Ashtabula weekly telegraph. [volume] (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1853-1873, 1863-02-21
From tho n. Y. Independent.
Loyalty aud Liberty.
BI HORACE GREELr;

] . ..
What is the measure. what are the lmi
tations. of free citizens duty Of ideIhy tc
the rightful government of bis country, es.
perially in a republie? ,.t@.,i ,1et
There is no question as to tie fact that
ruler-wheiher called President, Govern
or. or something elSe--may violate the
laws which he is chosen to cxecnte, and
thus render loyalty to the State perfectly
compatible with resistance to his arbitrary
decree. But whoever assumes that the ses.
| vice acquired Of him by bis admitted rHler
is unauthorized, and thereupon resisis and
defes the requisition, does so at bis own
peril. The presumption that the magis.
tra'e REQUIRES only what the law authoriz-
es aud jlsti6es, is Inherently strong, aad
only to he rebuied by conclusive proof
That the law is above the magistrate is
clear that your or my CONCEPTION of the
law is truer aud sounder than his, fortified
as the latter has or should have been by
The best legal advice. is priWa faeie imDrob-
able And resistatce TO constituted au.
thority is not justified by mere belief, how
ever confident, that the obedience required
is unauthorized by the Constitution.
But the case against the resistef of right.
ful authority becomes Infinitely stronger
when the difference concerns matter { I
opinion, or an act which must be deemed
right or wrong as its consequences shall de-
termine. For example
The President of the United States was
urged. from an- early stage Of our present
struggle, TO regard Slavery as the 6nsl
canse of the Rebellion. aud to strike at the
evil in its source. He was urged, on the
other haad to maintain Throughout what
is termed Conservative attitude on that
subject-to so prosecute the War for the
Union as to preserve and protect Slavery.
His response in substance was, that be
should protect or asssil that Institution
precisely as should seem to him most con
tluctive.to the re.establishment of the Union.
Ia point Of fact. be did prosecute the War
with the utmost forbearance toward the
abhorrent system. overriding the libergtiug
Orders of Fremont, Lame, Hunter. etc !,
and sustaining the Pro Slavery fnluiuGt ions
of Patterson. Mcclellan. and Ilalleek, IN,
til, after eighteen months Of iAdecisiSe ef-
fort, he became convinced that Slavery
was at once the animatihg soul and the as.
saiIable point Of the RebeiIion, aud there.
fore placed it under the ban Of the Repnb.
icp And now, say many he has, by that
decision and action. perverted the War for
the Union into War against Slasery, aud
We shall EaPpoft It no longer.' {. 4 gsEo
This logic assumes that the President is
a hypocrite and cheat, lnventing pre-
text for assailing Slavery which be knows
to be untrue. F 70 nhaf
Or that be has no right so to act upon
bis conviction that the Union may be saw.
cd through the destruction Of Slavery.
But all The facts prove that the Presi.
dent was Originally a sincere edhefent TO
the BofderSta policy---that be enly
gave it up. sfter experience had demonstra-
ted its futility. and then with manifest hest.
tation and Feluetanee.o = 800 e loae 9d
The alternative proposition that the
President had no right 70 preslalm Eman.
eipatioB. even though coavinesd that he
Bnioa could no Otherwise bs saved, Uill
not bear scrutiny Il u of the same nators
with Astorney- General Blaeh's demonslFa.
tIon, as legal ADVISER Of President Bnehan.
sn, that, while the Federal GoFsEumenl