Brownlow's Knoxville Whig, and rebel ventilator. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1863-1866, 1864-02-27
The Power OF the President.

The Power OF the President.
The reel, less and unpatriotic men of I'll
North and the journals in their scrvic
who sympathae with this wicked rcbcllioI
cry ont against the usurpations of the Pres
idcnt, his suspension of the writ Of habea
corpus, and complain that the power of I'll
purse and the sword had been given to hin
by the celebrated Congress terminating
March, 1868, 1t is refreshing to turn
the pages of our past history and see wha
the records Of our country disclose Nj
LINCOLN is not the first President to whom
this power has been given, The succcsso
Of Gen, JACKSON, Democratic President
was given this power in 1899, when Grca
Britain had taken torcblc possession of
portion Of the State Of Maine, and movcC
her troops into the territory to hold it, un
der the command Of SIR JonN HARVEY
Mr., VAN buren,, then President Of thd
United States, called the attention OF Con
grcss to the matter, and Congress met Tho
case by the passage Of II bill, the substance
Of the various sections of which we will
give in this article, and which will show
what power was conferred upon the Nation
al Executive.
l. The first section puts the whole nava
and military force Of the United States at
the disposal Of the President, to be used as
he in his Judgment might deem proper.
3 The second section declares that the
militia Of the country, when called out,
shall serve six months unless sooner dis
charged.
3, The third section gives the President
power to call out 80, 600 voluntcers-rcgard-
ed then as a weighty matter and an cnor-
nous authority, because our army had not
then reached 5000.
t. The fourth section gives the President
power to complete and employ all the armed
vessels of the United States, thus putting
the whole army and navy of the United
States at his disposal
D. The fifth section appropriatcs SO, 000,-
GOO to carry into effect the provisions of
this act In those days, ten millions Of
money was looked upon as greater outlay
than we now regard ten hundred millions Of
greenJacks.
G. The sixth section appropriatcs $4,000
to send special minister to Great Britain
to look into this invasion Of our soil by SIP
john HARVEY and the minions Of III" R't
sh crown.
=. The seventh section authorizes the
President to spend million of dollars in
finishing the Notifications upon our sea
board some of which, in an unfinished con-
dition were in the harbors of Charleston
and Mobile.
s. The eighth section directs that the mil
tia and volunteers when called out, shall
DO portions Of the army Of the United
States.
Now, reader, how do you suppose this
bill passed, giving the whole power Of the
purse and the sword to MARTIN VAN buren,,
the Democratic President of the United
States? Such FedsrdliStS as CLAY, WEBSTER,
WATKINS LEIGH, BEVERLY JOHNSON, BAD
GER, MANGUM and EWING, and such Demo-
Gratis as CALHOUN BENTON SILAs WRIGHT,
GRUMPY and HUGH LAWSON WHITE-mcn
all inferior to the solons Of our day, who
figure in the North as the allies of JET.
Ddrjs-votcd for it, although many of them
were violently opposed to the President on
political grounds. This monstrous bill pass
ed the Senate unanimously. 1t passed ,he
House Of representatives after full and
free discussion Of its merits, by vote of
POI to sir And the leader of that six was
one HeH1y 4. H'ise, the bold Brigadior un-
der jeff Davis, of Nays Head notoriety.
We repeat kind reader, that there il
nothing in the legislation Of the LINCOLN
Congress giving him more enormous power
than was given to Mr.. VAN buren,. And
we hold that Mr.. LINCOLN is rs safe man,
and fully as patriotic as ever Mr.. VAN Br-
rem was 1t is right and proper that tho
President of the United States should have
the power given him, in order to put down
this cruel and uncallcd for rebellion, and
no patriot who loves his country and is
worthy of its blessings, will complain either
of the power or of the vigorous prosecution
of the war.
We trust that Mr.. LINCOLN, under the
authority granted to him, will employ all
the engines of destruction that money and
ingenuity can invent to crush out this re-
bcllion, and with it all who adhere to its
aims and objects. We like to see the Fed
eral army charge along the whole line of
rebellion advance with energy and will
and to hear of their dealing death and de
struction to all whose mpious hands arc