Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1863-03-07

fhis is the darkest hour since the out.
break Of the rebellion Congress, by the
act passed Saturday authorizing the Pres
ident 10 suspend the writ of hobfds cor
pus throughout the whole extent oil the
country, has copsummatcd its series of
qteakares for laying dre country PROSTATE
and'hcbless at the feet of one man. 1t
was not enough that Mr., LINCOLN lad
been invested with the purse and the
sword; that, with an immense power to
raise or manufacture money, he has unre.
stricted command Of the services Of every
able.bodied man of the country. Congress,
has thought it necessary to give the finish
ing stroke to its establishment Of a mill
tary despotism, by removing all checks on
the abuse of the enormous monetary and
military power with which they have cloth
ed the President. What assurance has the
country that we shall ever have another
presidential election None whatever,
except what may be found in the conf
depce, reasonable or unreasonable, reposed
in the recttude and patriotism of Mr.. LIN
COLIN If any person, in any part of the
country, shall think it his duty to re-
sist unconstitutional encroachments on the
rights of cti izens, Mr.. LINCOLN is author.
lied, by what purports to be law, TO
snatch up that individual and immure him
in one of the government bastlcs as long
as he shall see fit, and there is no power
anywhere in the nation to call him to ac-
count. He can send one of his countless
provost-marshas into the house of gov
crnor of state, or any other citizen, in
tho dead of night, drag him from his bod
hustle him away under the cover of dark
ness, plunge him in distant and unknown
dungeon, and allow his friends to know no
more of che whereabouts of his body than
they would of the habitation of his soul,
if, instead OF imprisoning, the provost
martial had murdered him. With this
tremendous power over the liberty of every
citizen whom he may suspect, or whom he
may choose to imprison without sugpecting
the President is as absolute despot as
the Sultan of Turkey. All the guarantees
of liberty are broken down we all lie al
the feet of one man, dependent on his ca
price for every hours exemption from q
bastile. II he wills it, the state govern.
ments may continue in the discharge o
their functions; but if he wills it, every
one of them that does not become his sub.
missive and subservient tool can be at once
suspended by the imprisonment of its Of
fcers. Considering the enormous power
conferred on the President by the finance
and conscripton bills, a reasonable jcal
ous7 would have erected additional safe
guards against its abuse. Instead of that
Congress has thrown down all the ole
barriers and left US absolutely without shell
ter in the greatest violence of the tempest
So far as the detestable act passed. Sat
urday is an act of indemnity to shield til,
President from the legal consequences o
past exertions of arbitrary power, it is
confession that he, his secretaries, proves
marshals, and other minions have becl
acting in violation of law. 1t annals al
laws passed by the state legislatures 70
the protection Of their citizens against kid
mapping it provides for taking all suit
for damages out of the state courts ant
transferring them to the federal tribunals
and before those tribunals the fact that tn
injury complained of was done under colo
of executive authority is declared to be
full and complete defense. Ii even infct
penalties on persons coming before tn
courts for redress of injuries, By declarn
that if they are not successful the defeu
dant shall recover double costs. So tha
the aggrieved party must take the risk c
this penalty for venturing to ascertain, i
a court of justice, whether his oppresso
was or was not acting under the authorit
of the President. TO this alarming pas
have matters come, that not only doe
every citizen hold his liberty at the mere
Of one man, but be is liable to be punishe
for inquiring whether the person arrestin
him really possessed, or only falsely pre-
tended to possess, that man S authority
The attempt to disguise the odious char
acter of this detestable act by sham pro
vision in it's second section is an insult {
TIE intelligence of the people, "The Sec
retary of State and the Secretary c
War" SO it reads, fare directed as 500
as may be practieable,' to furnish to til
judges of the courts lists OF the names {