Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-03-04

Fhchf has BEEN IS sfafnikar tosusfn our
.scnbollboE defs-4" Qdbusque tandtm a0u-
terc, C0tttisad, PGtsentsa nostra ?" How /
wished there could have been at that time
upon this floor some American Senator TO
pour 6de ddp6H the nezd " tn6ss febsiS 4
lava stream Of spatsiotic indignation Bnt
no voice Of rebuke was heard and these
men. after reue6ne mir heats ii thu Sen
ate for the avowed purpose of linking their
fortunes wit, rebel Htatee, were allowed 70
depart from this Hall with the trir Gsphant
air of conauerora, and to, receive. without
eferruptioh- the "cohgfatulstions of ffeir
ffiends.
Now any man tell me that the
framsrs of Tho Constitution OF the United
States did not mean 10 confer upon some
Department o.. the Government the po wer
OF proven ting sthes aoOnsUmmatiOns Of such
purposes as si10se Why, sir, if a score
of mer in the city of Washington had
been arrested qerdsr Soff the Precedent
of the United States, and had been kept
in coa6nement until the storm had blown
over, in all homan probability this rebel
lion might at that time have been crushed.
And yet gentlemen who insist that this
power can only be exercised by Congress,
will be Obliged in candor to admit that for
suchssAR emergency as that OF which /
have spoken7its would have been wholly
inoperatixeT Could bill ave been In
troducsll into Congress at hat time ter
the purpose of suspending the privilege
Of the writ of hd0eds cospus Ia the case Of
those conspirators, almost every one OF
whom was d member Of this body How
absurd, &c seems to me, is the idea that
This power is one which can b7 possibility
be exercised by the legislative power. A
conspiracy like this having its ramifica-
tons in SO many different States, win
always be likely to include a portion of
the members of both Houses of Congress
and then how impossible would it be for
bill to be passed in time to produce any
effect, supposing Congress to be in session
when the rebellion breaks out. But let
! it once be settled that the legislature alone
can exercise this lower, and depend upon
it that rebellion will never break out
when Congress is in session. 49,
In this point OF view, sir, it does seem
to me a matter of Infinite importance that
TINS question should be settled apon true
constitutional grounds; and that if it is
really power possessed by the President,
it should be SO understood. Gen tlemen
sometimes appear to be afraid to meet
this question. It seems to be imagined
eLiDt tuio Po"CA 10 wv ldi W ouu
power to be conferred upon. the Prssi-
dent Of the United States, while it is ad.
mitted at the same time that it may safely
and wisely be conferred upon Congress;
andshere are those who, in justifying the
recent arrests made by the President, pre-.
fer putting themselves upon the ground of
what is SCALED martial law, or the military
power of the President, rather than upon
this clause in the Constitution. / confess
that | view tina matters IAN entirely diff
ferent light If the power be a dangerous
power, then | say it is better that il should
be conferred upon the President than Con 5
gross : BECAUSE the executive power of
our Government must be conceded to be
the teebler power of the two.ss There new
er, perhaps, has existed in any other Gov
ernment SO feeble an executive as that
which we have, whereas the power of
Congress is immense. As Moniesquieu
said with regard to the British constitu-
ton, If the liberties of England were ever
destroyed, it would be by Parliament, SO
think il may be said with regard to this
country, that if our liberties are ever des
tined to perish, it will be by the power of
Congress. and not by that of the Presi-
dent.