The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1871-12-01
From the Bangor, (Mc,) Democrat Nov. 2.
WHITTIER are we Drifting,

/
From the Bangor, (ac.,) Democrat, Nov. 2.
whittier are we Drifting.
Ill fares the land, to Fastening ills aprey
Where wedih accumulates, and men decay.
This is the moral of all human tales;
It's but the same rehearsal OF the past;
First Freedom. and then glory-whon that falls
vice, corruption, barbarism at last;
And history, with all Its volumes vast,
Hath but one page.'
Are the American people entirely
given over to the pursuit Of wealth ,
Has the low greed Of gain become
stronger than all higher and nobler de-
sires? Hath the din of the mart, or
the ring of the money changers table,
so fascinating II sound, that the crash of
the falling pillars of the Temple of Lib.
erty cannot penetrate the ear?
The mad pursuit of wealth, immoral
ity and crime, utter disregard of per-
sonal liberty, vast accumulation of the
public domain in rapacious hands,
whilst usurpation of power advanced
unopposed, were the preudes of the
swift passage OF the Roman Empire
from the calm repose OF the Augustan
age, to all the horrible and revolving
scenes-the conspiracies, tho assassina.
tions, the massacres, lust, debauchery
and the delrious madness of the reigns
of Caligula and Galbai
We have been led into this train of
thought by events of a startling and
appalling character, now transporting in
a remote State of the Union.
Reader, have you ever thought by
what a slender tenure you hold your
personal H6erty? If u reckless and un-
principled officer, armed with a badge
of executive authority, seizes you in
your counting.r room, your field or your
bed, and violently hurries you away
and thrusts you in a dungeon-have
you ever considered by what means you
would recover your liberty? There was
a time once, in France, when such
means did not exist. Under shadow of
erecutice authority, innocent men, by
scores and by hundreds, went down into
the dungeons Of the Bastile, and never
saw the light of day again. But at last
after long weary years Of despotism had
rolled away, means of deliverance
came--a terrible means 1t came in the
form of the REVOLUTION Ia revo.
luton Of blood and of horrors such as
the world had never before, and has
never since known. The heads of a
King and of a lovely Queen rolling
from the block, and tens of thousands
of necks were brought under the bloody
knife of the guillotne.
In England, too, there was time
once, when personal liberty had no other
security than the caprice of an officer of
the crown. But at last a means of de-
liverance from unjust restraint and un.
warrantab!e imprisonment came at an
earlier day and In milder and more
enduring form than in France.
More than seven centuries ago, the
Barons of England assembled on the
green sward of Runnymede, on the
banks ofthe Thames, with drawn swords
in their hands, compelled their treach-
|
which contained these words:
"NO MAN SHALL BE TAKEN OR I'M .
PR1sONED BUT BY THE LAWFUL JUDO
MENT OF HIS PEERS, or BY THE LAW
OF THE LAND"
1t was this clause more than any
other it contained, that gave to magma
charta that grand and high sounding
title-1he Palladium Of English Li5er-
ty.
Centuries rolled by, and still at inter .
walls kings and lSingly officers, ever in :
tent upon the usurpation of power,
managed to evade the clause, and to
imprison without trial and without law.
Magma Charta had declared tho princi.
pie that personal liberty was beyond
the caprice and malice of the executive,
but it had not provided a means for the
protection of the right.
1t was not until nearly two hu ndred
years ago-until the year 1679-that
statute was enacted which forever plac.
ed the liberty of the person hey ond the
power Of the King, To that act was
given the name OF HABEAS CORPUS.
Reader, it is to the principles of this
act, rc-enacted in all the Stat es of the
American Union, that you owe the Sc.
curity Of yOur personal liberty against
all wrongful restraint whatever.
And what is this Habeas Corpus
which is so powerful to protect the lib
erty ofthe citizens against all wrongful
exercise of power?
We will explain by an ilust ration
Let us suppose that an officer invades
your home, seizes you and hurries you
away to the strong Jail in Penobscot
county. He delivers you over to the
jailor who thrusts you into a cell. You
protest against the ou trage but the
officer is deaf to all your protests.
Friends pass along the corridors of the
prison and you appeal to them for help ;
but they cannot aid you. Whence is
relicfto come Through Habeas Corpus
and Habeas Corpus alone!
You have a friend. 1t may be your
wife. She knows the wrong you are
suffering. She goes to any Judge of the
Supreme Court. She tells him that you
are wrongcully restrained of your lib.
erty. She demands of hi im writ of
Ha6eas Corpus. He cannot, he dare not
e..