Dallas herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1849-1873, 1868-04-11

gress has all the powcrs which the
lhe act intends, and may fully eN-
erriso them accordingly, II You
think il ought 10 have more powers
should bc allowed 10 send members
10 Congress, WELD Il militia force,
( aud possess Vet other powers, Your
complaint is not To bo preferred
against me, hut against Congress,
who made il what il is,
As respects the issue between u.s.
any question as To what Congress
Ought to have done, has no peril
noncc, You admit the act of Con
grosS authorizes me try an offender
hy military commission or allow
the local civil tribunals 10 try, rs !
shall deem best; aud You cannot
deny the act expressly authorizes
such local cival tribunals Ms legal
authorities for the purpose specified
When YOU contend there are no lc
sal local tribunals for any purpose
in Texas, YOU must either deny the
plain reading of the act OF Congress
or the power Of Congress to pass
the act.
You next remark that yon dissent
from my declaration, that the
country (TcXas) is in n state OF pro-
found peace" and proceed to state
the gounds OF your dissent. They
appear to me not II little cNtraordl'
nary. | quote your words at Is
true there no longer exists here
(TeXas) any organized resistance to
the authority of the United States ~
bat Il large majority of the white
population who participated in the
late rebellion are cmbittercd against
the Government, and yield to it an
unwilling obedience" Neverlhc-
Iess, YOU concede they do yield it
obedience. You proceed: "Nonc OF
this class have any affection for the
Government, and very few any re
spcct for it, They regard the leg
islaton of Congress on the subject
Reconstruction, as unconstltullon-
nj. and hostile to their interests,
and consider the Government now
existing here under authority Of the
United States, as an usurpatlon on
their rights. They look on the
emancipation of their late slaves
and the disfranchiscmcnt of u por-
ton of their own class rs an act OF
insult and oppression"
And this is all you have to pre-
sent for proof that war and not
peace prevails in Texas, and hence
it becomes my duty $50 you supposed
to set aside the locil cival tribunals
and enforce the penal code against
citizens, by means Of military COM
missions.
Ny dear sir, / am not a lawyer,
,uor has it been my business, as it
may have been yours, to study the
philosophy of statecraft and politics
But | may lay claim, after an expo
riencc of more than half lifetime
to some poor knowledge OF men,
and some appreciation of what IS
necessary to social order and hap
piness. And for the future of our
common country, | could dcvoutly
wish that no great number OF our
people have yet fallen in with the
views you appear to entertain. woe
be to us whenever it shall come to
pass that the power of the magis'
trate-civl or military-is permit
ted to deal with the mere opinions
or feelings Of the people.
| have been accustomed to believe
that sentiments of respect or disre-
spect, and feelings Of affection, love
or hatred, so long as not developed
into acts in violation Of law, were
matters wholly beyond the punito-
ry power of human tribunals.
| will maintain that the entire
freedom of thought and speech,
however acrimoniously INDUCED, is
consistent with the noblest aspira-
tions of man, and the happiest con,
dition of his race.
When boy L remember TO nave
read a speech of Lord Chatham, de-
livered in Parliament. 1t was dur
ing our Revolutionary war, and re
lated the policy of employing saw
, ages on the side Of Britain. You
may be more familiar with the
speech than / am. If | am not
greatly mistaken, his lordship de-
nounced the British Government
his government-in terms of un'
measured bitterness. He charac
terized its policy as revolving tC
every sentiment of humanity and
religion; proclaimed it covered
with disgrace, and vented his etern
l al abhorrencc of it and its meas
D ures. 1t may, ! think, be safely as
serted that majority of the Brit
: ish nation concurred in the views
b. of Lord Chatham. But who evei
supposed that profound peace wa'
5 not existing in that kingdom or tha
! Government had any authority t.
question the absolute right of the
opposition to express their objec-
{ tions to the propriety of the King
e measures in any words, or to am
| extent they pleased? 1t would b.
: difficult to show that the Govern
l. ment in the days of the elder Ad
I ans, or Jefferson or jackson, exhib
c tied for it either affection" or ire
spect." You are conversant will
{ the history of our past parties an'
: political struggles touching legisla
}, tion on alienage, sedition, the EN-
c barge. Bational banks, our war
10 with England and Mexico. and can
2 not be ignorant of the fact that 70
= one party 10 assert that law o
b system Of legislation is unconstitu-
s tional. oppressive and usurpative
{ j. not a new thing in the Unite'
. States That the people Of Iexa
cons Der acts Of Congress unconsti
b tutional. oppressive or insulting Z