Daily State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1861-1865, 1864-09-10

bis sspport Of this people a. would leave little
ROOM for doabt ~ 10 hov the country stood on
the var question: and the South. sseins no longer
. chsnee TO profit by the divisions ln oaf eoSn.
ellis. that have 90 long made u- Their prey and
contempsible In the eyes OF the "hole NoF'e sHs
sved by the unanimity OF our people. tired OF q
var in which she has been almost dePopslated,
would sns Cor permission 70 return To Der aiiesi-,
ance.
With the close Of the year 1861 must e1c ny
review Of the military policy. Istber -sni oil
polie,, ef Mr. Lincoln. and invite yoar attention
briefly TO fev glanees At his eforts 10 the ci'ii
aae ef administering the Govesnmen according
10 ts< Coasffufion: with The single observation
that there 10 nothing in the history OF military
matters from 1864 70 she present time Calculated
relieve or brighten the picture alresdy presented
of general iocompetepcy add ipsensabiiity
IL Mr. Lincoln has failed IN bis fsyorite role
Of military chiefsp. be certainly has little cause
TO rejoice over his success in the character oil
statesman. In the selection Of his constitutional
advisers he uas peculiarly unfortunate: bad be
been selecting members for the happy family OF
some political menagerie, he could not have sue
ceedei better in securing more perfect cohec-
ton Of rreconcilsbls oppositcs. The living Ia
harmony part Of the affair. however. must DO
left out Of the small bills entirely the impos'on
would be too gross. the only really happy mem
Der a the family being the ancient secretary oil
the Navy Who seems provided with metal
skin as thick and impenetrable as the casing oil
one Of his favorte monitors, and ayslls 10 pre-
serve him unhsrmed from the alta cks Of the less
happy members Of the family or the occasional
punching Of sticks By mischevous outsiders. II
is not surprising TO learn in view OF these facts
that such . thing a. Cabinet meeting has not
been called by the President for two years. The
Constitution provides these Ofeers tor the express
purpose of being the constitutional advisers oil
the President. and Jet in time OF great nation
al peril. when the country = convuised oy civii
war tbese constitutional advisers are not once IN
session vi,h the Pres'deni Tor Two years What
r,omentous aue.tions. replete with vital import.
has the Freshest been called 20 act upon in that
Tina and yst be hss no. once met his constitu
,ion.I aSsfsers Why l. this, Does Mr. Lin
coin feel himself meet for this great crucial or
desi OF the nation without assistance, has he
90 FAR discarded and passed beyond the Consti,u
ton a. 20 need no advice In regard to III IL the
former, il will be we'll for him to recall Bunyans
little dtty. He that is down need fear no fall.
| &c" II the latter, il will not be amss TO re-
mind him that the people Of the United States
are not done with the Constitution; tina, il is
their Magma Charta. and they regard !, With great
jealousy. aud will not see il destroyed.
| The first question which claims attention in
attempting 10 discuss the civil policy OF the Ad-
ministrstion Is the vital Of arbitrary ar
rests
The Constitution provides that no person shall
be held TO answer capital or infamous crime
without presentment BY grand jury; vet from the
beginning Of the war the right has been asserted
By the President TO arrest. at any time. in any
place, any citizen Of the Government, and convey
him TO prison without charges and with no assur
ance OF trial Where or how this monstrous doc
trine first obtained sanction il is difficult TO ascer
tain. 10 certainly is without warrant in the Con
stitution, and il is out of the power of Congress
to delegate the power to the President. and il Is
clearly beyond the province Of the military au-
thortv of the Executive. Its only foundation
at present is the naked. unsupported assumption
Of the right and exercise of the power on the
part Of the President to- arrest such person or
persons AZ he may see proper. The extent 10
which this abuse of power has been carried IL
truly alarming. and may well excite anxiety "a
70 where il will cease. At present no one is safe
from its operation. In the darkest DAYS of nquis-
tor;al Spain, not more surely could the agents OF
the Church seize and bear away their victims
than can the agent Of the Administration to-
night The idea that the civil should always
be held paramount 10 the military au-
,hor;ties seems an exploded dogma. and
though the courts m.y be in full ope-
ration, and their process respected and
obeyed. the citizen has no security from
military arrest which NAV ncarcerste him for
months. and ut last release him without one ord
of complaint against him excuse for the great
wrong inflicted OF all the Illegal and unauthor
lied acts Of this Administration. its assertion of
the doctrine and right OF arbitrary arrests is with
out doubt. the most outrageous usurpsti1n OF
power ever attempted upon free people What
ever force tho plea that the national peril de-
m ,nis s,ch arrests my have had one time, in
the early history Of the war has long since been
lost: il is bad logic TO claim that one portion of
the rights of the people must be destroyed TO
conserve another portion: and the people that
view with indifference such grave encroachments
on their nest precious rights are unfit for the en-
joymens of liberty. and unworthy the name of a
free people France had her bastile. and the in
dignsnt cries OF her people against its abCse
could not pierce the dull ear of the Government;
one hour Of popular wrath. one huge bolt from
the storm cloud OF revolution. and the quick ear
of the Government caught the whispering of the
voices of the night from among the ruins of the
bastilc, and France Was without y political
prison If the United States today have IN
Fort Lafayette or Warren analogy 10 the bas-
tile, lie, the Government see to is that its abuse
do not extend the analogy, for there is line be-
yond which the rights of revolution obtain, and
when resistance to tyranny becomes obedience
TO God and any abuse of power by which the
subjects Of the realm are oppressed and deprived
of their rights. il tyranny. whether il be on the
part Of crowned King or sworn Chief Mag
istrate
The most brilliant feature OF Mr. Lincolns
civil administration and the one which most par
ticularly calls forth nv admiration. IS that cele
brated proclamation by which the slaves in the
cities OF Richmond Charleston. Mobile and At
lanta are made free. and those in Louisville ~.
Louis. New Orleans and Nashville are cody
handed over to more enduring and hopeless
slavery than ever This peculiar feature of the
document assumes q significance when view
ed IN connection With the fact that the cities jus,
mentioned wherein the slaves are so happy as 20
have their emancipation papers made out for them
oy one master stroke of policy. are all within the
serritory covered by the rebellion, and controlled
by IT, slight hindrsnce in the wsv Of carving
out the measure, inasmuch If il ever comes TO
the notice Of the slaves themselves. 80 many OBJ.
-tacles are in the way Of improving this new
patent Of freedom 10 entirely discourage them
from taking advantage OF its generous provisions
whereas in the cities in which the slave IL re-
mitted TO his condition Of bondage. Mr. Lincoln
possesses all the power be is permitted TO exer-
else anywhere Why this distinction in the proc
lsmaton against the slaves OF Tennessee and
Kentuckyi IL the righ, to declare the slaves OF
Alabama free existed anywhere. IL carried with
il The right To emsncipate them in Kentucky. II
il vas the sacred duty Of tho President, to declare
slavery Illegal and exiine, in section OF the
country. a mere geographical line cannot change
he obligation and the duty IL equally binding
all over the country IL follows, then. with IN
srring logica certainty that il IL was wrong. and
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