Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1863-03-11
President Lincoln as a Dictator.

passed, ard others Which are now under con
sileraton in the two Houses of Congress
will leave no excuse for failure on the par
Of the present administration to Put an cnt
20 the rebellion. With the closing of thu
. present session; President Lincoln will be
practically invested with the powers Of o die
tator. The scope of his authority and dis.
cretion as President Of the United States
will hardly be less than that of Louis Napo-
leon as Emperor of France. Our whole po-
iiical system of the peace establishment, it,
cludng the sntordina;ion of the Federal Gov
ernmeut to tue will Of the States and the
people, will he reversed for the States and
the people W.! BE- rendered subordinate to the
will of The Federal Administration. And
this will be done, tco, through the duly elect.
ed representatives Of the States and the peo-
pic in Congress assembled This most re-
markable political revolution is now within
u few days Of its consummation. The mill
tia bill, which has passed, places under the
c;ntrol of the President all the militia of the
United States, for the purpose of the banking
bill, which has passed, and the Treasury note
or financial bill, which is under consideration,
will invest him with almost unlimited power
over the banks finances and currency Of the
country and that other bill which is pend
ing before the House, providing for the sus-
pension of the writ of habeaS corpus, will give
him full authority over the liberties of the in
dvlral citizen. In a word, we may say that
With the adjournment of Congress on the .iih
of March, President Lincoln, Cor the two years
remaining of his term Of office, will be cloth
ed with dictatorial powers political, military
and financial, over State and citizen, anu by
Tie action OF Congress and ander the authOrl
! Is Of The Constitution.
THIS orgau;c instrument aad the Laws pass
ed in pursuance thereof constitute the SUI
prcmc law Of the land Nor do we think it
! caa be successfully deniea or contested that
in slranins its warlike authority to establish
inent at Washington Of a temporary dicta-
tor5hip Congress has in the acla indicated,
passed Tue barriers Of lhe Coustintiun. The
legislative power oi Congress in regard 10 !Lc
militia, in case Of rebellion or invasion, ind
over The financial Affairs of the country, aud
| the Au1,cas corpus, is brosf and c0mpwhAasss
sive 1t is possible that with Napoleon, or
a Cromwell, clothed with this provisione! die
t4torship, there would be an end IF our Re
publican institutions and the beginning OF an
Imperial establishment; but there is not the
slightest danger Of the abuse of his authorl-
t. by President Lincoln for ambitious purpo-
ses. We all know that his ambition is ilni.
ted 10 the suppression of the rebellion; but
if he We're not, we all know that he would be
powerrss to employ the intelligent, liberty.
loving soldiers Of the Union in any movement
Involving TIE suppression Of our regular Pres
lleniial election
We therefore entertain no apprehensions
of evil to TIE reserved rights of the States or
tue libel ties Of the people from these extra
ordiuary powers with which Congressis cloth.
ing the President. On the other hand, as
these laws will be passed over to the next adj
ministration, they may eyen then be turned
to good account in the application of their
pains and penalties. TO the Abolition discr-
garizers at the North, after the rebels Of the
South shall have been reduced to their prop
er allegiance. Meantime, accepting the plea
of mpcrious necessity, we cheerfully consent
to this transformation of our President into
temporary dictator. We cheerfully consent.
in view OF the great object OF concentrating
the forces and resources Of the loyal States
againt those of the rebellion, and in the be-
licl thar this is the shortest way to the res.
,oraton of the Union, we cLeeriully consent
to surrender, for the present, some of the
privileges, inmuni;ies, exemptions and bless
iugs OF peace, to push on this war upon which
depends the very life OF this nation.
Upon this point the patriotism OF the legal
States is surely equal TO that scll-sacr;iicins
lanatici>n which governs the people Of the
lebelious States. These people are under
the most terrible despotism ever known TO
modern times they bear it, they sustain it,
and they submit to conscriptions, cruelties,
extortions, privationS, Suferings and losses
painful to contemplate, under the belief that
oil these things are demanded of them in Or
der to secure the independence of their South.
eru Confederacy, aud under the belief, too,
that with the object secured, they will have q
better Government, and new career of hap.
pincss, security and prosperity. Are not,
then, the people of the loyal States capable
of sustaining, in . comparatively light de-
gree, the burdens of q struggle upon which
hot only the life of the Government, but the
safety of the property, the home and the
household gods OF every man in the country
depends The intelligent will need 40
promptings to answer this question.