Fremont journal. [volume] (Fremont, Sandusky County [Ohio]) 1853-1866, 1863-06-19

stephen A. Douglas upon Arbitrary Ar.
rests-an Extract for Copperhends TO
Read.
The disloyal sheets and all their readers dir
ect their bowling at Arbitrary arrests" and aun.
constitutional seizures" They show infinitely
more regard for law than for the support of the
Government. They denounce Burnside with
out stint for having done his best to suppress
sedition and disafection in the ranks of his sold
iers, and they proclaim in advance the glorious
millennium of Democratic rule. when treason
shall have good sway and the ha5cas corpus
shall never be uspended-except for the sour
sed Abolitioniss." These men call themselves
Democrats. Now let US quote from the great
Democratic apostle Stephen A. Douglas, in his
speech on the floor of Congress in January 1876.
He said:
"Mr. Speaker, the necessity
and the glorious effect resulting from the course
which that necessity prompted were acknowl-
edged by the whole country and he would even
say by the whole civilized world Then. as far
as this bill was concerned, he (Mr d. } cared not
whether their acts were legal or Illegal. He
cared not whether General jackson suspended
all civil authority or not. Ifhs acts were nee.
essary to the defence of the country that neccssi.
~ aOas above all ld,o. General jackson hazarted
everything; he hazarded life and reputation on
that step, which might render him immortal il
IT saved the country, or, on the contrary, make
him ignominious, and a by-word and reproacb
and the man that dared TO do that deserved the
protection and the plaudts of his country, He
did not envy the feelings of that man whowould
get up and talk calmly and cody under such cir
cumsances, about rules of court and technicali-
ties of proceeding, and the danger of example
when the city might be in flames and the utmost
barbarity might be committed. What were
rules OF court but mere cobwebs when they
found enemy with his cannon at the doors Of
their courts, and when they saw the flames en-
circling the cupola2 Talk then about rules of
court and the formality of proceedings! The
man that would do that would fiddle While the
capitol was burning. CSensatiOn.] He eenvied
not any man the possession ofsuch stoical phil
osophy. Talk about illegaltyl Talk about
formaltiesl Why, there was but one formality
to be observed; and that was the formality
OF directing the cannon, and DESTROYING the enc.
my, regardless of the means, whether it be by
the seizure Of cotton bags, or the seizure of per.
sous, gMe necessity Of dte case required IT, The
God OF nature has conferred this right on men
and nations; and therefore let him not be told
that it was Unconstitutional To defend the
country, let him not be told that it was uncon-
sttutional to use the necessary means. The
Constitution was adopted for the protection OF
the country; and under that Constitution, the
nation had the right to exercise all the powers
that were necessary for protection of the coun-
try; martial tdtc cds legal for that purpose If il
was necessary for Judge, for the preservation OF
order, to punish for contempt he thought it was
necessary for general TO exercise a control ov-
er his cannon, TO imprison traitors and TO arrest
spies and 10 intercept communication with the
gall"