantees, a distinguished citl.
zen of a peaceful and loyal State has
been torn from his home at midnight
by band of soldiers, acting under the
orders ofone o! your Generals, tried be
fore n military commission, without
Judge or jury, convicted and sentenced
without even the suggestion of any Of
fence known to the constitution or laws
of this country. For all these acts you
avow yourself ultimately responsible
In the special case of Mr. Vallandigham
the injustice commenced by your sub
ordinate was consumated by sentence
of exile from his home pronounced by
you. That great wrong, more than
any other which preceded it, asserts
tho principles of a supreme despotism
These repeated and continued inva
sions of constitutional liberty and pri
vate right have occasioned considerable
anxiety in the public mind. The apre
hension ana alarm which they are cal
culated to produce have been greatly en-
hanced by your attempt to justify them
because in that attempt you assume t
yourself rightful authority possessed
by no constitutional monarchy on earth
We accept tho declaration that yor
prefer to exercise this authority witt
a moderation not hitherto exhibited. =
But, believing as we do, that your for
bearance is not the tenure by which lit
erty is enjoyed in this country, wc pre-
pose to challenge the grounds on whic
your claims Of supreme power are basec
While yielding to you as constitution
al magistrate the Difference to whlc
you are entitled, we cannot accord {
you the despotic power you claim, how
ever indulgent and gracious you ma
promise to be in welding it.
. We have carefully considered tn
! grounds on which your pretentions I
more than regal authority are claimed {
rest and if we do not misinterpret tn
misty and cloudcd forms of cSprcssio
! in which those pretcntions are set fortl
: your meaning is, that while the right
of the citizens arc protected by tn