Litchfield enquirer., 1863-04-02
Communications. The Democratic PlatfOrm.-NO. 3.

The discussion of this subject in two former articles has brought us to the eighth resolution of the State Convention, that relating to the Emancipation Proclamation. It asserts that, in issuing this the President "has struck SC. rieus blow at the rights of the States and has built up an impossible barrier between North and South, in attacking the people of fifteen States, through an institution, which is blended with their social fabric, and over which the States possess exclusive control and power.n
 We here meet the selfsams fallacy that we combatted in the preamble, viz, the assumption that the seeded States are to be considered as entitled to the immunities and privileges of the Constitution, because forsooth, the United States cannot consent to recognize the legality of secession. If the States are in the Union, then the United States have right to exercise jurisdiction over them, and any denial of this right is rebellion. Unless we acknowledge the right of secession, land these resolutions assume to explicitly deny it,) no simple action of the States themselves can destroy this right of jurisdiction, and the very act of attempting to withdraw from it is rebellion. No one will deny that the seeded States have attempted this. While therefore, the government of the United States justly asserts jurisdiction, it cannot consent to hold them guiltlsss of the crime of rebellion, and is bound to deny them any of the rights and immunities of the Constitution until they obey it's authority. l. is idle to talk of their constitutional rights, for they have none whatever until they again acknowledge the supreme authority of the Constitution. The Administration has no right, even if it had the disposition, to accord to them the protection and immunities of the Constitution, for this would be to make no distinction between those, who fout its authority, and those who are obedient to it. It must treat them as the ene- mics of the Consitut on. and use all the guar antics and projections of that instrument, as just so many weapons, to scourge the rebels into submission, by entirely withholding them. 1T tben, as tue Democracy would have us believe, there are guaranties, in the Constitu- ton, te Slavery, the act of rebellion has only compelled the Administration, in justice to those States which arc loyal, to withhold those guaranties and to refuse the accursed thing it's protection any longer. Thus it is, that on merely legal grounds, the Proclamation is not only justified but enforcsd,as an act of necessity with the Administration; add to this it's defence as q war measure. and it is more than justified in every view of the case. The crushing of armed rebellion is War, most assurelly, and if there is any difference between it and other warfare it lies in this, that, in putting down rebels. the constituted authorities are justified
 in using hars!er and stcrnar measures, than in prosecuting foreign War. History shows that no law has been more uniformly recognized and acted upon than this. Now, even in con- ducting a foreign war. no principle is more clearly established, than tho right to seigs and use the property of an enemy, ar even to des- troy it, fit is likely to be ofany use to them
 Eithvr the slaves property (and very useful property too, and therefore are contraband of war; or they are men. There is 10 law of na- tions, or of nature. that can assign them any hermaphrodite position between manhood and property. If they are property, we have the right to confiscate them and use them against our enemies, and if they are men, we have cer- tainly as much right to win them to eur side and to accept their loyal services, as we have to consult the interests, or accept the services ct any of our loyal friends in the South. There fore it is. that we assert that the Proclamation is more than justified in every respect and that the men who framed this resolution, did il with the deliberate intention of robbing the Government of the support of the people oi Connecticut, by the assertion of a bald and naked error. Therefore it is, that this rssolu- ton must stand out in it's true significance as pitiable appeal to the base prejudices of thu lowest classes in civilized community against down trodden and oppressed race, to whom
 thank Heaven the black crime of their op-
 pressors, has opened broad highway of legal
 escape from unjust but legalized bondage Therefore it is. that by this resolution tho
 Democracy of Connecticut have openly placed
 themselves in sympathy with the very princi-
 ples that are most antagonistic to the existepo'
 of free institutions, and are therefore to b
 despised and stunned by every man who ha,
 the true interests of the representative govern
 ment of true democratic principles at heart.
 Next comes bill of indictment against tn
 Administration for really every one of its act
 in attempting to put down rebellion. This il not to be wondered al in men, who have al
 ready denied the general right of putting
 down at all The bill of specifications, though l is valuable, as fair commentary upon the foll and the crime of those, who composed and CT
 dorsed these resolutions-a crime 50 anxiou to consummate itselfthat it bstrays itself in u lvery steps tAst it takes for this purpose. Nc
 tice tvo items ia this bill ef indictment, ar l see how completely they neutralige aach othe The Qqyarnment is accused of doing two ur
 constisutional things,in two consecutive aents
 Il an -y-A A<I~w Nfeak<