Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1862-1865, 1864-05-21

rvpEDIENf!I Of REPEALlNG Thh AOt SCS
PENDING THE PRIVILEGE OF THE WHIT Of
, UABEAS CORPUS.
N, s,r,kxn; Profoundly do feel the responsibility
80 s,sDes to the NOV, msns watch have ventured
/, originate In TIE mdS q war which mas tnu' ar
6sen nost carneutly sad vigorously prosecute by an
.oliyhtaned patriotic and sine ulafy uniteI people in
defense of the dearest rights IF freenen, find that
legislative enactment has been adopted, which s IN
pSpabe violation Of those rights is distinctly mani
ss,Sve of grave dstrus. touching the patriotism and
yavy of portion OF those very peopl Is Indicative q
want of confidence il cur own judicial tribunals Also
vhich enactment if respected precedent, viii tend
70 establish the most grinding dsspos SIN tns4 The world
has vet ssen; and all lhs without any apparent neess
s,y and spo1 preiexs which, tneugn al me me Vgi
IAoty concealed from the public view will be found,
ron rronsr serutiry to be altogether shallow and
nsnStantia in their character, and to have no exist
80 AZ ali save ia the excited Imagination of over
hssted pkrlisans Sir have announced already in this
Hn5se that nteAd this occasion, TO use no language
- ,bst Of eourtesy moderation and forbeSraneO. At
,uch moment as tie present, am notasat disposed 70
indulge in harsh deOrAl and erimna ion The taotiVes
Of those Who passed the act tho immediate repsl OF
vbich it is my purpose nos earnestly TO invoke,
hall not call in question: nor shall challenge those Of
tbs President in recommending its adoption. am not
az liberty 10 speak Of he reasons of this action on the
mart of cur Chief kagsIae which he thought proper
% embodY in his special message, from which the in
junction Of secrecy has not yet been removed further
than TO say shat tkese we're altogether nsuih-
Gent in nv judgment a. the time thss they were pro-
poundsd 30 US; ard that subsequent consideration OF
them hiss net al al added 10 their cogency VIA ever
objections may Ulertsn to some of the moot promi
ns1t scts of this Administration during the progress OF
tue pending war shall not give expression TO thsm on
this occasion II the President be supposed by coy
enc 10 be too much il tiueneed ey personal peEuSIes
and preiudces whereby the public service is liable 10
piury by the employment in places OF high official
ss,,,ls If inferiOr n nae or WIN
have shown shs selves unworthy Of confidence in any
other material respect the present Is no suitable time
for the discussion of this delicate topic 1t he has not
ALWAYS manifested true discernment OF genuine merit
let rs not coz plain of him in this regard AZ the present
moment l. seems 70 Ese 70 30 equally desirable 10
shut out from our consideration for tue present. all the
discussions which have occurred at different times n
ths Hal. upon measures TO Which some Of ts
have urged objections on tie ground of Their
evident tsndsncy upiuly to enhance The pos'r
of the Central DepartDon. 6t our sys'en OF Gov
rnment, and to invest the Presidsnt with au-
thority which, in the hands Of one OF ilNless and
unrostraned ambition might prove dangerous 10 NJ
erty l an particularly DESTROYS that the question now
before n. EhOud be settled upon its own merits alone
Il any one of tie members Of this body woo voted for
sbs suspension Of the writ OF Habeds Corpus last Wintor
can show that there was any necessity Tor the act Of
suspension hope be viii nov 30 II it caa be made
sanfest that the strong and very comprehensive mea-
sure framed for taSt purpose vas needp, an in CON
formy with the COnst uton Of the Confederate Safes,
the present is she most suitable occasion which can ever
arise for making these facts apparent II will lot do in
the existing of the public mind to say that the act
for whose TeVoa aton general demand has come ~
20 us from various portions of the Con ederacy, wac
polite and proper because the President thought 1t 70
bs So and because be is yet psFcSalce, OF thu same
opinion Il is not at all question involving the per
sons rustworthiness OF the President for 1t may :,
