Dayton daily empire. [volume] (Dayton [Ohio]) 1850-1865, 1863-04-01


dation Of the Union, so tbatin putting down
the rebellion under its present aspect what
ever is leit Of the Constitution must 90 with
liz States and State rights must perish, and
when the rebellion shall be crushed, the Re.
public will cease TO exist The whole ground
on which the Constitutional Democracy has
stood for more than sixty years, will have
been swept away, and that great glorious old
party organized by Jefferson, Madison and
their associates, defended by Jackson and
Van Buren,, will be extirpsted Ms the enemy
OF the new Government
"Fhe States in rebellion are those which
led the way saving the Constitution from the
heresies attempted TO be eugrafted upon It by
the Hamilton Federalists For more than
sixty years those States have been foremost in
defending the Constitution and preserving
the Union. They watched with vigilant and
jealous eyes the progress Of the Government,
and constantly interposed to prevent innova.
tions or a perversion OF It powers They
hastily withdrew from it when they saw this
controlling salutary influence no longer avail
able to protect the rights OF their States, aud
for this they have been declared rebels
and sentence Of exterminatioa has been
pronounced against them and Is in process Of
execution.
When it is accomplished what will be the
condition of the Constitutional Democracyp
What the basis and constituent parts of our
Government
"The drst question has already been an
swered, that the Democratic party, having it's
origin in the defense aud preservation Of
State rights, can not exist when those rights
shall be destroyed There can be no discus
sion or opposition to the powers of a Gov
eminent, strong enough to desolate and de-
stroy more than one-haf its territorial extent,
and to kill, slay and depopulate by expatria-
ton one-third of its inhabitants
"The basis of such a Government will be
the army the navy and the debt, not Re-
public, but purely military Government
growing out OF, aud depending upon, that
underlined and undefnably analogy called the
military power A power that will not be
questioned without Imprisonment, nor OPP
posed without hanging and con6scation Of
| goods and property. Such exorbitant and
extraordinary powers are now claimed and
exercised by the present Administration, even
| in the face OF a successful and triumphant
| Democracy
ut is the Commander-in-chief Of the Ar
my who claims the power, and assumes to
exercise it, that our lives, our liberties our
pipptltieu arc no lOnEtI utlu uuuBT ana Dy
virtue of our laws but subject to his mere
will and pleasure That he can suspend all
laws, make new ones, create offenses and
crimes, prescribe tribunals and infict punish.
ments to the shedding of blood, independent
OF the Legislature, OF the Judiciary and the
rules of evidence. But this is not all.-the
Commander.in-chief claims the power to elect
members of Congress, making his Major Gen
erals returning officers; prescribing the time
and places OF election, the manner of voting,
when the law of States regulate the same
This has been done in Louisiana, North Caro-
lima, Virginia, thus engrossing the legislative
power and making it entirely dependent upon
the will of the 'Comnanderin-chief'
| There are preliminary steps to an execu,
tive usurpation; without that in view, there
can be no motive or inducement for so gratu-
itons. and proaigate method of packing
If this scheme of usurpation is ever to
he successfully thwarted, it must be now,
The constitutional Democracy s called upon
10 act, to move, to demonstrate and oppose
the certain and inevitable destruction Of the
Republic. II must rouse Itself with the
greatness and imminence Of danger, reorgan-
ize and reinvigorate its committees, support
an independent and outspokeu press, and
prepare itself for great struggle, a death
struggle, between tyranny and freedom The
day will daFken il the struggle is delayed by
timid Or iallacious hopes. Our only hope is
in ourselves.
|