American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1869-03-13

| NOV " ft IdI SC 81
ing army for the enforcement of their
measures of oppression; they have
engaged in class legislation, built
and encouraged monopolies, that the
few might be enriched aC the ex-
pense of the many they have failed
to act upon important treaties. en-
dangering our peaceful relations
with foleign powers.
Tlelr course of usurpatiops has
not been limited to inroadS upon the
Executive Department uy unconsti-
tutional and oppressive enactmentS.
The people of ten States of the Union
have been reduced to n condition
more intoleble than that flom which
the patriots of the Revolution re-
belled.
Millions of American citizens can
now say of their oppressors, with
more truth than their fathers did of
British tyrahts, that they have for
hidden the State governments to
pass laws of immediate and pressing
Importance unless suspended until
their assent should be obtained.
That they have refused to pass other
laws for the accommodation of large
districts of people unless these people
would rellnquish their rights of rep
resentation in the Legislature, a
right inestimable to them and form
idable to tyrants only. That they
have made judges dependent on their
will alone for the tenure of offices and
the amount and payment OF claims.
That they have erected multitude
of new offices and sent thither
swans of officers to harraSs our
people and eat out their substance.
That they have affected to render
military independent of and superior
to the civil power. Combined with
others to subject lis to a Jurisdiction
foreign to our Constitution and un-
acknowledged by our laws. Quar-
tered large bodies of armed troops
among us and protected them by a
mock trial from punishment of any
murders which they should commit
on the inhabitants. Imposed taxes
on lis without our consent. Deprived
US III many cases of trial by jury.
Taken away our charters excited
domestic inSuIrection among us
abolished our most valuable laws 4;
altered fundamentally the form of
our government; suspended our own
| legislatures, and declared themselves
invested With power to legislate for
us in all cases whatever. This cata
logue of crimes, long as it is, is not
complete. The Constitution vests
judicial power IN one SupremeCourt,
whose jurisdiction shall extend to all
cases arising under the Constitution
and the laws of the United States
Encouraged Ivy this promise, a refu
gee from tyranny, d citizen of the
United States also, by order of a
mill AIRY commander, given under
sanction of a cruel and deliberate
edlct OF Congress, had been denied
the constitutional rights of liberty
of conscience and freedom of the
press andof speech, personal freedom
from military arrest, of being held tt
answer for crime only upon present
ment of an Indictment, of trial by
jury, of the writ of ha6eaS corpus aid
the protection of civil and constitu
tlonal government. A citizen thus
deeply wronged appeals to the Su
preme Court for the protection guar
anteed him by the organic law of the
land. At once fierce and excited
majority, by the ruthless hand Of
legislative power, stripped the er
mine from the Judges, transferred
the sword of justice to the General
and remanded the oppressed either
to degradation and bondage worse
than death.
1t will also be recorded as one O
the marvelS Of the times that pa1 ty
claiming for itself a monopoly O
, constituency and patriotism, anG
boasting of its unlimited sway, en-
: deavored by a costly and deliberat,
, trial to impeach one who defended
the Constitution and Union, not on
ly throughout the war of the rebel
lion. but during the whole term O
Office of Chief Magistrate, but at th,
, same time could find no warrant O
means at their command to bring t.
trial even the chief of the rebellion
Indeed, the remarEah failures il
the case were SO often repeated, tha
, for prolriety'S sake, if for no othe
| reason. it became at last neceSSar,
, to extend to him an unconditional
pardon.
What more plainly than this illus
4. trates the eXtremities of party man
agement and Inconsistencies OH tn,
3 one hard, and of faction, vindictive
: ness, and intolerance on the other
5 Patriotism will hardly be encoura GEE
, when in such Il record it sees that it
. instant reward may be the most vir
g ulent party abuse and CD oquy, if no
f disgrace. Instead Of seeking to max
t treason Od!OuS, it would in trutl
seem to have been their purpose ra
j. ther to make the defense of the Con
t stitution and Union Il crime, and t.
4 punish fidelity to an oath of office
e Happily for the peace of the coun
: try. the war has determined agains
s the assumed power of States t
+ Withdrawals pleasure from the Union
+ The institution Of slavery ais
found it's destruction in rebellion
1 commenced in its interests. Itshoul,
Y be borne in mind, however, that til
e war neither impaired nor destroye,
Il the ConStiiuiiur, Int on the contrar
J. preserved its ">lStence and made al
e parcW iISIr. / power and endearin
Il strength. All i,ie rights granted t
V the States ut 3rScrved to the ppOpl
: Jare therefore intact. Among thos
/ rights is that of the people OF eac
e State to declare the qualifications ,
! their own State electors. 1t is no,
/ assumed that Congress can nitro
/ this vital right, which can never b
: taken away from the States withou
d imnairing the fundamental principl
: of the Go 'nrnmont itself 1t is Ii,
if ccsary to the existence of the State
e, aS well as to the protection of I'll
$ liberties of the people; for the rigl
e to select the elector in whom IL
a political power of the State is lodge
ic Involves the right of the State
I govern itself. When deprived
lie this prerogative, the states will ha,