The Bedford gazette. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1805-current, 1863-02-20
JACOB ANDERSON, Foreman.
MILITARY ESTS.
SPECIAL MESSAGE BY GOV. CURTIN
EXE0UTIvE CHAMBER,
HARRISBURG, Feb. II, 1868
To tic Seadts aad House Of Representatives. Of the
Commonwealth IF Pennsylydaa

Commonwealth Of Pennsylvania:
| GENTLEMEN: desire to call your attention
toa subject of moment. When the present in
| famous and Gol-condemncd rebellion broke out,
! Congress was not in session, and the occurrence
of such a state of things not having been fore
seen in former times, no adequate legislation
had been had to meet it. At tie same time
the life Of the country being at stake--it ap-
pearcd necessary that some means should be ta-
ken to control the small band Of traitors in 10y
al States, so rs TO prevent them from inachin-
ations which might be injurious, if not fatal to
the national cause. Under these circumstances
the General Government resorted to the system
of military arrests of dangerous persons, and
having thus commenced acting under il, have
continued Cat long intervals in this State) to
pursue it, The Government Of the United
States acts directly on individuals, and the
State Executive has no authority or means to
Interfere with arrests of citizens of the United
States, made under the authority of that Gov
ernment Every citizen of Pennsylvania Is al
so u citizen of the United States, apd owes al
leigence to them, as well as Subject to the
provisions of the Constitution of the United
States) be owes it to Pennsylvania. IF he be
unlawtully deprived of his liberty his only re-
dress Is to be had at the hands of the judiciary
In such times as tho present, it is more than
ever necessary to preserve regularity in official
action. Great efforts have been, and are, per-
haps, still being made, by persons blinded or i'll
disposed, to throw lis into Il state of revolution;
that is to say, to create anarchy and confusion,
and ultimately to bring about the destruction,
OF lite and property among US. Any irregular
much more illegal, interference by your cxecu-
tive, with matters which, by the constitution
are not entrusted to his cognizance, and espe-
cially any such interference with the action Of
the executive of the United States or with the
functions of the judiciary, would be, in the cx-
listing crisis, cmphatically dangerous, it would
have direct revolutionary tendency--n fact
1t would be TO commence revolution.
| The courts Of Justice are open, and, no doubt
all personal wrong can be properly redressed
in due course of law. 1 do not know how ma
ny arrests Of the kind herein before referred to
have been made in Pennsylvania, as | have at
no time been privy to making of them, but
believe they have been few. | was under the
impression that there would be no necessity
tor more of them, otherwise might have re-
ierred to them in my annual message; but re-
cent events having shown that this impression
was erroneous, deem it my duty now to in
| vite your attention to the subject.
! The contest in which we are engaged is one
for the preservation of our own liberty and
| welfare The traitors at the South hate the
great body of our people, who are loyal, and
hate and bitterly despiso the few who are ready
for submission. Unless the rebellion be ef-
| tnt1o1ly cunrrorco1 ,yo,,ct lnea ,,,, oc
country, the larger portion of our territory and
the elements not only of greatness, but of
prosperity, and even of security to life, liberty
and property. Notwithstanding all this, it is,
| fear, an undoubted truth that few wrctches
among us, false TO our free and loyal traditions /;
false to the memory of their fathers, and to the
rights of their children; false to the country
which has given them birth and protected them,
only stopping short of the technical offence Of
treason, in the very madness of mischief are
actively plotting 10 betray us to poison and
mislead the minds OF our people, by treacher-
bus Misrepresentation and TO so aid and COM
fort the rebels that our fate may be either TO
abandon the free North, and become hangers
on of a Government founded in treaehery,
fraud and insane ambition. or, at best, to dis
solve the Union under which we have prosper
cd, and to break this fair and glorious country
into fragments, which will be cursed by per-
petual discords at home, and by the contempt
and ill-usage of foreign nations from which
we shall then be too weak to vindicatc our
selves.
That such offences, should be duly punished,
no good citizen can doubt and that proper
legislation by Congress is required for that pur-
tpose, can be as little doubted. Whether such
legislation should include q suspension of the
writ of habeas corpus in any and what parts
of the country, is question which belongs ex-
clusively to the Legislative authorities of the
United States, who under the Constitution,
have the right to determine it. That great
writ ought not to be suspended, unless to the
wisdom of Congress the present necessity shall
appear to be urgent.
Therefore | recommend the massacre of n Joint