The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1863-06-27
MIR. LlNCOLN7S REPLY.
EXECUTIVE MANSION, WASHING !

EAECITlNE MANSloN, w AAillNG-
TON, June II, 1868.
Hon. Ernstus Corning and others
GENTLEMEN Your letter of May
10, inclosng the resolutions Of Il pIb!:c
meeting held at Albany, n. V, on The
l6lh of the same month, WAS received
several days ago.
The resolutions, as understand them,
are resolvab!c into two PROPOSITIONS
frs the expression of II purpose o sus-
tain the cause of the Union, o secure
peace through victory, aud to supper
the Administration in every cons tu-
tional and lawful measure to suppress
the Rebellion and SECONDLY, dcc!ara.
tion of ccnsuro upon the Administration
for supposed unconstitutional act"n,
such as the making of military arrests.
And, from be two propositions. bird
is dcduccd, which is that the gcLtlcuru
composing the meeting are resolved nn
doing their par, to main ain our common
government. and country. despite Tia:
folly or wlckedncsS, rs they may con
ceivc, of any Administration. This
position is cminen ly patriotic, and as
such | thank tie meeting AID cnng,at
ulate the IN ion for it. Ny own rur-
pose is the same so tina; the meeting
and myself have a c"ulnon object, and
can have no difference, except in the
means or measure for efeciing Ina ob
ject.
Aud here ought to clos tlis paper,
and would close it, if there were no
apprehension that more injurious consc-
qucnces than any merely personal to
myself might follow the censures sys-
,cmutcally cast upon me for doing what.
in my view Of duty, could not lorbear
The resolu ions promise to supper, ne
in every constitutional aud lawful meas
ure to suppress the Rebellion and
have no. knowingly employed, nor shall
knowingly employ, any other. Blu, the
meeting, by their resolutions, arrest aud
urge that certain mill airy arrests. and
proceedings following them, for which
am III imately responsible, are unconsti
tn ional. l think they are not. The
resolutions quote from the Constitution
the defini ion of treason, and also the
limiting safeguards and guarantees there
in provided for the citizen On trials for
treason, and on his being held to answer
for capital or otherwise infamous crimes,
and, in criminal prosecutions, his RICH
to speedy and public trial by an i'm
partial itry. They proceed to resolve
";hat these safeguards of the righs of
the CT izen against the preicnsions Of
arbitrary power were intended more
especially for his protection in times of
civil commotioh." And, apparen ly to
demonstrate the proposition, the resolu-
tions proceed: i" That were secured
substantially to the English people after
years of pro racted civil war, aud were
adopted into our Constitution at the
close of the Revolution" Would not
the demonstration have been better if it
could have been truly said that these
safeguards had been adopted and ap-
piled during the civil wars and during
our Revolution, instead Of after the one
and ut the close of the other! /, TOO,
am dcvotcdIy for them after civil war,
and before civil war, and at all lines,
"except when, in cases of rebellion or
invasion, the public safety may require
their suspension. The resolutions pro-
coed to lell US that these safeguards
shave stood the test of seven y-six years
Of trial, under our republican system
under circumstances which show that,
while shey constitute the foundation OF
all free government, they are the elc-
men's of the enduring stability of the
Republic" No one denies that they
have so stood he test up to the begin
ming of the prcsen' Rebellion, if We ex-
ccpt certain occurrence at New
Orleans nor does any one question
that they will and the same test .nuch
longer after the Rebellion closes. But
these provisions of the Cons tuition have
no application to the case we have in
hand, because The arrests complained oil
were not made for treason--:ba is, not
for the treason defined in the Consl IL
ton, and upon conviction of which the
punishment is death--nor yet were they
made to hold persons to answer for any
capital NJ oth.rwisc Infamous crimes