Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1864-03-05
The True Position,


discussion is going the rounds Of the public
journals, SONS approving while others con-
denim the sentiments uttered by Wendell
Phillips, in his speech on the 23d December
last, humbly claim your courtesy and be-
speak the publication Of few brief remarks
on the same subject.
Not having read the speech allnded to, I
have to rest my conceptions of the purport
of the policy therein set forth on extracts in
other papers, if indeed it specifies any definite
policy, whicl, very much doubt. Wendell
Phillips Processes to find much fault with
President Lincoln. for what he chooses to
term his conservative policy, and endeavors
to draw invidious comparisons between him,
with his Cabipct, and such men az Fremont,
Butler and jackson, men to whose ultra pol
icy he credits the finishing of the war in two
years, with all the advantages that we shall
get out of war of five. Now to al who have
the welfare of our country at heart. it is to be
sincerely regretted that such blazing oratory
should find publication in any patriotic jour
nails throughout our country unaccompanied
with the srverest critical condemnation. /
cannot conceive how any lover of his country,
in her hour of peril and under present circum-
stances, can do otherwise than condemn the
sentiments of Wendell Phillips as those of
fanaticnl drnnagogu-. In that sprectihe tells
his audiance, and by its publication tells all
his countrymr,,, that the Presidents Proc
lamation is not worth the paper it is written
upon. With all due Difference to Mr.. Phillips
superior sag,city, differ from him on that
point. The Presidents Emancipation Proc
i =: I.,;, {~r
und,r the naval and military power Of the
Government, and cannot be recaIled. being as
it is military measure, exclusively within
the military discretion Of the Government.
issued avowedly and really for the purpose of
reducing the strength of the enemy and con-
scqurn,ly to increase proportionally the mill
tary power of the National Government. How
and by what icgerdcmain feat is Wendell
Phillips or any of his compcers going to bring
that military measure within the legitimate or
constitutional p,,rvicw Of the Supreme Court
Of the United States? As well bring the rx-
listing bomhnrdmcnt Of the city Of Charleston,
or the establishment Of q military government
in the States Of Louisiana, North Carolina, or
any other State wherein the Government is
victorious over its enemies, before the u. S.
courts for adjudication. as to bring the militia
nv pr )clamaions of the Commander in Chief
of the military service to the same tribunal.
The Constitution of tho United States con-
fines the powers of the courts to the civil de-
partmpnts of the Government, towit: the ad.
Indication of Legislative cnactments. Will
Phillips, or any Of his friends, point out the
part of tho Constitution that empowers the
civil courts of the country to take cognizance
of and declare the validity or invaldity Of the
military acts Of the Government. l assume
to say, Mey cannot do Il. The Constitution
itself makes the President COMMANDMENTS
Chief of the military and naval forces of the
Government, thereby comforting upon him dis
cre,ionary powers in the prosecution o f war
against the enemies Of the Nation, without
distinction as to whether those enemies are
rebels or foreign toes; and what the Consti-
tuition SO clearly does is not to be undone by
Wendell Phillips and his friends, even II they
do call on the Supreme Court to back them.
The friends of the Constitution aud the Union
are too much in earnest to be frightened by
such a ghost. even if it does come full
Acdged from the fertile brain Of Wendell
Phillips. Friends Of our country, rest assured
that tho Emancipation Proclamation is. and
shall remain in full force, comforting evellast-
ing benefits to our country. and that 1t does
no violation to the Constitution.
Phillips, in contradistinction to Fremont
& Co., whom he credits as the mould,rs of
the people, makes President Lincoln the
mere servant Of the people. do not ut all
admit that any Of those worthless whom Phil
lips names would, or even could. exercise
L.. 4 - al, in
Quoting the popular will of free people as
Abraham Lincoln has hitherto done. On one
subject let us sec il these parties hav given
to their country any indications of the ST.
pcrior sagacity which their trmmpeter, Phil
lips, attributes to them, and in the inquiry let
us ask, does Wendell Phillips, or his friends,
claim to themselves any originality Of ideas
for the executive acts or proclamations OF the
President Il am not aware that they do)
which they admit are pointing in the right
direction, but bring too conservative. they
don't 20 far enough. During last summer
and fall. when the victorious arms Of the Gov
ernmcnt had succeeded in establishing Ma
tional authority over large extent of rebel
lious territory, much had been said and
written on the reconstruction of the Union.
The STANDARD itself did not refrain from
publishing its views OH that subject. in SEN
timents with which, by the way. l did not
agree. A great diversity Of opinion existed
among sl parties and CLASSES Of men. even to
confusion, until Abraham Lincoln by the
wcll-timed exercise of his superior sagscity.
dispelled the mist that seemed to prevade
the popular mind and gave to the country his
we'll conceived plan for the reconstruction OF
the Union. All patriots. lovers Of their
wral, supporters of the constitution
and the Union. admired and accepted the