Washington telegraph., 1863-10-21


our people in our cause, by representing our
government as an engine Of oppression instead
| Of n shield of protection. i have labored To
defend the government against any charges Of
blame or censure for these outrages, fully be-
llieving that if correct information had reached
the War Department in due time as to the true
state Of affairs here, timely relief would have
been given. IL was the work of a clan of poll
ticians, backed by a few time serving and
timid journals, which kept concealed the true
state Of affairs, and gave different and false
phase TO our prospects. As proof OF this
fact, you need but refer to the speech Of our
President at Jackson, Miss, wherein he pic
tured our prospects here as truly fattering,
and the time being near at hand We would be
enabled to march a victorious army into Mis-
souri, and redeem her from the enemy's rule
all this when, under the reign of terror, We
we're sunk at the very zero of dependency,
and nothing but a dark and threatening cloud
overhung our horizon.
L am opposed TO the act passed by our Con-
gress authorizing the President TO suspend at
his own will the Writ Of Habeds Corpus. This
is legislative right delegated by our consti-
tuition to the legislative department alone, ard
can be exercised by this department only when
the public safety, either through invasion Or
insurrection may require it, Ii can never be
re-delegated 70 any other authority This act
merges the legislative and judicial authority in
the executive, and thereby destroys at once
the checks and balances which the trainers of
our constitution intended the different depart
ments should impose upon one another An
instance strictly analogous to this may BE-
found in the Allen Act" passed by the Con-
gress of the U. ;. during the administration
of the elder Adams This gave the President
of the U. 3. the authority 10 expel from the
ini ar -ha .ls ;1a,,
further continuance there might in his judg-
men5 be deemed prejudicial to the interests Of
the government; and If said alien was found
within the limits of the government after he
had been ordered TO leave, his property was TO
be confscated, and he fined several thousand
dollars, and imprisoned several months The
passage Of this act gave rise to the celebrated
Kentucky anu Virginia resolutions of 1888, By
jefferson and Madison, and these embodv the
very doctrine upon which we claimed our
right Of exit frcm the ..Oli Union,'' and are
the foundation stone to-day Of the government
Of the Confederate States. The trainers Of
these resolutions were emnently wise and pa
triotic, and with the people Of the Confederate
States they ought to be considered a. tile
fathers OF our State sovereignty and Republ;-
can liberty. These resolutions maintained
that this acg was an infringement Of the con
stitufion, one amendment % which provided
thar mo person shall be deprived OF liberty
without due process of law" and another.
that ''in ali criminal prosecutions. the accused
shat ENJOY me right 10 puqic trial by an
impartial jury, ~ be Informed a. TO the nature
aHd cause Of the accusation, to be confronted
with tie witnesses against him. to have COM
puisory roces- for obtaining witnesee ia his
favor, and 70 have assistance Of counsel for his
defence. And they further asserted that M
this act was permitted 10 stand as the law Of
the land, ''the general government may place
any act they think proper on the list Of crimes
and punish it themselves, whether enumerated
or not enumerated by the constitution Is cog
nizable by them; that they may tranfer its
cognizance t. the President or any other per-
son, vino may himself be the accuseF. counsel
judge and jury; whose suspicion may be the
evidence, hIs order the sentence, his officer the
| executioner, aud his breast the sole record OF
the transaction" Now, the proper question for
Us 10 consii er in this j., not whether Presi-
dent Davis would abuse the power thus unduly
vested in him, (f0r in his judgment and patri
otism | have unbounded contidence); but the
question for to consider j., if we permit this
70 stand a. law, and 10 be established as
precedent, TO what great disadvantage NAV
some dangerous and unworthy person apply it
IN future, who may by chance occupy the
Chief MagistrIcy Of this government We must
\ bear IN mind that il has seen our proud boast
ever since we severed our connection with the
| government of the United States, that the on ly
hope remaining upon this continent for per-
petuatinE the republican institutions of our
! ancestors, rested with the Southern States If
we would maintain our consistency. and carry
with us the weight ani influence which this
position would in truth give us, at home as
well a. abroad We should carefully refrain
iroIn all sdch rule ami legislation Ir these
| abuses are TO receive the sanction of the news
paper press and of the leading men of the day
as being strictly in keeping with our conStitu.
ton. they will not only serve 10 check the zeal
and confidence OF the people in our cause dur
ing this struggle, and place US in an inconsis-
tent attitude in the eyes of the world. but they
are established as precedents for the future
and a. such the elements Of our destruction.
even after our independence is achieved. and
our nationality established.
As to our prospects and the ultimate result
Of this struggle in which We are now engaged,
| have never from the beainnir z, entertained
but one sentiment, private and public
the people Of the Confederate States can
never be subjugated IL they lriH stand united,
and ''be true 10 hemselUcs." Not being one Of
that class Of men who acknowledged "the right
of peaceable secession" or that ''cotton was
king. or that our foe was an efeminate and
cowardly race, who could not fight if they
would but upon the contrary ever contending
that if the old government. was ever dissolved
ii must be amidst the clash Of arms, and if
our independece as a nation was established,
it must be through baptism Of blood, have
have never been discouraged or greatly sur
prised at any of our reverses. With great
many. even to this day, a mans devotion to
the South seems to consist in fulsome and I'M
meaning jargon about war and blood-shed ex-
pressed on paper or in long winded speeches;
but with all those who have seen and felt the
horrors and hardships Of war, all this has
''played out.n Ii was the like Of this stuff
which precipitated Us into this revolution, but
it can never steer US through with safety ana
honor. One instance of this kind of fustan
and nonsense may be found in the resolution
passed by our Congress, land upon winch
some plume themselves as having shown un-
mistakaqle signs of devotion to the country,)
declaring it to be the unalterable determine
ron Of the Confederate States 70 suffer all
the calamlties Of protracted war rather than
again politically affiliate with people who
have invaded their soil. &C., &c. The States
Of this government, respectively, had, long
before tie passage Of this resolution, passed
ordinances Of secession in conventions chosen
by the people. in which they had proclaimed
to the world their determination to be free,
ana had made good this declaration in many a