The Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1859-1865, 1863-02-19
Message of the Governor.

On Thursday last Gov. Curtin sent q
message to the Legislature of this State,
with reference to arbitrary arrests, conten-
ding that Congress alone has the power to
suspend the writ of babeas corpus, and
recommending the passage of resolutions
requesting Congress to take such action
az may bring the guilty to punishment
and release the innocent. 1t is as follows
EXECUTIVE CHAMBER,
HARRIsBURe, Feb. u, 1863.
To the Senate and House IF Representatives. oj
the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania:
GENTLEMEN | desire to call your at
tention to a subject of moment. When
the present Infamous and God cond
rebellion broke out, Congress was not in
session, and the occurrence of such state
of things not having been foreseen in
former times, no adequate Legislation had
been had to meet it. At the same time
the life of the country being at stake-it
appeared necessary that some means should
be taken to control the small baud of trail
tors in the loyal States, SO as to prevent
them from Vaccinations which might be
injurious, if not fatal, to the national
general Government resorted to tie sys-
TEN Of military arrests of dangerous per-
sons, aud having thus commenced acting
underit, have continued Cat long intervals )
Co 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 ciri-
zens OF the1United States, maals unde.. the
authority of that Government. Every
citizen of Pennsylvania is also a citizen OF
the United States, and owes allegiance to
them, as we'll as (subject to the provisions
of the Constitution Of the United Sta!es)
he owes it to Pennsylvania. If he be
unlawfully deprived of his liberty, his
only redress is to be had at the hands of
the judiciary. In such times as the pres
emf, it is more than ever necessary to pre-
serve regularity in official action. Great
efforts have been, and are, perhaps, sill
being made, by persons blinded or ill-dis
posed, to throw us into state Of revolu-
ton that is to say, to create anarchy and
confusion, and ultimately to bring about
the destruction of life and property among
Us. Any irregular, much more illegal,
inter ference by your executive, with mat
;ers which, by the Constitution, are not
entrusted 20 his cognizance, and especially
any such interference with the action of
the executive of the United States or with
the functions of the judiciary, would be,
in the existing crisis, emphftically danger
Gus, it would have direct revolutionary
tendency-in fact it would be to commence
a revolution.
The courts of justice are open, and no
doubt, all personal wrong can be properly
redressed in due course of law
do not know how many arrests of the
kind hereinbefore referred to have been
made in Pennsylvania, as ] have at no
time been privy to the making Of them,
but l believe they have been few. / was
under the impression that there would be
no necessity for more of them, otherwise
[ might have referred to them in my an
nual message; but recent events having
shown that this impression was erroneous,
| deem it my duty now to invite your
attention to the subject.
The contest in which we are engaged is
one for the preservation of our own liber-
ty and welfare The traitors at the South
hate the great body of our people, who are
loyal, and hate and bitterly despise the
few who are ready for submission. Uuless
the rebellion be cffectual.y suppressed We
must lose our pride Of 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 L.,
l fear, an undoubted truth that few
wretches among US, false to all our free
and loyal traditions false to the memory
of their fathers, aud to the rights of their
children; false to the country which has
giventhem birth aud protected them, only
stopping short of the technical offence of
treason, IN the very madness of mischief
are actively plotting to betrav US, to poison
and nlislead the minds of our people, by
treacherous misrepresentation, aud to so
aid and comfort the rebels that our fate
may be either to abandon the free North,
and become hansers-on of Government
founded in treachery, fraud and insane
ambition, or, as best, to dissolve the Union
under which we have prospered, and to
break this fair and glorious country into
fragments, which will be cursed by pe..-
petual discords at home, and by the con
tempt aud ili-usage of foreiga nations,
from which We shall then be too weak to
vindicate ourselves.
That such offences should be ouly pun
ished, no good citizen can doubt; and that
proper legislation by Congress is required
for that purpose, can be as little doubted
Whether such legislation should include
suspension of the writ of habeas corpus
in any and what Parts Of the country, is
question which belongs exclusively to the
Legislative authorities of the United States
who, under the Constitution, have the
right to determine it. That great writ