The daily clarion. [volume] (Meridian, Miss.) 1863-1866, 1864-06-04


So far as he. knew, or had reason to b.
lieve, they had not And until ho wa
convinced that the facts had changed, o
had been materially modified, he shoult
stand by what had been done.
When tho State OF Mississippi commits
stoned him as.one Of her Senators. sh
1 imposed on him the high responsibilit,
of detcrnning on The Instant, wlci
Gravb anfitBportant issues were present
ed, whatwas best for the country. ltwa
| expected of him, as he apprehended
that he would. look into all the facts, ane
upon his responsibility d. that which Iii
Judgment assured him was wisest under
all the circumstances. He could not ad
Emitsthe IfowMsoi al. esislature 10, instruct
hhm To- do or undo acts against his, con
victions OF what Was right. He would al
al times defer 70 ti,e Judgment of the
EheEislai,He,s and so.ve every. movable
fdbubt in favor Of their declared opinions,
1Buthe would not, against his settled con.
Eviction, yield 10 the will ofIhe Legisla-
tare, rR,s in doing so, he put at hazard the
substantial Interests Of the country If,
at any Time the people of his State re.
lqiested him 10 do an act, he would, il
| possible, conform to their requirements.
and if his SENSE of duty compelled him
10 differ from them, he would lay his
commission. at their feet.
/. In the case before us he was instructed
to vote for o repeal Of the actsuspending
the privilege Of the writ of habeas c6tS,s in
certain cases. These instructions came
from. tho Legislature and notfrom the
people; The people, since the act was
passed., had not been consulted and, in
fact, had given no Judgment in regard to
it, He hought,the Legislature had tax
EN- o superficial view Of the subject and
allowed themselves 10 be betraye d'into
unnecessary alarm concerning The safety
Of the Constitution and the liberties of
the people, He did not thinksthat eth
ser was at.all imperilled by the passage of
the act in question. lie did not mean at
this time to discuss the Constitutional
power Of Congress, in times of public dan.
ger, to suspend the privilege Of the writ
of Aa6eas corpus lie would, as q s nator,
accept no issue rendered by parties out
side .of,the Senate Whenever, IN thee
course Of Legitimate debate, the question
should beraiaeGE he weuld be prepared
to vfndicate -tlie Constitutional. propriety
of bis conduct in having voted. for the
measure.
Assto whether tile act was in derngation
OF the .rights-of the citizen and dlngerons.
to public property, he bad but Word TO
say. Ever SINCE the war commenced the
writ had been. suspended as to.the menjn
the army Never for lid Instant had ANY |
one 'of,tIe five hundreds thousand yeul hs
in arms against the y ankees |
been allowed the privilege OF the writ. II |
liberty was to be defended in this country |
these we're tho mon who wonlddo.it. God |
save liberty, ff-it was left to the protect.
ing care Of those who stay atAome. Men !
10 the, army Fad been arrested, tried, con
yicted and executed, without being allnw- /
ed the benefit of the writ Of ha5cdS'cmpus,
and the people at home had never seen |
any danger to public liberty in that But
when it is proposed TO put them oman
equal footing with the citizen soldiers,
their fears were aroused, and the elemeE tsI
resounuSd with their Wild acclaim against
lie attacks Of Congress on popular rights.
lie did not synlpatlze with those who
feared that liberty was to be lost throngh'Il
,he inetrumentality Of. the ailnf. THE
lrmy was, in his Judgment, the great con-
ierYator of liberty in this country, He
L L
'ighs against the liberties tile peopIs,,
md il he had, he Mr. b would look to
.hearmy for profession against such. de-
igns. There was as much brains and
more patfioiism i'll the army than there
Vas oub of 1t, and it was simply absurd
or men at hqme to assume that the army
lad not the sense to detect, and the stern
integrity to rebgke, the first and every
Ltteniptto overthrow public liberty. alt
vas for the Independence of the States
md the. liberties OF the people that the
lrTlly wis fighting, and he had no appre-.
tension that any ambitious or aspiring \
eader could ever turn them againstthe
me or the other Those who made alarms
estthe war should result in the establish
nent Of Il military despotism, paid but u
orry compliment to the intelligence, in
eerityand patriotism Of The army, lie
pelledall insinuations, come
rom whatsoever quarter Trey might, that
he President had any designs against the
ublic liberty. If, howevery.1here we're
ervous people. who thought otherwise,
e begged them to reflect THAT khe,and
ohnston, and Beauregard, and Kirby
NTH had all to be removed or corrupted
efofe he could demonstrate in the re
hottest degree such a design. Not only
his, bHt the brains had to be taken out
{ the heads of the officers and men, and
heir hearts changed before they could be
sed for the founding of an empire or
he grave of liberty.
If the people of Mississippi could stand
oday where he stood, and hear, as he ,
ow heard, the roar of artillery and the
lash Of contendin.g arms; he thought they
'ould agree with him that this was not !
he time to weaken tho Executive arm
Ie felt -aIl that confidence in the Presi-
ent's good purposes which Others were :
5 free to express. Hewould hold up his !
rms in the heroic effort he was making :
} drive back the foe, and not mock him !
ith fulsome praises, and then deny him !,
he powers necessary to make good his
efense. If the reasoning ef.those. who :
emanded repeal of this law be followed :
, legitimate conclusions, the President
,.day, while the enemy's gunswereS actu
Ily sounding.fn qursears, could not. ar' S
ist citizen, ihongh lac found him i9 the C
cry act of carrying. reasonable, intelli- d
ence tosthe Yankee Generals. lie must e
ant up civil magistrate, make an ali 1
Avit, aud geta WARRANT. Out upon such /
onssnse. r