East Saginaw courier. (East Saginaw, Mich.) 1859-18??, 1863-07-28
NUMBER 50.


We pray you TO bear in mind, in order
that you may duly estimate the feelings
of the people on this subject, that for
the crimes of dispensing with the laws
and statutes of Great Britain. our an
cestors brought one monarch to the
scaffold, and expelled another from his
throne.
This power which you have erected
in theory is of vast and illimitable pro-
portions. If we may trust you exercise
1t mercifully and leniently, your success
| sor whafha, immediate .saore rcInOte
may WELD it with tho energy of Cic.
sar or Napoleon, and with the will of a
despot aud tyrant. Ii is power with
out boundary or limit, because it pro.
ceeds upon total suspension of all the
constitutional and legal safeguards
which protect the rights of the citizen.
1t is power not inaptly described in
the language of one of your secretaries.
Said Mr.. Seward to the British Minis.
ter in Washington :: e can touch bell
on my right hand AMI order the arrest
of citizen of Ohio. / can touch tho
bell again and order the Imprisonment
of a citizen of New York, and no power
on earth but that of the President can
release them. Can the Queen of Eng.
land, in her dominions, do as much ?"
This is the language of a perfect dcs.
potism, and We learn from you with pro.
found emotion that this is no idle boast.
1t is despotism unlimited in principle,
because the same arhitary and unre-
strained ustH NJ 1;s.rat;nn ,yh;,.h
place men under illegal restraint or ban.
ish them, can apply the rack or tho
thumb screw, can put to torture or to
death. Not thus have the people Of
this country hitherto understood their
Constitution. No arguments commend
to their judgment of such Interpretation
of the great charter of their lbertics.-
Quick as the lighining's fash the intui-
tive sense OF irecmen perceives the
sophlstry and rejects the conclusion,
Some other matters which your ex-
cellency has presented demand no no.
tlce.
In Justification of your course as to.
Mr. Vallandigham you have referred to-
the arrest of Judge Hall, of New Or
leans, by order of Gen. jackson; but
that case diffcrevidely from the case of
Ar. Vallandigham. New Orleans was
rested. The admnistl alton Of the civil
law had not been disturbed in that COLL
monwcalth. The courts were open and
justice was dispensed with its accus.
toned promptitudc. In the case OF
Judge Hall, Gen Jackson in "a few days
sent him outside tho line of his encamp.
meuts and set him at liberty, but your
have undertaken to Danish Mr.. Vallan-
dlgham from his hons. You seem to
have forgotten that Gen. jackson sub
mitted implicitly to the judgment of the
court which imposed the fine upon him;
that he promptly paid it; that he en-
joined his friends to assent, Gas he most
freely did, to the decision which had
just been pronounced against HIM"
More than this, you overlook the fact
that the then administration lin the Ian
guage of well known author) "mildly,
but decidedly rebukei the p;ocee lings
of Gen Jackson" and that the Prcsl-
dent viewed the subject with surprise
and solicitude." Unlike President Mad
lson, you. in case much more unwar'
ranted, approve the proceedings of your
subordinate officer, and in addition
Justify your course by carefully con-
siddered argument and its support.
1t is true that after some thirty years,
Congress, in consideration of the devo-
ted and patriotic services of Gen. Jack.
son, refunded the amount of the fine he
had paid. But the long delay in doing
this proved how reluctant the American
people were to do anything which could
DO considered as in any way approv-
ing the disregard shown to the nsJesty
of the law, even by one who so eminent
ly enjoined their confidence and regard.