Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1863-02-20

State OK missouri nis war power l. a most
singular article. India rubber has hid some
repatation heretofore fOr beng elastic: gold and
silver for being malleable aud ductile: but. ST..
they must weld TO tbs VAR power 10 al those
Qualities WHY sir il
Lives throush all life extends through an extent
Spreads undivided, operates unspent"
The President > the first great reservoir Of
this var power. he Is commsnder IN Chief OF
the army and navy. WHY l. he Commander in.
Chief OF the army and uavy7 Because he j.
President, and not for any other reason tnke
Il 81 be settled principle OF the Government that
the military Is always subordinate % the civil
ppwer AXE " that the powers OF the Com
mander IN Chief are subordinate 70 the powers OF
the president; and thathn act Of the Commander
In Chef against the Constitution and beyond the
Constitution cannot he justified any more than
can an act Of the President The war powers OF
both Congress aud the President are subordinate
To civil authority The President j. said TO be
tbs grand receptacle OF these war powers. Z he
heads OF Departments have. OF course, some OF
them. Some are claimed for Congress. We are
now called upon 20 exercise our share OF these
extraordinary powers ia the passage OF this bill.
| The Governors of the States have claimed some
of these powers. They have been distributed
down To a multitude whom no man can number,
of Provost NJ frshnls scattered in every village
between the two oceans except Cereio aud Ober
lin. which. beng inhabited wholly by white aud
black Africans, needed such guardians OF
LOYALTY
IL !. a most remarkable power-this war power
Of the COnstitut;on--so much 80. that doubt IT'S
existence altogether. IL is MYTH; IL is fiction;
il has no existence. The Chief Executive has
laid down what this power IS he says u J. the
power OF his part 10 do anything which he may
consider necessary To crush the rebellion That
il the only limit TO this own discretion. Can
he lengthen his own term at oihcer Most Ger
| tany he under the power. II be should
| think il necessary 10 crush the rebellion. eau he
increase his payg Most certainly ne can, just as
easily he issue a proclamation affecting
the rights OF property in any OF the Stites There
| il no limit % the power and there can be none |
take It, sir. that when you thus place the power ia
the hands OF one man - control the army AMI
navy aud the purse of great nation. without re-
~trctiOn and without limit, you have erected
military lies J0tism. You ca Il him the President
Ia France he j. called the Emperor; in Austria
| the Emperor Ia Russia, the CIR. The Ameri-
EN- Gar will find 40 seris west ot the Allesht.
nies. IL is not proposed To surrender the most
sacred rights which were reserved 1T the time OF
the formation OF the Constitution TO the States
and to the PEG lie; there he no necessity for
| their destruction
Why. sir. under this war power YOU may exer-
else any authority Whatever. IL is useless tor us
to say that an act does not conduce 10 the crush
ing OF the rebellion: ii the Executive thinks oil
terently. that is the law / think that the defeat
OF this Missouri bill will strengthen the Federal
Government. not only ia Missouri but elsewhere.
hope il will he defeated but Il Congress, 10
whom IL deputed part OF this remarkable power.
thinks differently, away goes your safeguard
the Treasury, aud away 20 all the restrictions
and limits which have been thrown around the
rights of property 10 the several States, aud the
Constitution, instead Of being living ordinance.
becomes only "quiet dogma of the past"
What will he the effect OF this continual inter
ference aud inter, eutIon b, the Federal Govern
ment with the rights ct the States aud the peoplel
What has been it, effect alreidyl Do We not
read il IN the signs OF the timesg As lar ~ one
act. treason, j. concerned The officers and people
81 certain States have taken uD arms against the
Federal Government As far the other act is
concerned, il H. proposed not To take up arms,
but To interfere and intervene by the power OF the
purse with The domestic Institutions OF the Sta
That power, that inference is no more to be justi-
fed than the other Much has been accomplished
by indireciiOn since the commencement of the
/, present policy. which no man could have justified
or accomplished directly We find ourselves now
Ia the prosecution of war where abolition is
incident with military success. simply by this
same method OF inditecton. Forces have been
called out. arms have been placed ia their hands
ostensibly and avowc'lly Tor the purpose of pro
tecting the National Government against the trea
son oil certain States and after they have been
So called out. by this same indirecton. the whole
force is converted from is original intention. and
IA crusade is undertaken and waged against the
very rights which the General Government is
, bound To protect: for. ~ | said before | believe
: that the rights of the State. and of the General
Government are mutual. The General Govern
meut guarantees to the States n republican form
of government 1t guarantees the safety aud
and il cannot Interfere with those rights without
abandoning it, constitutional limitations, and
without "a breach of the guarantees which il gave
the State ut the time o her admission.
Hence there are no circumstances which would
induce me to vote for the bill under consideration
| reg ard it vol ton of the reserved rights of
the people of Missouri | regrrd il as violation
OF constitutional obligations upon our part and
let me say that while we are wagiag war for the
law we ought TO wage II under the law, and we
ought not To violate the law Without the law
there is no transgression Without law there is
] no rebellion And II Congress and the General
Government insist upon breach, serious in
a fraction of the Constitution in regard To the rights
OF any of the States. we cannot tell how tar that
breach may 60. nor can We tell what effect il may
have upon the whole character of the Govern
y ment
g say nothing. sir. now, OF that new treason
= which we have heard whispered in high places.
that the ARMY of the Union i, u be recalled,
J. that there TO be no further effort 10 save the
n Government. but that the force IL all To- toe
hau>ted iUr the purpose OF saving the AdniHisra
r tim saw nothing about that except Tins: so far
!, "a the State which represent is concerned, We
r are not disposed to abandon the Union; We are
u not vet disposed To accept separation a neces
e sity; not disposed TO accept separation ~
an alternative rather than recognize the right of
u the Southern States "a peculiar species OF prop
e erty No. sir | charge Senators 10 avoid this
e crime against nationality The people of the
e Northwe>t. the people OF the great central States
n have recently decided upoa these very questions
u H. those States there contest 10 whether
i the integrity OF the Government should be main.
q tanned The question in the late canvass related
Il To whether there should be change OF it, form
by our own agency Upon that question the yer
: dict of Indiana. of Illinois of New jersey, and
OF other States. was rendered Determining that
o while the Government should be supported while
c II should receive money. while II should receive
a men from the States guaranteeing the vindicaton
y OF the national sovereignty, there should be no
v interference whatever by the.Federal Government
II With the tights of the States themselves
u Let not Senators mistake this AS the verdict or
u action of party As far the result of the
- election IN ludana was concerned, il dts
a tnctly the action of the people. not of any
party. against every possible discourage that
J. could be thrown upon that action Less atten-
u tou paid Ia party organic rton less attention
Was paid 10 party drill and party nstTumentaliteS
Il than in any contest have ever had in the
e Northwest Ii was pure. plaui decision upon
= the question a to whether tor any purposes. the