Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1863-12-12
DEPUTY PROVOST nARsnALy.

DEPUTY PROVOST MARSHALL.
We learn that the Deputy Provost Mar.
shall Of Monona county lately received .
severe choaking. and only by the interven.
ton Of citizens was saved from a very
serious physical punishment. This We
learn occurred because the Deputy took .
liking to a mans coat which seemed to
have blue cast TO il; and wished to ap-
propriate it without asking many questions
1t so happens that now and then man,
who, though he may look rough and rusty
has read, or At leas. heard Of this provis.
ion in the former Constitution Of our
country" Nor be deprived Of life, liberty
or property, without due process Of la,o. i"
But very few have read Section % Of an
act entitled IAN Act for enrolling aud
calling out the National forces, and for
other purposes which has dipenscd with
that useless provision Of the Constitution,
40 far as blue clothing is concerned. The
Section il as follows:
Sec. %. Ind be II further enacted,
That the clothes, srms, military outfits,
and accoutremen,s furnished by the Uni.
ted States 10 any soldier, shall not be sold,
bartered, exchanged, pledged, loaned, or
given away ; and no person not soldier,
or duly authorized officer Of the United
States, who has possession Of any such
clothes, arms, military outfits, or accou-
tremen,s, furnished as aforesaid, and
which have been the subjects Of any such
sale, barter, exchange. pledge, loan, or
gift, shall have any right, title, or interest
therein BOT the same may be seized and
taken wherever found by any officer Of the
United States, civil or military, and shall
thereupon b. delivered to any quarter
ceive the same ; and the possession OF any
such clio, hes, arms, military outfits, or
accoutrsments, by any person not q SOL
der or officer Of the United States; shall
be prima .facia evidence Of such sale,
barter. exchange, pledge, loan; or gif, ~
aforesaid.
From what we have seen Of Provost
larshars doing in connection With this
Statute. they seem TO thiuk all blue cloth.
ing in the possession Of a citizen is sub.
ject to be taken without form or ceremony.
The section plainly indicates that +
total disregard Of the rights Of citizen
was had by Congress when the Act was
passed; but if Congress will 80 legislate
~ virtually to make brute force the law Of
the land-to leave the citizen no pro.ec.
ton but such as nature by physical force
and endowment has given him, it is reas.
enable to expect now and then personal
fsti cuff will have to be encountered by
the Ministerial officers Of such laws, un.
less oil are as fortunate - the Deputy of
our county, when . few days since he IN.
dertook to relieve drunken ,nsn of .
pair Of pants and found his subject man
Of straw! which had been duly prepared
and arranged by some of the boys, for the
sagacious u and ene'getic Deputy.
The law did not seem to prohibit, in it's
terms, the wearing OF blue by that class
Of humans, and so the United States were
not, in this case, made the richer by a
pair of pants. In point Of wisdom i. is
mastery law.
1t will enable many dictatorial dummy
OF DEPUTY to deprive some few men Of a
pair Of pants or brogans, which probably
his brother or sou has paid the Govern.
ment for while serving it, and thus collect
lot Of old clothes for some honest Gov.
ernme"t jobber to swinjle the soldiery
With. 1t will enable tyranny and oppres.
sion aud a disregard Of rights TO be freely
INDUCED in 1t will enable Eve dollars to
be expended to save one. II will exemplify
the economy Of this Administration.