Western Reserve chronicle. [volume] (Warren, Ohio) 1855-1921, 1863-06-24
Letter From Mr.. LINCOLN.

The resolutions passed at the VallaT
dlgham Meeting lately held in Albany, \
Y, were sent by the officers of said Nee
ing to the President.
MR. LINCOLN's REPLY.
EXECUTIVE MANSION,
WASHINGTON, June L, 1868.
Hon. ErastaS Corning and others:
GENTLEMEN Your letter of May L
enclosing the resolutions of public meet
ing held at Albany, New York, on tn
10th of the same month, was receive,
several days ago.
The resolutions, as understand them
are resolvable in two propositions-first
the expression of purpose to sustain tn
cause of the Union, to secure peac
through victory, and to support the Ad
ministration in every constitutional ant
lawful measure to suppress the rebellion
ann secondly, a declaration of censur,
upon the Administration for supposed un
constitutional action, such as the maxim:
of military arrests. And, from the TIVE
propositions, third is deduced, which i
that the gentlemen composing the meet
ing are resolved on doing their part t.
maintain our common government anC
country, despite the folly or wickedness
as they NAV conceive, of any administra
ton. This position is eminently patriotic
and as such, thank the meeting, and
congratulate the nation for it. Ny owl
purpose is the same /; so that the meeting
and myself have a common object, ano
can have no difference, except in the
choice of means or measures for effecting
that object
And here l ought to close this paper
and would close it, if there were no ap
prehension that any more injurious con.
sequences than any merely personal to
myself might follow the censures syste-
matically cast upon me for doing what, in
nv view of duty, | could not forbear.-
The resolutions promise to support me in
evry constitutional and lawful measure to
suppress the rebellion and l have not
knowingly employed any other. But the
meeting, by their resolutions, assert and
argue that certain military arrests, and
proceedings following them, for which lam
ultimately responsible, is unconstitutional.
l think they are not. These resolutions
quote from the Constitution the defni-
ton of treason, and also limiting safe
guards and guarantees therein provided
for the citizen on trials for treason, and
on his being held to answer for capital or
otherwise infamous crimes, and, in crimi-
nal prosecutions, his right to a speedy
and public trial by an impartial jury
They proceed to resolve ''that these safe
guards of the rights of the citizen against
the pretensions of arbitrary power were
intended more especially for his protection
in times of civil commotion." And ap-
parently to demonstrate the proposition,
the resolution proceed: They were Sc
cured substantially to the English people
after years of protracted civil war, and
were adopted into our Constitution at the
close of the revolution" Would not the
have been better, if it
could have been truly said that these safe
guards had been adopted and applied dur
ing the civil wars and during our revolu-
ton, instead of after the one and at the
close of the other? /, too, am devotedly
for them after civil war, and before civil
war, and at all times, except when, in
cases of rebellion or invasion, the public
safety may require" their SUSPENSION
The resolutions proceed to tell us that
these Safeguards have stood the test of
,eventy-six years of trial under our repub-
ican system, under circumstances which
show that while they constitute the foun-
iation of all free government, they are
.he elements of the enduring stability of
he republic" No one denies that they
nave so stood the test up to the beginning
IF The present rebellion, if we except a
certain occurrence at New Orleans; nor
loes any one question that they will stand
of% 31,a
1ellion closes. But these provisions of
he Constitution have no application to
he case we have in hand, because the ar
'ests complained of were not made for
is not for the treason defn-
ID in the Constitution, and upon ccnvic-
ion of which the punishment is death
1or yet were made to hold persons to an
,wer for any capital or otherwise infamous
,rimes; nor were the proceedings follow !
ng. in any constitutional or legal sense, |
criminal prosecutions" The arrests |
we're made on totally different grounds. |
md the proceedings following accorded |
With the grounds of the arrests, Let us
consider the real case with which we are
lealing, and apply to it the parts of the
Constitution plainly made for such cases.
Prior to my installation here it had been |
nculcated that any State had lawful
light to secede from the national Union,
md that it would be expedient to exer-
Use the right whenever the devotees of
he doctrine should fail to elect Presi-
lent to their own liking. l was elected
contrary to their liking and accordingly
o far as it was legally possible, they had
AIKEN seven States out of the Union, had
eized many of the United States forts,
nd had fired upon the United States fl 9,
IL before l was inaugurated. and of
curse, before had done any official act,
whatever. The rebellion thus began soon
an into the present civil war; and in
ertain respects, it began on very unequal
erms between the parties. The insur-
ents had been preparing for it more than
hirty years, while the government had
AIKEN no steps to resist them. The for
ner had carefully considered all the means
7hich could be turned to their account.
t undoubtedly was a well pondered re-
ance with them that in their own unre-
tricted efforts to destroy Union, Consti-
ution, and law, all together, the govern
nent would in great degree, be restrain
d by the same Constitution and law from
AACSIihS bACA PiOSiCSSs 1AC4A Sg III pa114l-
ers pervaded all departments of the gov
rnment and nearly all communities of
he people. From this material, under
over of ''liberty of speech" liberty of
be press" "habeas corpus" they hoped +
D keep on foot amongst US most eff
lent corps of spies, informers. suppliers
nd aiders and abettors of their cause in
thousand ways. They knew that in
mes such as they were inaugurating, by
he Constitution itself, the ''habeas cor s
US might be suspended; but they also
new they had friends who would make '
question as to a1ho was to suspend it {
Meanwhile their spies and others might I
emain at large to help on their cause
+ if, as has happened, the Executive '
lould suspend the writ, without ruinous
aste of time instances of arresting inno- [
ent persons might occur, as are always
kelly to occur in such cases and then i
amor could be raised in regard to this, I
hich might be, at least, of some service '
, the ins1lrpent cause 1t needed no very /