Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1863-06-13
Is danger in leaving the President ingor.

is danger In leaving the President ingor-
ant of our purpose. I am not sanguine
enough to hope for any thing from bis
sense of justice or respect for the law
The powers that control him, whether
spiritual or terrestrial will do to us whatev4
er we will suffer, but are not likely to
attempt that which they know we will not
suffer.
At the same time I depr ecate all resis-
tahce that is not strictly constitutional
Let us not only submit 10, but support
all proper authority. The President
claims the constitutional power to estab-
lish Martial law over the body of the
people in the loyal States. We deny it.
Let the Courts determine the question:
The judicial authority is vested in the
Courts, and not in the President, the
Congress, or the Army. 1t is as much
the duty of the President, as of any pri-
vate citizen, to submit to that authority.
If he resists it, he becomes an usurper,
and may himself be lawfully resisted
And, on the other hand, if any court or
judge, acting under the forms of law, shall
sanction his monstrous assumption, let us
in turn submit; not because there may
not be judicial as we'll as executive usur-
patton, and the same right in extreme
cases to resist the one as the other, but on
account of the condition of the country,
and the double dangers that assail us. In
this way there may be occasional acts of
tyranny, as has been already, but upon
the whole tbe restraint of the judiciary
will be found adequate to our protection,
if the President himself will respect it.
But if any citizen of this State shall be
arrested or imprisoned by military men,
or by Provost Marshals or other officers,
acting under the authority of the Presi-
dent, and the court before whom the
question shall be brought shall determine
that he is entitled to his liberty, then, if
in spite ofthis decision, force shall be used
to detain him, there ought to be no hest
tation to support the Judiciary in opposi-
tion to military usurpation, and should
regard it as bases.and cowardly not 70 do
so, unless in the face of such q force as
should make resistance quite hopeless
If it be said that such action would i'm.
pede the successful prosecution of the war,
1 answer that it is better that a nation
should lose portion of its territory tn an
its liberty. And il for this cause the re-
bellious States shall succeed in establish.
ing their independence, the fault will be
that Of the Administration and the peo-
pie, driven to choose between two evils,
will have wisely chosen that which, be.
yond all comparison, is the least.
The times required, in very high
degree, the exercise of the virtues, of cour-
age and of prudence. Moderation in onr
counsels will give us strength and unit in
action. Let US accept as our Leader, him
whom not less merit than position desig
mates, (the Chief Magistrate of our State, J
and follow and support that moderate and
patriotic, but not feeble or unmanly, policy
which he has recommended and enforced
with so much dignity and success, and l
shall yet hope that the Union may tri,
umph over both classes of its enemies
the Southern Secessionists and the North
ern Abolitionists.
/ remain gentlemen, very respectfully
your serv't, WILLIAM DUER.
TO Gideon I. Tucker, John Hardy and
Andrew Mathewson, Esq.