, 1864-03-27

on the agricultural and mechanical labor of
the country for recruits for the army, to
swell our numbers beyond our present mus
ter rolls, which must prove onr rnln, II our
Wonld be wiser to put tic troops into the ar7ny
lGoV. Browns italics-EDs.] and leave men
enough at home to support them. In othdr
words, compel the Thousands Of young off,
GERS In gold lace md brass buttons, who are
constantly seen crowding our railroads and
hotels, many Of whom can seldom be found
at our posts; and the Thousands Of strag-
Cling soldiers who are absent without leave,
or By the fayoritism Of officers, whose names
are on the pay-rolls, md who are not pro.:
ducer6 at home, to remain ut their present
places in the army. This is Justice alike to
tie country, to the taxpayers, to the ga1laut
Officers who stand firmly at the post Of duty,
get furloughs, but arc always In the thickest
Of the fight. When they are enduring and
suffering SO much, why should tho favorites
of power and those of their comrades, who
seek to avoid duty and danger, be counte-
naneed Or tolerated at home, while thcir
NAMES stand upon the muster-rolls.
CONFLICT WITH TEE CONFEDERATE GOVERN
MINT.
But It may be said that an attempt to main
tain the rights Of the State will produce con-
fict With the Confederate Government. am
aware that there arc those who, from motives
not necessary to be here mentioned. are ever
ready to raise the cry of eon!3ee, and to crin-
else and condemn the action Of Georgia, in
every case where her constituted authorities
protest against the encroachncnts OF the cen
tra1 power, and eeck to maintain ler dignity
and sovereignty rs State, and the constitu-
tional rights and dignity Of her people. ..-.
; Thcse who are nnfriendly to State soYcr-
eighty and dcsirc to consolidate ali power in
tue hands Of the Confederate Government,
hoping to promote their undertaking by op-
Grating upon the fears Of the tinfd, after each
new aggression upon the constitutional rights
o1 tile States, I'LL the newspaper presses with
the cry Of oo'.ftd, and warn the people to be-
constitutional rights as sogitators-partisans
who: :tlus embarrass the Confederate Govern
ment in the prosecution Of the war.
sCspESs1oS or THE 1I41EAs CORPUS.
I cannot withhold the expression of tue
deep modification I feel at the late action Of
Congress In attempting to suppress the priv
ne5c Of the writ Of ha1cds corpus; aud to con-
fer upou the President powers expressly de-
MED to him by the Constitution Of the Con-
Which our people know docs not exist in
this case, whatever may have been the mo-
tIves, :onr' Congress, with the assent and at
the request OF the Executive, hos struck a
1ell blow at the liberties Of the people Of
y any Waf1Ant issued by the tre6t-
dent Or any arrest made BIZ him, or under his
order, OF any person In civil life, aud not
subject to military command, Is Illegal, and
In plain violation Of the Constitution; rs it
is Impossible tor Congress, By Implication,
to confer upon the President the right to cx-
crclse powers Of arrest, expressly forbidden
by tho Constitution. An effort on the part
OF Congress to do this is but an at
Tempt to revive the oilious practice of
ordering political arrests, or Issuing
leftrrs dc eaeha Iy royal prcrogatirc, go long
since denounced by our English ancestors;
and the deninl Of the right Of the constitu-
ticual Judiciary to Investigate such cases,
and the provision for creating court ap-
pointed by tho Executive, and changeable at
his Will, to take jurisdiction OF the same,
arc in violation Of the great principles Of
Mognd Cha, "a, the hill Of rights, the habe Is
ro7Iats net, md the Conatitution of the Com
fcderate States, upor which both English
and American liberty rest; and arp but an
attempt to revive the odious Star Chamber
Court Of England, which In the hands Of
wicked kings was used for tyrannIcal pur-
poses by the crown, until it was finally abol-
ished By act Of Parliament Of 10th Charles I,
which went into operation on the first Of
MVrch lG41