Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1864-02-29
log z sssage.

n cou-5ts az been startled
il tiles day~ . startling events-by the
spp, srst.ce Z IRE of the beldest docu-
i7foIs 3 a 1T been spread before
On IN. 10Th inst, Governor
Brown furnished the scare, by sending
20 t.e Legislature, convened IN called
session, a me-. sage, full of bold asser-
ions and fearless condemnations. Inc
sec9iar pre-s has already supplied our
readers with the message, and oar char
acier a. a religious Journal, would seem
to forbid a m7re extended reference than
this We must crave indulgence at he
hands Of ans who may question our
prudence, and add a few more comments
With the learned in law, we leays the :
discussion of the great Constitutional
question involved ; with the learned IN
hna;'c-, t~iie>hn1reiel question and with
The readers 81 miss, the Question OF the
JDalIia WIh ,LcQ Ye leave The dis
icHssjefes, f.. L * Tes we only ask the
/ prisiie1, comment.
] Wteits ne Flainc;ai bill Of Con-
! sres~ as ttis b-St ehat could be framed,
I'VE know nct. We be- Ieye, however,
TIA its 'esuitS thus Tar have had a .fdH-
'ag ldeci upon the nccessaries Of life.
winch is among the stronses. arguments
ia us favor. The bn hes gone into CT
feet, and The protest of the Governors
does not seem tous expedient.
The suspension OF the hdb5 3 corpus
was a bold, en- alarming step on the part
of Congress, audit has sbcen met by q
bold and fearless protest on the part of
cur Executive +England's history is red
with the beqi of freenkn .slsin in eli
j tayts 70 g. ~%he-Gpeat "bulwark OF
! Eaglisa N5rAxas this great
right unknown 10 freemen aeYious to the
granting of jais great "EngIish bull
wsfk-" The Roman law had its. De
alae l6dfo echibcadO. To English
.cw II vas 4nknown in practice till the
Great Casrter, Magma Charta, was sign
ed John, j ine19, 1915. Time serving
j. yes, iaIinS 10 discharge their high
duties, Without favor or p3rtiality.' the
grea, ha6ens corpus act was passed, (32
f Car. ii, c. % which gave 10 the writ,
which was previously granted only at
pleasure Of he Judges, the rigor and
efficiency necessary to the protection OF
freemen.
, Since that time, if we remember corr
: reetly, the privilege of this wit has not
/, been suspended, either in England or
America, till the days of President Lin
/, coin. This usurper arrogates to himself
this solemn power, in the rery f4ce OF
Constitutional prohibitions and the de
c%isions of the u. S. Supreme Court. and
, least into his loathsome dungeons those
+ whom he or his minions believed or sup
: posed to be disloyal, without the privil-
2 eye of knowing the cause of their in
generation. or the hope of a fair and
: public trial by juries of their peers
Our Congress has acted more Consti
tutionally, but has, in ~suspeneing tht
writ, elevated to the chair of the Exec
utive a limited Dictator. For our owl
part, we seriously question the sufficien.
cy ofthe necessity pleaded for the sus
is pension; but if there was a sufficien
= Cause for this, there surely was not 70
l. clothing the President, Secretary of Wa
and Commander of the trans-MissiSsipp
cr DEPARTMENT with power to make arbi
to trary arrests, and confne at their pleas
: ure without hope of liberty. those agains
$ ~hom they may entertain suspicious {
10 treason. But more Of this hereafter
As yet Tie Legislature has not acted
is On its action ~ may comment again.
LNGz@a~-