The Portland daily press., 1863-06-19
Mr.. LincOln's Letter TO the New York
Democrats.

Democrats.
On the first page to-day we have given in
full the reply Of President Lincoln to the dem
ocratic resolves passed recently at Albany, and
communicated to him in note signed by
Erastus Corning and others. The note to Mr..
Lincoln was very respectful in its tone, and
no one will deny that the reply of the Presi-
dent is expressed in language as creditable to
his head as the spirit it breathes is to his
heart. This is not the first time the Chief Ex-
ecutive- officer of the United States has taken
his pen, familiarity to address his fellow-cit-
zens upon topics in which they had expressed
a deep interest. Mr.. Buchanan, it will be rec
objected, Notwithstanding his high sense of Off
cial dignity, with his own pen replied to the
memorial of the Connecticut clergymen,
touching the affairs of Kansas.
1t is not needful that word should be said
to commend the views OF the President to 10y
al men. They are perfectly unanswerable
upon any hypothesis that would not leave the
Executive Of the nation powerless to preserve
and protect that Constitution and that Union
of which he is the sworn guardian. That
Democrats-old Jacksonian Democrats -
should find fault with Mr.. Lincoln's reasoning
is surely not little surprising, for he has
preached no single thought in this letter, in re-
lation TO the powers Of the constitution or the
right to make arrests of disloyal persons in
time Of public danger, that has not received
the emphatic sanction of the best Democratic
authority in the best days of our American
Democracy. Speaking of arrests, the Presi-
dent says:
concede that the class of arrests COM
planned of can be constitutional only when in
cases of rebellion or invasion, the public safe
ty may require them; and l insist that in such
cases they are constitutional tchererer the
public safety does require them.
Referring to this extract the Argus says, it
''makes the President an absolute Dictator
"places him entirely above the constitution
"and laws, and constitutes his orders the su-
"preme law to be executed by force whenever
"and ,chererer in his judgement the public
"safety requires it. A more monstrous prop
"osition was never advanced. The Gar of
'Russia or the Emperor Of Austria never
"claimed or exercised more unlimited powers
ethan the President here claims for himself"
Now for the benefit of Democrats who have
not suffered themselves to be befogged by
their prejudices, or to be led away by their willy
leaders, we wish to state a few simple facts.
l. At New Orleans, during the administra-
tion of President Jefferson, Gen. Wilkinson,
then commanding at that post, arrested the
confederates of Aaron Burr on the mere sus-
picion of danger, which as it afterward prov
ed, did not actually exist, and in the face of
that provision OF the Constitution which says
that "the trial of all crimes, except in case of
Impeachment, shall be by jury; and such
"tridls SHALL BE HELD IN THE STATE WHERE
"THE SAID CRIMES SHALL HAVE BEEN COM
"MITTED," he sent them all the way from
New Orleans to Washington for trial; and
Jefferson, the Father Of American Democracy
justified his act on the ground of the npcessi-
ties of the occasion.
2. In the same city of New Orleans, in 1915,
as fully detailed in the letter of Mr.. Lincoln,
Gen. Andrew Jackson arbitrarily arrested in
dividuais, and among them a Judicial officer Of
the government, and though he was fined
plyUUO ioI 81 uoihS, anu LnVugu ne pau HIS
fine, he always insisted that he did right, and
was fully justified by the law of necessity.
3. The American Democracy made the refun-
ding of Jacksons fine with interest, coupled
with declaration that he icds justified, and
that he uiolated no constitutional lao, a
PARTY QUESTION, and crowded it through
the Congress of the United States against pre-
cisely such arguments as are now used by
Democrats to condemn President Lincoln for
the arrest Of Vallandigham and others OF like
kidney.
4. Finally in the House of Representatives
January @, 1916, Stephen A. Douglas, as the
mouth-piece of the Democratic party, on this
very question of refunding Jackson's fine,
gave utterance to the following language,
which received the appreciation of Democrats
everywhere, which secured for him the per-