as certainly believe 10 be true that the 20 Eers trans
kN-N h 81 TnNn p
review are such as ought Sot to be and could not &c
safely End consttutonAy be entrusted in Republican
community like to any Chief Magistrate whatever
must say he e, that cannot but reg ct the exist
enCS Of tire inperouS necessity under the nnunce OF
Wti,h an row aching. Tbat necessity would not have
o. ssd az ali had the President lie the exercise mag
unanimous and p7oVident satemanship, such his warm
admirers have been in the habit Of attrouting 20 BIN,
commended, as / had hoped al along no would do,
the repeal of the sct of suspension. The same gocd
result would certainly have been attained had the Juo-
ary Committee o. this House reported favoraby upon
bin introduced by ths honorable member from Ala
bAmA Mr.. CTuIkshsnb), the second day OK our prs
ent session Theit declining to do So and their recon-
mendson that this bill should lie upon table, so as
a. to preclude debate upon its mor together with the
&C lion which the House has thought proper to take in
regard to the preamble and resolutions Of tbs soVe-
rsgn State of Nissisppia reference OF which to tue
3 proprate mmttee has been somewhn ungraciousy
reiueG-nAye made il the urquestionabe dny OF Ell
vhO favor repeal 20 unite their Efforts in form for
the attainment of thai object ConcurriEg as do NEST
heartily with al that is emb) died IN the preamble and
resolutions referred having satisfactory to
Sesve that they do in point of TACT faithfully repre-
sent the sentiments aud Opbioos OF niueenths OF the
B.opls OF she Stats whence they emanate aud OF like
proportion Of al the people OF the other Confederate
S,stes whether in the army or out of thaVing been
asrticularly familiar with the population whose egsla
i've representatives have unanimously demanded a. our
aApal n NH oh think
We have heretofore 50 unwisey Adopted bsVe not
tslt At liberty decline the bringing forward of the re-
solution watch s new under consideration.
Let Us now examine the preamble and resolutions of
the Mississippi LegisGtare-a cOhourrenos in which
ask At the bands OF this House. They rssd rs fol.
lows:
Wheress The Wr. Of kaIsds corpus is the great pre-
rogaSye writ of the American people, DIST suishing
es and constitutional government from al absolute
desposm; and whereas without it. the liberty and the
personal rights OF the citizen without sanction, and
their violation without remedy aud whereas this great
privilege Of American citE Ms inherited by them
from their ANCESTOR and was held and Cxsrci9ed by
them before the establishment OF any OF the Oonstu-
lions Of the American States, after long and srduous
struggle Of FIVE humid ed years. duration against the ad
herents of arbitrary power; and Whereas it is deeaed
10 the Constitution Of the Confederate States andin that
Of the Sste Of Miss sspp that the privilege Of The writ
Of habsas corpus shsl be suspended unles when in
cases Of rebellion or Invasion the public safety may
quie it, and whe it is also declared in said COnst.
tuons that The right Of the people to be secure ia
their per ors pap and effects against unreasonable
searches aud seizures shall not be violated, and
rant shall issue but upon probable cause supported by
cath srust on and particularly describing the place
be arched snd the persons or things to be Sc zed
thereby intending 60 guarantee to the American citizen
the iraensble right cerved from the common law aud
inhert from bis E1gish ancestors be from
arrest exc pt upon warrant specifying the offence, aud
on pro5abls cause supported by cab affirmation ;
ald Whereas on the teenah day o, February last the
Congress # the Confederate States did pass set TIT
dur the present invasion of the Conted rats States
he privilege Of the writ Of habsas corpus bs and TIE
sam is ne eby suspended in OF persons rested
detained by order Of the President or Secretary OF War
or General officer commanding toe Trsas- Mississippi
Department. by The subOri.y and under the control Of
the Presdeot which suspension extended to arrests
definitions in large number of embraced in said
act in many OF which specific crime is namedi and