The Richmond palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1855-1875, 1864-02-10

nants, knayes. parasites and venal pens
than graced by the even administration OF
passion-b blind Justice. If you will trace
him in his daily life, you shall observe
that the mere fault finder is among the
most useless members OF the society
wherein he clamors.
We pass now to the consideration Of
other and more elaborate charges against
the administration by Mr.. LINCOLN, of
powers vested in him by military law
The loudest string harped on by the ene-
mics of Mr. LINCOLN has been that on
which has been so often rung the ''char-
ges" about Arbitrary arrests. He has
been called tyrant! One who designs
the destruction of the Constitution. and
the erection of despotism! Men OF
some public character have been SO
shameless as to bruit abroad accusations
of this sort into the ears of the people,
all over the land Men of intellectual
and political pretensions have endea-
vored to raise tempest Of popular clam
or because Mr. LINCOLN chose to suspend
the writ of Ra6eas Corpus. These Exc
cutive acts have been denounced as mon
strous and unprecedented. But mo-
ments sensible reflection is quite enough
to demonstrate how groundless and how
malicious has been this denunciation.
Certainly three things are true, viz
This Rebellion must be put down. 1t
must be put down by force ofarms. And
that force must be welded by the Gov
ernment. This exercise of war power,
draws with it all that is lawful under Mil
itary law and of the time and mode Of its
xeercise, the Government must be the
Judge. From these simple propositions
there is no escape.
Now, for a moment, let us review Mr..
LINcoLN's acts, in this respect-and con-
meet them with the state Of the country
during this war and then compare them
with historical precedents.
When the war broke out, the country
was full of Southern Agents, Southern
Conspirators and sympathizers and Sou
thern spies. This Rebellion had spread
its roots wide and deep before it struck
the fatal blow. The friends Of the Re
bellion were every where. Even Mayor
Wood Of New York, was the Agent for
the purchase, or at least the guarantor
for the delivery. of Southern muskets-
Northern insurrection was threatened by
some exclaimers. And it was not until
the attack on Sumter that certain leading
New York Journals (and others in va
rious parts of the North) were reluc-
family compelled to display the star
spangled banner. Now we are absolute
ly at war; and steps must be taken for
the public safety. All aid and comfort to
the enemy must be cut eff :and the most
essential of all aid to them, of course,
was that Of their Northern friends,
agents and spies; disloyal newspapers,
politicians, contractors and vagabond
stump orators. AS a matter Of course,
this sort of thing must be weeded out,
or ruin was inevitable.
We need hardly tell our intelligent
readers that the object of Military ar
rests is to prevent mischief, as well as to
punish the guilty agent. After informa-
ton has been giuen to the enemy; after
contraband goods have been deliuered to
him, and the like, the mischief, per
chance the fatal mischief, has been done
Hence in all lands, and under all Gov
ernments, Military law authorizes the ar
rest of suspected persons. To be sure
mistakes will once in a while be made
in such arrests; for war is a stern and
head long thing-but the public good
cannot be lost sight of on account of ex-
ceptional cases in this matter, any more
than in case of fire, the fremen shall
pause in their work of arresting the con-
flagration from dread of INJURY to neigh
borhood property. The world is full Of
precedents in this matter, but let a
few in our own history suffice the present
purpose
From George l. Curtis History of the
Constitution Of the United States we quote
these words, viz: I'm November 1775
General WASHINGTON sent an officer into
New Hampshire to seize every officer of
the royal Government who had given
proofs Of an unyriendly disposition to the
American cause
I'm January of the next year, General
WASHINGTON gave LEE authority to
march into Long Island and disarm, and
if necessary, arrest all persons whose
conduct and declarations had rendered
them Justly suspected Of designs anfriend1y
TO the ris1es of Congress. .'-(It may be
we'll enough to say here that the author
from whom we have just quoted. is one of
the most vehement of Mr. LIxcoLNs' as
sailants.) In Queens County. on Long
Island, majority of the inhabitants had
refused to elect delegates to the Provin-
cial Convention; and for this offence,
and for this only, nineteen of them had
been arrested, taken to Philadelphia and