Sioux City register. [volume] (Sioux City, Iowa) 1858-1871, 1863-01-24

entlal 10 tne latter.
The feeling of the fathers on this sub
Ject can best be learned by the constitu
tions which were formed by the men wht
established the national government Al
Of them had provisions inconsistent viii
this new and monstrous pretensiou. Mas
sachusetts. New Hampshire, Connecticut
Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, NORTH
Carolina, South Caroliua-eight of the
thirteen States which originally made uF
onr Union, explicitly declared that mill
tary power should, in all cases and at all
times, be held in exact subordination to
civil authority, and be governed by it.
This was expressed in each constitution
in terms almost identical. 1t is incre lible
that people who held these views, and
who were jealous of their liberties, and
who thus restrained State authorities un.
der their immediate control, would give to
commanders of the army of the u States
this despotic power,-a power which the
crown OF Great Britain has not been per.
mtted to exercise for nearly TWO centuries
The measure Of power to be exercised
under our government is fixed by the con-
stitution. To make the max:ms of other
governments or the usages of other nations
the rule here, would give sanction 20 every
outrage, tyranny, and wrong 1t would
undo what was done by our fathers, who
formed our government. 1t makes the
practices Of despotism, or the prnci pies
Of monarchy, higher authorities than the
written constitution Of our Republic. The
unlimited, uncontrolled, despotic power
claimed under martial law is Of itself
reason why it cannot be admitted. The
fact that it is inconsistent with The pur
poses, spirit, ard genius of our ns,itu.
tons is conclusive against the claim set
up for its control over an extent of coun-
try and q diversity Of interests which
never existed in the despotisms Of m omar
chial governments from which the prece-
dents are drawn to justify it,
Ofthe same nature is the recent procla-
nation Of emancipation. The President
has already signed an act of Congress
which asserts that the slaves Of those in
rebellion are confscated. The sole effect
Of this procama ton, therefore, is to de.
clare the emancipation of slaves of those
who are not IN rebellion, and who are
therefore loyal citizens. 1t is an extra
ordinary deduction from the alleged war
power, that the forfeiture Of the rights Of
loyal citizens, and bringing upon them the
same punishment Imposed upon insur.
gents, is calculated to advarrce the success
of the war, to uphold the constitution and
restore the Union. The class Of loyal
citizens who, above all others, are entitled
to the protection Of the government, are
those who have remained true TO the flag
of our country, and yet the whole force of
this proclamation is directed against them
May not the measure, so clearly impolitic
unjust, and unconstitutional, and which
is calculated to create so manv barriers
to the restoration Of the Union, he mis-,
construed by the world as an abandon
ment Of the hope or the purpose of res.
toriug it "a result to which the State of
New York is unalterab!y opposed aud
which will be etfectuaIly resisted. We
must not only support the constitution of
the United States, and maintain the rights
Of the States, but We must restore our
uuiUn as it was before the outbreak Of
the war
The assertion that this war was the
unavoidable result Of slavery is not only
erroneous, but it has led to disastrous
policy in its prosecution. The opinion
tha. slavery must be abolished to restore
our Union creates an antagonism be-
tween the free and slave states which
ought not to exist If it is true that sla-
very must be abolished by the force of the
Federal government, that the South mus,
he held in military su6jection, that four
millions Of negroes must for many years
be under the direct management of the
authorities at Washington at the public
expense, then indeed we must endure the
waste Of our armies in the field, further
drains upon our population, and still
greater burdens of debt. We must con.
vert our government into a military des,
potism. The mischievous opinion that in
this contest the north must subiugate and
destroy the South to save our Union, has
weakened the hopes Of our citizens at
home and destroyed confidence in our
success abroad
The division of our Union into two or
more Confederacies would reopen in each
those questions Of distribution of power
and relationship between States, which