Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1863-07-21
MILITARY AUTHORITY.

MILITARY AUTHORITY.
Some Confederate journals condemn the
views lately promulgated in the Enquirer
on the subject vi increasing the military pow
err for our present emergency. Some think
that the crisis is not yet luimiuent enough, MOI
the ,luu. er o our sub Cation turmidablec enough
to call Tor 50 extreme Il measure. Sumo say
plainly ,bu, these are stupidl that ii there Is
to he military rule they would as soon submit
TO Linculn's US 10 our own. Politicians are
alarmed at the blow that would he given t
patronage" aud at the possibility of their
being thus delarred from procuring promo
tions and appointments in the army for meii-
torious constituents; while the lawyers. who
make good thing ut of haJeas corpus cases,
make an immense rout over the liberties of the
citizen.
OF ali these grounds of objection the first
alone is worthy Of the least consideration. Are
the dangers and pressure sufficiently great to
justify resort to military rule? And is mil
itary rule, with power to suspend habeas cor
pus, and power to guide and revise elections in
the army, the best mode of ensuring the eff
cheney Of our army and the completeness Of
our defence against the enemy? If so, then
the other objections have no weight, because
no Confederate, we presume, would hesitate
for one moment to wairt them every one, if
tina, be necessary to defend US from subiuga-
ba c1nen &c ~, -,
the triumph of our cause.
People are too easily alarmed by words
What in fact, is Dictator? During several
centuries of the most Furnishing and virtuous
p rod of the Roman Republic whenever it
betel that the soil of that Republic was in
valed by powerful enemies. and the country
was in r"ar danger, the Senate. the Consuls,
the Tribunes Of the People, and all the powers
Of the Stale combined. vested the whole OF
Their authority i'll some one trusted man, and
gave him the famous charge, ne quid respub-
lea detyin,enti capiat. BE it thy care that
this Republic suffer no HARM" factious folks
and the smaller lawyers murmured, but the
Rcyablic was always so"ed; and the long his
tory of Rome is l''Ninuus with such immortal
names as Fab'lc:us and Ciucinnatus, Dictd.
tors. az, the Roman Republic fell at last
by Dictator, Julius Cesar; but it was in its
decadence and ready To fail. Give us but five
hundred Years Of glorious Republic: and
then We too sl,ell bc ready for Julius
Caesar; then "lct Antony and young Octaviu>
come"
And 50 it was sometimes in Greece, too:
The ryran, Of the Chersoncse,
Wa, Freedoms best and noblcst fiend;
The; = rant MiltiaicS
Oh ! would Heaven in mercy send
An",heF tyrait Of the kind
Such chains Us hi, TO bpd!'
The Lynchburg Republican" speaking Of
til, ar. les Ill question, says:
"1hey are very curious and extraordinary
documy llls, and we cannot believe for ono mo.
ment iGat they are sanctioned, much less been
Suggested by either the President or any
menlber oi Tie Government. We hope an,.
believe they are views peculiar to the writer IN
the Enquirer
just SO: peculiar to the writer; not sus-
ses1ed nor sanctioned By the President, nor
any member OF the government; they are just
the ideas Of one who imagines that the concen-
tra,lou vi force which has been found needtul
by one nation for its defence, may be found
neeliul by auU,her-that an army is IN army,
not al lnstru luent OF patronage Tor log-rolllng
politic;aus-tbut those who encourage dcser-
ton usht 10 be dealt with over a drum-head:
auc that- IL besicged city, Or ship in II
storm, government oug hit to be absolute.
As lor The actual President, lie has not only
not sought to grasp powers which the law has
not vested in him; hut he has been very shy
and reserved i'll employing those which lit
possesses. lie did not usk Congress in his
last message to renew the haGeaS corpus suS
pension law-we believe he ought to have
done SO. Neither has he asked for any
change in the absurd law arranging the
election of officers, and restricting appoint
mcnts--we believe he needs Tor rather
we all need Il change in that law. lie
has not demonstrated against the late act au-
thorizlng and empowering hospital surgeons
to is>u" turloughs by Wholesale for change Of
air. We believe he ought to have vetoed it
and further believe that by its means thearmy
is getting dlapidated. lie has not ordered
the CONSUMPTION Of all foreigners, including
the ConsulS-we believe he ought to do 50.
Such is our indictment against the Presi-
dent. lie ought to use all the powers he has.
and demand more and if he does not demand
more, more ought to be forced upon him;
with the charge ne quid ietrimenti respubiica
capiat.
If it is too soon to announce these views
now, it may not be too soon next month. II
the crisis is not yet pressing enough, perhaps
it will be next week.
THE RECOGNITION QUESTION.
Only one thing can plainly be made out, in
the late discussion provoked by Mr.. Roebuck,
in the British Parliament: and that one thing
is that the Emperor of the French is still de-
sirous to recognize the Confcderacy: but is
still waiting for the concurrence of England
which still holds him back. There is also