North Branch democrat. [volume] (Tunkhannock, Pa.) 1854-1867, 1863-07-29

| adutatlon. The plunder Of the public treasury
the wholesale ROBBERY of the labor of homes
people finds with them the ready and ampl
justification if their own palms are enriched
with a portion Of the spols. Imbecit t,
is converted into Jealous patriotism, and tn,
defeats Of inferior partisan generals int
| grand and conclusive victories. In the press
fIn the pulpit, in the forum, and at the hus
tlngs they now invite the open and audaciou
/ approaches OF a complete deSpotism, and pro
| claim in advance the submission Of the coun
trymen IF Warre.l and Hancock in the East
and Of Jackson and in the West. That sucl
destroyers of popular liberty and constitutional
government shall aim their poisoned shafts o
detracuon and calumny at the faithful sent
mel who annonnces the near approach Of fata
d niger is 10 be expected, but should not 81
lcnce the voice of patriotic duty. They arc
in the service OF their master. A passionate
exclamation OF Henry III. in the hearing OF
obaequuus mlnlOns. turned them into assas-
sins, and stained the altar Of Col with the
blood Of Thommas a Beckett. In like man
ner this country now swans with those whose
feet swift 10 carry out, in defiance of all
law, human and divine the obscurely hInted
wishes, the halc disoSed views Of an Admin
lstratinn which avows no restraints except
its own will. Look with Inc for a few m)
ments over the intmerabe events that have
marked the conduct of those now in chief au-
thority since their accession to powt l, and which
call IN imperative tones, mot to be deniedfor re
i"rm OF for revolution. come from the
broad free plains Of the West. | come from
u land of unneasured attachment to the Tn.
ion. It's patriotism has been spontaneous as
the Productions Of its fertile soil. Its valUr in
the face of battle has been as fierce as the
flames that rage over its prares. 1t has not
raused to measure it's resources before pour
ing out in this contest. Il has made no coa-
dtIons, eXac' ed no partisan pledges, roqired
no proclamation before rendering obedience
to tt e laws. The NUrthwestis is nc delinquent.
She is do criminal. Yet the sentence Of
outlaw has been proapapce against her. Her
proud ana stately neck has been selected for
the yoke-tbe yoke more CALLING than the
Roman emblem of bondage which doomed
whole provinces. She has been robbsl Of
the protection of written laws, and placed in
the custody Of military governors. The great
State of Indlaana h,s had succession Of
these officers. H.- Constitution provides
for civil GDyeraor who shall see
that the laws are faithfully executed, and
who is the chief Of her military organization
That off ;ial, however, can no longer be re-
garded as the Executive of the State, mas
much as the duties, of that position in all i'm
porlant particulars have been surrendered to
the hands Of another Thus Federal usurpa-
ton strikes down the Constitution and the
Government of the State, and the advocate OF
consolidated despotism abandon both dignity
and duty in order to forward the ravishing
strides" which it is making in our midst
By some silent process Of the Presidential
mind, the privileges of the writ Of hdbeds
CO ~pus have become suspended in the West.
We had not thought that the subject had
even engaged the attention of the Executive
until after our citizens had clamored In vain
from their prisons for trial and justice. We
were not even in .ormed of the great revolu-
ton in our rights and penalties until we
were deprived of the former and suffering
the latter. To suspan d the privileges of this
great popular writ is given by the Constitu
ton as one of the enumerated powers OF
Congress but the President of the United
States exercises that power, as we at last
discover, without condesc ending to inform
the people that he has done So But need
not conline my remarks on this point TO any
one section Of the loyal States. They apply
equally to all-if not in extent at least In
principle. Arrest, trial, condemnation, and
punishment Of citizens free from every taint
of crime, all take place in the silent cham
bers Of one mind. Law, fact and sentence
all exist alone in the will Of the Executive
The person Of every citizen of America, his
wife and his child is more at the mercy to-
day Of Executive caprice and tyranny tha II
the slave Of Virginia is at the mercy of his
master. Written laws regulate the condi-
ton of the black mans servitude. None
exist for the protection of the white man
In his letter to the Albany Committee on
the subject ofthe arrest and exile Of Mr.
Vallandlgham, the President plainly avows
his independence Of and supremacy over al
law in his dealings with the liberty of the
citizen. He announces that the public safe
ty is the only law which he recognizes. Ir
| what the public safety consists he alone wi
Judge. Whatever conduces to the public
safety that he vii! do aid, again, he alone
is to determine what may be necessary tc
this end. This is his argument, and it alb
serbs within himself every possible power
that the maddest tyrant ever coveted ovel
life, Liberty and property, II in the estma
ton of Mr.. Lincoln the life OF Mr.. Vailandig
G