Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-11-17
DeSp0tfsIn

DeSP0ttsm
Tn the United States OF America the
people are in theory, st il aet the mas err
and the officer, from The Chief Executive
to the lowest menia', are servants
i A few years ago such expressions would
have been deemed tie most urmeanlrg OF
i peneralities and the most harmless q
platitudes The times, however, are
changed our governments aid ourselves
are changed with them. Now. the doctrine
that the President Of the United States is
ONLY the chief servant Of the people OF the
! United Statee, smacks enough of treason
To make private individuals conscious OF
treading upon tender ground in giving
utterance to it, We would not feel that
we had fully discharged our duty as pub
lie journalist, however, did we fail to call
the attention of our readers to the evidence
| of the great changes that are constantly
taking place in our day and generation.
| That revolutions never 60 backwards
was never so fully proved as In the course
OF the mighty revolution, which having
destroyed the political rights. the personal
liberty, the material prosperity OF the
| South is now beginning TO spend its fury
upon the North. The people of the South
have suffered at the hands OF their breth-
rem of the North, as no people ever before
suffered at the hands of their bittorest
| hereditary foes yet We cannot contem-
plate without dismay the strides which
despotic power is making In the fubJuga-
| ton OF the men go lately our conquerois.
We rejoice in their political calamity as
little, and shall mock when their fear OF
political subjugation comeh as little as we
have done in reading the heartrendiDg ac-
counts of the awful conhsgration which
has so recently swept over the section of
country from which, especially, was
| drawn the troops who devastated our own
fair land.
But whether we look to the North
or to the South, all hope Of constl-
tutional government seems we'll nigh lost.
In Texas we find martial law proclaimed
by a Governor and by a Radical Legisla
ture declared to be unnecessary, oppres-
sive and tyrannical. In South Carolina
we find an equal abuse of arbitrary power.
on the part of the President Of the United
States, and eingulsrly enough, too, accom-
panied by the solemn. sworn declaration OF
Grand Jury. compoGed of blacks as we'll
as whites, that there also the act is without
foundation or justification.
In North Carolina scarce twelve months
have elapsed since martial law was in full
force, and scarce as many days have ella sed
since Federal troops haze crossed our bor-
der and arrested individuals in violation Of
all law, in broad, open daylight have
violated the soverei 3nty of the State with
ont even, so far as We know, protest
from it's Governor.
these things. however. happened in the
South, whose people, it seems, have no
rights the government is bound to respect,
and so long as we thought there was a
home for liberty and free government in
the North we did not despair, but were
content, per force. to bide our time, in the
hope that sooner or later we would egain
experience the happy benefits Of cons'i:u
tional liberty. !!
But though we of the South lie PROSTATE
amid it's wreck and ruin, the fury of the !
tempest is not felt here alone.
Illinois, the home of Linc,la and of
Grant. has been the Grst Northern State
to feel the power of Federal bayonets in
defence Of State authority. Our readers
already know that Gen. Sheridan, during
the late fire in Chicago, took military pos
session of that city-that Col Grosvener,
q prominent man. was killed-,hat the
Governor of the State desired the District
to call the attention of the Grand
Jury to the facts in order thst Gen Sheri-
dan might be punished, and the sovs
ereignty of the State vindicated. But our
readers may not know that in due time the
Court met. and His Honor. Judge Will
iiams, disgraced himself, his State and its
judiciary, sacrificed the cause OF personal
liberty and State sovereignty by taking
sides unblushingIy With the usurper Sheri-
Ian, and against the regularly elected G1v
ornor. This is especially signitl can't Ehen
We remember the TACT that the Command
ng General of the Army has publicly aud
officially approved the conduct of Lieu!en-
mt General Sheridan. We publish
Jams, in order that our geo,
lie may see how little hops there is TO !
scaDe military despotism. When military :
lespots, whether Presidents or Lieutenant c
Generals or Governors, seize the reins of q
government, if the Judiciary surrender, =
he people are powerIess. Every man in
North Carolina remembers how utterly {
elpless were the people when PEARSON, by :
hrowing his judicial robes over the mire
t the feet of Holden, attempted to keep
i'm dry-shod in his march over the people v
nd the Constitution. q
What the result will be in Illinois no A
ian can foresee. We regard the situation g
here as critical in the extreme Federal b
ayonets. backed by tudicisl corruption or fe
Idicial cowardice, make an overmatch, p
Q fear, for State Executive. W
We admire the pluck of Gov. Palmer W
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