Indiana State sentinel. (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-02-15

heel Of the soldier. and s.Order No. S." not the
people of DeIaware, represented in one Hall of
Congress have lived to see Der citizens torn
from their homes and separated from their fami-
lies on the warrant of self-stylsd detective,
without any charge expressed ON ITS face. and
without any known accuser; and then. without
hearing or trial. these citizens banished from
their State beyond the protection OF the laws. ia
TO a State 10 which the laws of the United States
are now neither enforced, nor enforceable. Yet
in the State of Delaware the courts have been
always open, and at no period has there existed
the semblance Of a conspiracy or combination to
resist the authority of the United States Such
an allegation IS gross calumny, and utterly
groundless, come from what source it may.
And now. MIR. President. the Senate of the
United States have, by their decision enforcing
an expurgatory and retrospective test oath, re-
pugnant to both the letter and the spirit OF the
Constitution, made precedent which, in my
judgment, is eminently dangerous. il not en-
tirely subversive Of fundamental principle OF
representative government. Under these cir
cumstances, with my construction OF the Con-
stitution. having held the seat, am bound to
submit to your jHdical decision as TO the valid
ity of the act Of July. 1862. and have therefore
taken the oath il prescribes. ! cannot doubt
that the precedent now made will be followed
and vet regard all test oaths as useless and de
moralizing acts Of tyranny II has been as truly
beautifully said by brilliant and distinguished
advocate:
"They are the first weapons young oppression
learns to handle; weapons the more odious since
though barbed and poisoned. neither strength
nor courage is necessary to WELD them
With firm conviction that your decision in.
tiicts vital wound upon free representative gov
eminent cannot, by continuing to bold the seat
now occupy under 1t, give my personal assent
and sanction to its propriety. To do so / mus
forfeit my own self respect and sacrifice my cleal
convictions of duty for the sake merely of retaG
| ing high trust and station with its emoluments
| That will / never do. but, retiring into private
| life, shall await, trust with calmDess and firm
ness. though certainly with dependency, the fur
ther progress of a which it is apparent to my
vision will in its continuance subvert republican
institutions and sever this Federal Union into
many arbitrary governments.
Among these, wars for dominion will arise anC
| continue until, from exhaustion, the different
divisions subside into separate natonalities, leav-
| ing not the vestige of a republic remaining i
the lessons OF history be not deceptive and value
less, such will be the inevitable result Of pro-
tracted war; for a single centralized government
over so vast territory. inhabited by so intelli-
gent and energetic people, could it be axyanize'
through military genius and power, and be sue
cessful for the hour, would not outlive the gen
Grafton in which it was established.
close these remarks with the language il
which historian of the Constitution so eloquent
~ portrays the universal sentiment of the Amer
lean people (alas! how changed now at the tim
Of its adoption, and the great object they ntende'
to accomplish in thus cementng more firmly
Federal Union:
"TheY beheld that republican and constitu
tional liberty which with all that it comprehend
and all il bestows was not only altogether lowell
in their eyes. but without which there could b
no peace, no social order. tranquility. and M
safety for them and their posterty.
"This liberty they knew must be preserved
They loved it with passionate devotion The
had been trained for it through long and ex
hausting war. Their habits ofthought and action
their cherished principles, their hopes their lif
as people. were all bound up in it; and the
knew that If they suffered it to be lost ther
would remain for them nothing but heritag
o: shame and ages Of confusion, strife and sor
| row"