Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1863-04-15
From the Charleston Mercury.

SUSPENSION OF HABEAS CUhtCo.
The Richmond Enquirer very properly denoances
WIl-what constitutes dsspotismf Ons tang
and one thing alone-the saspeassen Of ne seTss q
ha6eas cospus By the susAsnsion Of the WITT rresr
dent Lincoln can arrest and cast prison any ci
zen be pleases, and there is no power by when the
citizen can be released but his arbitrary WILL TINS
power makes President Lincoln despot, and ms
government despotisIn. Yet, strange to say, the
Enquirer supports the propositonthat the Congress
of the Confederate States should pass exactly sucn
measure over the people Of the Confederate States
President Davis to be empowered to suspend the
hgbeas co,pus act: and, like President Lincoln, 10
arrest and imprison whom he pleases, IN the Coh.
federate States, without any slneaablty or restrain.
from the Courts of the land Does rot the Enquirer
support the establishment of despotism III the
Confederate States. exactly similar to that it denoun
ces in the United States
But the Enquirer alleges that President DAVIS
will not abuse the power if conferred upon him. ~
a law making him a despot. This is exactly the
pea of the abotions,s OF the United States, max
ing Lincoln despot. 1t is ever the plea used IN
the establishment of all desPotisns Admit the
statement, however to he true-the government rs
ererths,sss deepotism. The right of personal lib
erty is goac We have no right TO be out of prison
if the President chooses we shall ba init. Suppose
the Confederate States are conquered by the United
States, viii there be any worse form 0. government
over us Can there be any worse, in its prncl-
pies? 1t is to avoid just such q government, with
all it's inevitable results of poticalruin slavery and
death, that We are DOW fighting. -.
Bat the Ehq nirt' argues that there are districts
of disafected country where the suspension OF the
writ Of heJeas corpus ought to prevail. Admit this
to be true, for arguments sake-what then !? Shall
the writ be suspended throughout the Contederacy
where disaffecton does not prevail. TO give any
effect t" the argument let the suspension be l'ml
teds6y lac to the districts disafected. 10 go fur
thcl is using the asafiacon in small part OF the
Conetleracy to extend dcspOt;sm over the whole.
The Enquirer further says, in defence Of this mea-
sure, that the power to imprisou, and to keep in
prison, will only extend to State PrisoneTs-oniy TO
prisoners inca, cerated By the Erecuiire Of the Cen
ttsIerate States! Why-it is only for the bei:efit
OF suc, prisoners that the writ of habe'rs corpus is
bulwark Of liberty Who are those in whose be-
hall Lincoln has deed and aEnuiled the writ "f A'-
hens ct,spns the other side Of the Potomac =
State prisoners, and State prisoners only They
consist Of these who have dared to speak or to write
in defence Of their constitutional rights against the
military despotisln set up over them. These by
thousands fill his dungeons and bastileA
But President Davis, in the opinion Of the En-
guirer, ran he safely entrusted with such power
over our persons and liberties. If President DAVIS
were a second Washington OF an angel npon earth.
the degradation such surrender OF or rights I'M
plies, would still Ue abhCF!enG 10 every
Those are fit to be slaves vino voluntarily seek
master. II We are to have despolSIn over Us, let
it be the result Of force. Let the country be con-
quercd and all the freemen in the land be slain or
driven into exile. Ti.en and not until then, let
despot rule with the arbitrary power of casting
whom he pleases into Dungeons, and of reigning
over us, lord-paramonnt by his will.
Never, since the foundation Of the world, have
any people, We oriese, been more faithful to the
great cause OF civil and political liberty :or which
they are contending. or more strenuous in support
Of the government they have established to achieve
it. than the peolc of the Confederate Stotes. And
now they are told that they must surrender this
glorious cause-not to victorious foes -realering
omnipotsnt Il monster OF villiany and tyranny who
rules in Washington-but to our own Executive
appointee in Richmond-our own P.esident-in
I loving trust-:n willing subsefvieney-in AFFECT,
voluntary slavery!
"Hearen stops the ut it. and the moon winks;
| The bawdy wIrd, lha: kisses all it meets.
+ Is hushed within the hollow mine of Garth.
And will no. hear it,"