M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1863-04-30

means, can, under euch institutions
as ours, lead to but one Of two results
the establishment Of despotism Of
very bad kind. or the overthrow Of
the political power of those who resort
to such methods. Either the inslitu,
tions of the country will perish, or the
party which undertakes to repress all
ii sedom Of discussion will PERISH
TChOers.] Ihope We shall make up
our minds 10 destroy the party and
save tie institutions. [Great applause.
We will do it, But Of this hereaf.
ter.
Let me return TO this new doctrine
Of loyalty which requires us to &C.
quiesce in silence in the Judgment OF
public servants as TO what the public
necessity requires, even to the extent
OF overlooking great iniTactions OF the
Constitution. This doctrine entirely
ignores the purpose Tor which the
Constitution imposed certain stringent
Limitation on the powers of the Ma.
tional Government. In order to ex.
plain this, it will be necessary to de.
scend from general reasoning to par.
ticular illustration.
The Constitution, after con ferring
certain well defined political powers
upon the Federal Government, de
clares that all other political powers
are reserved to the States or the peo.
pie; and it further secures to every
citizen certain inalienable rights OF
person and property, which it recog.
nizes as inherent in the citizen forever
beyond all possible control of the
Government. Now, does any one
suppose that this was done without a
serious purposel Does any one i'm
agine that it was done Tor what is
vulgariy called 'Buncombel' Do
you believe that it was done with
mental reservation Of the doctrine OF
public necessity behind the Constitu-
tion, and ready to strike it down from
lis supreme control over US and. our
affairs ! Let me suggest to you, my
fellow citizen, that you can no. study
the Constitution and tue purposes of
the great generation who madS - it,
without seeing that tho very object
OF all this careful provision for the
rights that were placed beyond the
reach OF the central Government was
to exclude forever this doctrine Of
public necessity as u measure Of the
powers that were conferred upon that
Government. [Cheers. ! use this
language deliberately. | affirm that
when the Constitution repeated the
words Of Magma Charta, not rs a
statute, but as a fixed provision Of
fundamental law, and declared that
mo person shall be deprived Of life,
liberty or property without due pro.
cess OF law il meant 20 make a rule
for all time and all circumstances,
shutting the door forever against any
supposed public necessity for violating
the rights OF the citizen. In like
manner affirm that VIXEN tire CcE.
stitation reserved 10 the States or the
people all political powers not grant.
ed TO the Federal Government, it
meant to preclude every ground. OF
necessity for the assumption by that
Government Of the powers thas with
held. [Applause.l
In fact the idea Of written ConSti.
tution-a fixed and supreme law--is
utterly irreconcilable with the theory
that the Administration OF such a
Government can resort to their own
judgment Of public necessity, and act
contrary to the supreme law, and that
good citizenship requires the people
to acquiesce in that judgment They
who set up such claim for our rulers
claim for them an entirely irresponsi-
bic power. We are required, for
example, to believe that what are
called arbitrary arrests" are necessa.
ry, but no one explains to US the
grounds ofthat necessity. No account
is rendered. We are to assume the
existence of causes Of justification,
but no one tells US what these causes
are. They may remain forever lock.
ed in the bosoms OF those who do the
acts OF which we complain. Why
should American citizens, filling high
places ofpublic trust, act upon such
| a principle as thisf Can anything
be more deg. aiding, more inJuriou'
to the public conscience OF the people
than to form a habit .ofimplicit belle
in the existence of necessities which
nobody explains, and OF which nobody
is required to give an accountf You
may hear a hundred menl in q day
speaking Of some particular case o
this kind, profess its necessity ant
not one man in the whole hundred
can tell YOU what the necessity was
Laughter and applause.
~ friends, these false theories o
loyafty-for false must declare tEe4
ARE infusing into our nation !
! nj, .ootar \ fatal noioan Tbo,, n ~