The mountain Democrat., 1864-08-13

Mcdowell hold his commission as MAJOR
G.17..' Gs:.s;;7s.... K 49, - = x43cst 10 denV
the force OF. rne Constructor rs TO deny
their own authority. = It is never wise on
the part of one in authority, whether in
civil or military capacity, to ignore the
actual state of feeling among the people
over whom he rules
Were l in the confidence of General
Mcdowell, would go to him, and in all
sincerity l would say to him-My dear
sir, upon you devolves heavy response
bility. You are an officer OF the Federal
Government, charged with military juris-
diction over the Department of the Pacific.
Your object is, or ought to be, both to
discharge your duty as an officer and to
maintain the public peace.
Now you seem to believe that there are
two ways Of dealing with those who are
charged with offenses against the Federal
Government. to wit: Either to turn them
over to the civil Courts to be tried accord
ing to the usual forlR of law, or to deal
with them summarily, according to some
military rule.
Now, sir, there is very large number
of citizens of these Pacific States and Ter
ritorics-not perhaps majority, but at
least a very large and respectable minoH-
ty-who utterly deny your right to pun.
ish any citizen, not serving in the army
or navy Of the United States, without q
legal trial, according TO all the forms Of
law.
If you adopt the latter course, many
an innocent man must in the very nature
of things fall a victim to the malice or ill.,
grounded suspicion Of false accusers.-.
And all experience proves that those who
are treated as enemies, will very soon be-
come SO. The opposition to military rule
will thus gather strength, from every new
arrest, till there will not be power enough
either in the civil or military arm of the
Government to control it.
But on the other hand, if you leave all
offenders to be dealt with by the civil
Courts, you will certainly have violated
no law, you will have discharged your
whole duty as an officer, and you will
have preserved the peace of the State.
My friends. have now discharged what
| believe to be plain and simple duty,
which owed to myself. my country and
my God. am not ignorant of the peri
lous task which he takes upon himself
who stands for the right, against power.
The great Socrates said-and it was .
part of his last speech every man
who would generously oppose a whole
people, and who inAexibly applies himself
to prevent the violation Of the law and the
practice of iniquity in city, would never
do so long with impunlty.
cannot ignore the fact that an insane
and fanatcal press is daily vomiting forth
its false and unwarrantable abuse against
both my political and religious creed.--
Nor can ignore that other fact that one
/ by one my fellow citizens are seized, with
out warrant of law, torn from family and
friends and hurried off to yonder military
Bastile whose frowning batteries look de-
Family across the harbor.
A feeling of alarm has seized hold Of
the public mind. Men gather in groups
and talk in whispers and look as though
they feared an invisible spy in every
breeze that blows.
1t is indeed a critical moment. We
are walking upon a narrow defile upon
either side of which .yawns an unfathom.
able gulf. Upon the one side is civil war,
with its burning towns and cities--its
slaughtered inhabitants and its weeping
widows and orphans; while upon the 9th
er are long centuries Of despotism from
whose dark and unseen recesses there as
cendS the dismal music of clanking chains
mingled with despairing groans and the
bitter curses of millions upon millions of
manacled slaves, made so by the fault Of
rccreant sires.
The narrow defile which lies between
these two chasms is the Constitution of
our country. My countrymen the pre-
servation Of Constitutional liberty is q
pduty which we owe not alone to ourselves,
it is boon which posterity will demand
at our hands.
Liberty is an inheritance snatched by
! our venerated sircs from the iron jaws of
war, and handed down to US, not alone
for our own enjoyment, but to be held in
| trust and transmitted untarnished and
unimpaired to our children and our chill
dren's children to the latest generation.
trust in God that civil war will not be
forced upon our people; but if it comes
let every friend of free government plant
himself firmly upon the Constitution Of
his country, and if We go down in the
struggle, we shall at least leave our bleach
ing bones to mark the spot where liberty
fell.
My countrymcn, one and all, Republi-
cans. and Democrats, public officers and
private citizens, let usGisc above the pet
ty spirit of party and learn to be patriots
c., 7 IL - Hocooah
you, in the name Of all you hold most
dear in heaven and on earth, in the name
of our common ancestors who poured out
their best blood like water that we might
be free; in the name Of doting wives and
innocent, prattling children, who look up
to us for protection and succor; and,
finally, in the name Of our affairs and of
that great God who is the common father
of us all and who holds in His hands the
dcstinies of nations; IL beseech you to
respect and obey the Constitution and the
laws of our country, as the last and only
means whereby to avert the horrors of
civil war.
A "LoYAL" man in Massachusetts who
got little heavy about the head, and
fearing he might be suspected Of drinking
too freely, apologized to crowd Of by.
ISLANDERS in the following eloquent and
patriotic language;
"Now AK you, fellers who's the best
citizen-him as supports Government or
him as doesn't? Why, him as does, in
course. l supports Government, fellers
every man as drinks supports Govern
ment-that is, if he drinks taxed lickers.
Every blessed drop Of ticker he swallers
is taxed to pay the salaries of them big
officers at Washington, and support the
war. S'pose all was to quite drinking