The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1867-03-28


EDITOR OF THE RocK Island ARGUS, Dedr
Sir:-I have given your readers brlel oas
truea estimate of ne political character -
er, Henry S. Randall, in 1857, from hof'n
ern democrafc stahd-poin t,h IS
/ If Nj. Ranaail Is reliable authority lSnlen
he Snanestionahly is the private me Oh
| Jefferson was IS animpeachable as ms pun
I lie services were invaluable TO the cause o'
civil and religious liberty W.. o tho
| Mr. Jefferson arrived at New YORK on the
2lst of March, l790, to take his place III
General Washington's cabinet as secretary
| of state. \ He thus describes New 1orh pom
tics :. - =
"Hsre. certainly, 1 found state OF things
-s,chs n an Ilhad ever contemplated, feast ex-
,,.a,ed had left France in the first year OF her
nm in the fervor of natural rignts ana zeal
~. rsfnrmafion. My conscientious devotion to
I | ,hasa FIGHTS could not be heightened, out IL naa
been aroused and excited by daily eAero nen..s
II President received me cordially ana my coneaka.s
| and the circle of principal citizens, apparently
! ;th xve,cmue. . The courtesies OF dnner parues
| given nae, "a a stranger newly anions
them placed me at once IN their ianilAr soce'S'
Rat cannot describe the wonder and mortihca-
| ton With which the table conversation nieo me.
! Politics were the chief topic, and preference OF
y | kingiy over republican government was e'ioen.
= lv the fayorite sentiment. An apostate eoulo
| mt ba- vet nypOcTltc anu -~~A N-S
= self. for the most part, the only advocate on
y the republican side, unless among the guests
y there CHANGED to be some member OF that party
n | from the legislative houses.
0 On the above Mr.. Randall remarks
0 "Tbis has been thought very highly -colored
0 n;cture. Asa New Yorker by birth and aztec,
tions, we should be very glad to THINK IL so, ana
We snnnose the present character of the state or
5 its inhsbitants in any wise depended on the facts
@ asserted
:. or became indeed one of the settled dogmas
of his Jefferson's) political creed that .here Wa
| snch a party in the United States, and that 1t
was constantly ut work, openly or secretly, 70
X overthrow republicanism. He carefully perpetu
ated documentary evidence to establish this fact
rs He died with such allegations on his lips
of Now what are the facts of history? 1t Is
e true that the representative men OF the feder
al party have not established limited mon
IS archy, as Mr. jefferson asserted to be then
IT. object Bua it is unquestionably true that
o. since their advent to power IN 1861, the,
n have established military despotism which
X is infinitely more odious and oppressive thar
he q limited constitutional monarchy. The eX
by ecutive department of the government a
Washington has, since the 4th of March
to 1861. in utter violation of the 9th and ct
as articles of the amendment to the federal cor
nat stitution, usurped the functions delegated I
co. the Judiciary, provided that the late decisio
NC of the supreme court against the legality {
ity military commissions is correct
= The legislative department. by the enac
o. ment. over the executive veto, of the freet
'oa mems bureau civil rights, and military satra
0 q bills, puts the property, the liberty and tn
led; lives of ten millions of people IN the pow'
of FIVE military officers to be selected by I'll
bic President as commandments OF the arm
cry and navy If these acts do not constitute
tbap Ulttl(n
the to define one. The fact is that the imits
government, created by the constitution
ON l7s7, has been thoroughly and etfectually,
mp, not permanently revolutioniZed since the a
5 to of March, 1861, and the desperate men wi
arm have wrought this ruin are guilty OF capt.
Dc DC crimes, if Vattel is correct. He says 4
page 10 book chapter 81 that
that "The constitution and laws of a state are t
for basis of public tranquility, the frmest support
due political authority and security for the hpei
aid, OF the citizens. = To attack the constl'
ton of the state and violate its laws is n caPi
iop- crime and if these guilty of it are invested vi
authority they add to this crime a perhdio
abuse of the power with which they are entru
cd"
On page Is he says:
.;o, "As soon as prince attacks the CONSTITUTE
WIN of the state he breaks the contract which bou
the people to him the people become free by
ION act of the sovereign and can no longer view
is but as an usurper who would load them with
Gas preston. This is ACKNOWLEDGED by every ser
Bile writer whose pen is not enslaved by fear
as sold for hire. EtR 1859 81
IF this doctrine is true as regards gove
fol- ments in which the prince is admitted to
sovereign and the people subjects, 1t is
80 cidedly more applicable to the late fede
:. government, of which President johnson,
8 III his reply to the senator from lAlneis, SAID
Or, ~.rh. repusrican PLATFORM declares, and
Gan | senator from Illinois argues that the power
Gas congress being sovereign over the territories
LIST. can exclude slavery from them. What do
mean by sovereignty / deny that any s
IT. mower is conferred on the federal government
reference to the territories. 1t is not soverel
inch This federal government possesses no severe
power. All its powers are derivatlye and ilmi
and those not expressly granted arereservedt to
states respectively. Congress has no severe
power, ali its powers are derived It can exer
e'ihg no single primitive or original power WI
hos' them does Ii get sovereign power in reference
mos a territory2 Where does it even get severe
oious power in reference to the District of Coumbi
This doctrine Of the limited powers OF Z
,et.er gress IS the granite basis of President &c
sons irrefutable yetoes.