M'arthur Democrat. (McArthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1853-1865, 1863-06-11


DO you propose to allow any of
these rightsl No, sir, none - not
one; but in the twenty>fiith section,
you empower these Provost Marshals
OF yours to arrest any man-men not
under military law--whom he may
charge, or any one else may charge
before him, with "coEnseling or dis.
suading' from military service, and
to hold him in confinement indefitely.
until the draft has been completed.
Sir, has it been completed in Con.
necticut yet9 Is it complete in New
York; Has it beeL given upl Ifso
now, nevertheless it was in process of
pretended execution for months. In
any event you propose now to leave
to the discretion of the Executive the
time during which all persons arres.
ted under the provisions of this bill,
shall be held in confinement upon
that summary and arbitrary arrest;
and when he sees fit, and then only,
shall the accused be delivered over
to the civil authorities for trial. And
is this the speedy and public trial by
ljuly which the Constitution secures
to every citizen not in the military
service
"Ths State and district wherein tho
crime"--
Yes, crime, for crime it must be,
known to aud defined by law, to
justify tfe arrest
shall have been committed, which district
snail have been previously ascertained by
law"
| DO you mean to obey that, and to
observe State lines or district lines in
arrests and imprisonments 7 Has it
ever been done Were not Keyes
and Olds and Mahoney and Shew-
ard, and my friend here to tho left.
Mr.. Allen OF Illinois, and my other
friend from Maryland, TMr. May,1
dragged from their several States and
districts to New York or Massacbu.
'etts or this city The pirate, tho
murderer, the countertciter. the thief
you would have seized by due and
sworn process Of law, and tried forth.
with, by jury, at home but honor
able and guiItless citizens, members
OF this House, your peers upon this
floor, were thurst, and may again,
under this bill, be thurst into distant
dungeons and Oastiles, upon the pre-.
tense of some crawling verminous spy
and informei, that they have "dis.
suaded" some one from obedience to
the draft, or are otherwise guilty Of
some Unreasonable practice. "
"And 10 be informed OF the nature aud
cause OF the accusation"
How ! BY presentmcnt or indict-
ment of grand juryl when the
dratt is Completed" says this bill;
and the President shall determine
that. But who is to limit and define
"counseliing or dissuading" from mil.
itary service9 Who shall ascertain
and inform the accused of the "nature
and cause of reasonable practice I"
Who, Of all the thousand victims of
arbitrary arrests, within the last
twenty-five months, even to this day.
has been informed Of the charge
against him, although long since re-.
leased Yet even roman pro consul
in a conquered province, refused to
send up a prisoner without signifying
the crimes with which he was charged.
ITO be confronted with the witnesses
agains! him.
Witnesses, indeed Fortunate will!
be the accused il there be any wit.
nesses against him. But is your
deputy provost marshal to call them Z
Oh, DO; he ia only to enquire into
and report" Is your Proves. Mar.
shal G1neral2 What call witnesses
from the remotest parts of the Union
to secret inquisition here in Wash
lngton. Has any "prisoner of State"
hitherto been confronted with witnes.
ses at any timea Has he even been
allowed 70 know 80 much as the
names Of his accusers 2 Yet Festus
could boast that it was not the man
ner of the Romans to punish any man
before that he, which is accused have
the accusers face TO face"
"To have compulsory process for obtain
ing witnesses in his favor"
Sir, the compulsory process will be
under this bill as it has from the fret,
to compel the absence. rather, of not
only the witnesses but the friends and
nearest relatives Of the accused; even
the wife Of his bosom and his child
ren--tbe inmates Of his own house
hold. Newspapers, the Bible, letters
from home. except under surveillance,
breath OF air, a sight Of the waves of
the sea, or the mild, blue sky, the
song of birds, whatever was denied to
the prisoners of Chillon, and more,
| too. yes even q solitsrv lann in tho