Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1864-06-25

wnlcn mas Deen pursued Dy congress IN
the passage Of laws, and by the President
in his procamations. Each of these de-.
partments Of Government has treated the
States as if they had no reserved rights.
State lines have been disregarded, and all
State constitutions have been trampled |
upon, and the rights Of the citizen every
where have been placed at the mercy OF
the military power, and q solemn act of
Congress has been passed to indemnify and
protect the agents of this military power
in the preparation of any crime which
they may see fit to inact. The passage
Of this law will be the final gathering up OF
the reserved rights of States, and the last
vestige OF protection OF the citizen under
State constitutions will be taken away, and
all power centralized in the General Gov.
ernment. This state of things l AIN not
! prepared to sanction by my vote.
But have another reason for my oppo-
sition Co the bill, and it is the fact that it is
founded upon and intended to legalize and
perpetuate the unconstitutional acts and
proclamations of the President. / say
unconsitutlonal acts of the President and
if my position be correct then any laws
founded upon these proclamations will be
looked upon and actually be the extreme
of folly.
The acts and proclamations of which
complain and to which allude are those
which The President has done and pro.
: claimed in pursuance Of his war power and
as Z Commander ln-Chef of the Army. The
Constitution makes 'the President the
Commander-inC Chief of the Army and Ma
Wy and of the militia of the several States
when called into actual service of the Uni.
ted States But before entering upon the
duties of his Office he is required to take
his oath that he will faithfully execute the
office of President oil the United Stats,
and to the best of his ability preserve pro.
tect, and defend the Constitution of the
United States. 1t is by virtue of these
provisions of the Constitution that Pres
dCnt elect enters upon his duties and gets
control of his powers. 1t will be observed
that the only thing which the President is
required t, take an oath to do is to "pre-
serve, protect, and defend the Constitution
of the United States" In all other of his
: official acts nothing is required of him bu.
TO act faithfully but in the defense and
protection of the Constitution there mus,
be no question, and that is the only one
i thing especially mentioned in his official
oath. As il the trainers Of the Constisu
n ton regarded the protection and defence
of that instrument as the paramount ard
9 principal business of the President, and in
. order that he might have the necessary
power to perform that duty, he was made
c Commauder-in-C Chief Of tho Army and
. Navy, and Of the militia of the States
i. when in the actual seryice of the United
r States.
C But he must, from the nature of the case
h be Commander int hicf of tho Army
Y and Navy in qualified sense of the word
If 1t is not presumed that a mere civilian
C should have the qualifications Of genera
9 in the field, and if he were qualified b,
: could not attend to the duties OF militia
II ry commander aud all the various duties
y Of his Office as President at thd same time
: The Constitution presumes that the Pres
b dent is statesman. 1t is not the presump
# ton of that instrument that he is either {
= military or naval officer. And with very
l. few exceptions the Presidents Of the United
+ States have not possessed any knowledge
: Of either military or naval affairs. BY
virtue Of his office be can remove and fl
3 the places of all the ciyi! officers of the
h Government, and bv virtue of his Office a!
i Commander in-Cuief he can appoint ant
= remove the officers of the Army, and il
1t that way control the Army as he does
# control tho Treasury Department and Pos
10 office Department, and in fact all of tht
s. Departments of Government. Nor was i
5. int ended by the trainers of the Constitu
10 ton that he should be Commander in Chic
2. of the Army in any other sense than ht
h is controller of tho Post Office, the Treas
At ury Department, the Mint, &c. He hat
is taken an oath to "preserve, protect, ant
Of defend the Constitution" The Constitu
to tion was the dearest thing in the minds o
1T the American people. That Constitution
t. had made their Union of States, it con
at tained the civil and religious liberties o
- their children, and was their Government
10 the life of the nation, and without thi
OF great covenant between the rulers and tn
le people there was no Government and NJ
lg nation and to "preserve, protect, and de
d fcnd" that evidence Of the sovereign vii
er of the people, it was necessary to lodg
III power somewhere, aud the the Constitu
IN lion placed it in the President. The
of could look back over the history of tn
u. past and see the whole ocean Of time file
a. with fragments Of republics which had fal
tie lon sacrifices to the usurpations and Gu
to oroaohments of military ambition and mill
O. tary power, and therefore tho toustiutio
Dc which he has sworn 10 ''preserye, protect
en- and Defend" gave him power to remov
10 any military chief who should encrooo
r. upon the Constitution. He had power t
a surround the civil offoe Of President wit
u wall stronger than adamant, and ,ha
- power he had taken his oath to exert i
he the protectian of the Constitution. Thg
he such is the war power of the President
d. shown in the history of the country. N
former President ever attempted to act a
ed COMMANDMENTS Chief Of the ARMY. exceI