The Vinton record. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1866-1891, 1866-06-07


stitution to insert a special provis-
ion confding to Congress the pow
er "to define and punish piracies
and felonies on the high seas"
And yet thus to overwhelm the
powers of the State was this law,
ayowed to protect the negro in
civil rights, chiefly gotten up and
urged.
On the 18th OF January last, an
order issued from the War Depart
ment to the military in the South
ern States, to protect from prose
cution or suit in any State court,
allofficers or soldiers, or any other
person subject to military authori-
ty, for acts done pursuant to orders
and TO protect all loyal citizens for
acts done against rebel forces, and
all persons, their agents or en-
ployees, charged with the occupa
cy of abandoned lands, and the
possession and custody of any kind
of property, who used, possessed,
or controlled the same, pursuant to
the order of the President, or of
any civil or military department,
and also to protect colored persons
from prosecution in any State for
offenses for which white persons
are not punished in the same man
ner anddegree. That is to say, the
citizen shall have noredress if any
military officer or the President, or
the head of any department shall
have stripped him of his property,
driven him from his home, upon
some false or trivial charge, or to
crafty some personal hatred or i'll
will. The order is more lawless
than the act could be. The judge
who would obey it, unless COMPEL
ed by mere brute force, would de-
serve to be deprived of his office,
and to be made by-word and
scorn among all men. / pass over
the infamy Of embodying such pro-
visions in military order. In a
law they would be intolerable.
They are the fit means of subvert-
ing not only this, but any system
of free Government.
And not content with striking
thus directly at the States, these
Radicals are attacking the we'll set
tied system of the Executive au-
thority. They find now, in time of
peace, that the patronage of the
President is enormous-that it may
be used to thwart their schemes
that it is dangerous to liberty. We
heard nothing of this when the of.
ficers of million of soldiers were
to be appointed by Mr.. Lincoln,
and the Conscription law and the
Internal Revenue bill clothed him
with the power of filling the land
with Presidential partisans. They
now seem to break down and de-
grade the Presidential office, and to
reduce it to mere dependent upon ,
the will and whim of this Congress
which has in its fanaticism and fol-
ly degraded itself to a mere Cen
trail Directory. And these are the
proofs which | adduce of desire
and a determination to overthrow
our system of Government.
l know, of course, these gentle
men will deny my conclusions. l
understand their theories and the
arguments by which they support
them. Understand their thimble-
rig logic by which the States are in
the Union in order that they may
be governed, and out of it that
they may have no nghts--under
the Constitution when duties are to
be exacted, and not under it when
protection is to be accorded-with-
in the law when taxes are to paid,
beyond it when representation is
demanded. The President of the
United States confronts these gen.
tlemen. He denies their theories.
He brushes away their cob-web
He stands consistent
ly on the ground occupied by him
and them at the beginning of the
war. He denies the doctrine of
State suicide. He denies that the
ordinances of secession were valid
in law. He denies that they were
made effective by success of arms.
He maintains that the States nev-
Ell were, and are not now out of
the Union, and he is prepared to
secure to them the enjoyment of
all their rights, as they are ready to
perform all their duties. Gentle
men, let us give him, in this effort
a cordial and hearty support let
us give him warm, effective, mag
unanimous support. Let it be the
more Jealous and out-spoken, be-
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