Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1867-02-21
THE MILITARY BILL.


cessary with which to discern whittier and to
whata fate free institutions in America are IA
pidly burrying.
Cut loose from the moorings Of the Constltu-
ton. and drifting rudderless and spar'ess upon
the black sea Of Anarchy, ere long nothing short
Of miracle can save us from The wreck to which
the furious gales Of sectional passions viii have
consigned US.
Not many hours can be spent in idleness II
the saddest catastropbies that can beall rs are
70 be avoided. That dumb stupor, with which
the boldness of the usurpatio0s of radicalism
seems to have struck the whole country, must
be cast off and the voice Of the peoples indig-
nation muststartle the cars ofthe guilty wretch
Is whoare attempting the nations murder. A
few more hours for their bloody work and their
victim lies at their feet stiff, stark and man
gled corpse.
We believe the fate of the Republic depends
upon prompt decisive acton-such action as
viii treat the shameless usurpers of the law of
the earuestuess of purpose there ism the nation
al head and mind at all hazards, to preserve
the Safeguards of good government.
That there is such a determination we fain
would believe. We cannot think that thirty
millions Of people enjoying for three-quarters
Of q century the rich heritage of freedom
wherewith they were during that time, blessed
are quite yetready tamely to surrenderit, with
out at least a struggle somewhat commensurate
with the value they have in the past placed
upon II. There are interests at stake too mo-
mentous to be willingly sacrificed to crafty the
ambitions Of demagogues, or the blind hates Of
a party which required the throes of a mighty
revolution to lift it into position from which
it is now dealing damnation round the land
In possession Of single department, it is, in
total disregard of the Plainest provisions Of the
Constitution, rapidly aggregatjng to itself all
the powers which were so wisely distr;buteda
mong the coordinate branches Of the govern
ment for the very purpose, now 50 defantly
ignored, Of preventing the encroachment Of one
upon the wcll-defned and limited powers Of
the others thereby attempting to strike down
that system Of checks and balances, SO admit
rably devised by our fathers for the protection
Of the rights and liberties of the people
With an arrogance, as offensive as it is treas
enable. these new oracles in craftsmanship
pirate, in their vernacular gibberish, Of the su-
preme authority Of Congress and Of its pow
er to abrO-ate both International executive andju-
dietary. The Supreme Court, says Boutwell,,
Z" Is but the creature Of the breath Of Congress"
whilst. it is understood, a large majority Of the
fortjeth Congress, under the leadership of tire
immaculate Butler, viii be found quite up to
the mark Of declaring that. on the mere finding
ofarticles ofimpeachmentb by the House of Rep
resentatives against the President Of the United
States. Lis functions viii, ipso .fjicio, wholly
and Immediately cease; so that the highest ex-
ecutiye officer Of the nation Is to hold his place
by the same foul tenure Of q" the breath Of Con-
gress."
But these architects Of ruin have carried their
diabolical work of destruction still further.
They have laid their impious hands on the
States-even the Oldest and most houored
Commonwealth Of the Union, and without
whose valor on the bloody fields of the reyolu-
ton, and without whose wisdom in the early
councils Of the nation, the Union itself would
never have had an existence, and the States,
whose representatives now seek to consign them
to the tender mercies Of military satraps. would
have still composed the hunting ground Of
savages
By the protornatural v.caeluess Of these
men the home Of Washington is to be terrific
ria'izea and lis sacred dust is to lie in view of
the National Capital, and yet Lsy0ad tie Joum-
dariss Of tie National Union!
With this intent the bin, whichwill be found
elsewhere, which Is deuominatcI ~ Bill to
provide for the more efficient government Of
the iusuTcctionary States but which should
be moro appropriately termed Bill to an
nul The Constitution Of the United States, and
aauibilatc the sources from which # derives its
powers has been passed with uaimPortant
notifications by tie Congress at Waslins,on.
There IS scarcely a provision f the C1nstitu-
ton from It's preamble to It's concluding SEN
teUce, which this iniquitoUs measure does not
attemp. 70 override and repeal Il no Ion
ger to be the Constitution Of d" the people Of
the United States but Of a part Of them.
"The House Of REPRESENTATIVES. shall" mo
longer 90 be composed Of members chosen eve
~ second year by tie several States" &C. Re
presentation and direct taxes shall" (no longer
ODE app5rtjouci among the sersral States ac-
cardmg 70 tier reapectirs numbers" The
Senate Of tie Cnitel States shall mo longer
abe composed Of two Senators from each
State"
"The privilege of the writ Of Ea5eas corpus
s}all not he suspended unless when in cases Of
rebellion or invasion the public safety may re-