The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1871-11-04
Gram. D.nou,ce4 In Baltimore.

M tnS great mass meeting III DalilmOTc
on Thursday night Hon. Rcrerdy johnson,
the ahlc>t lawyer III the country, proved
| that Grant had so US,rpcd power as to viz
late The Constitution, but attributed it to
his ignorance. Tnc meeting adopted the
| following ringing resolves:
| hcSOtrCd, That We view with apprchen-
sion aud alarm the course and conduct of
the President ct the United States in the
allcrity with which he has assumed IN ar
bilrary aui hority and the wantonncSs with
which he has cNcl cScd deSpotic powers
that. the reign OF terror inaueurated in
South Carolina appeals to all that is wi>c
in s:atc*mnrShip, dutiful in patriotism, hui
| name n Chrl .tiauity. and minly in Tree
men, to condemn and dcplorc that his in
VaS'Uu If that State Is as unWarranted by
nrc' S>ity and is uniu,tltied by facts rs it is
| HcXcus able in morals and unauthorized
| by the Constitution that his conduct is 1T
variance with the duties, trusts, and obli-
CATIONS OF his office, and is sustained by no
| constitutional precedent or public ncceS.
si,y: that the manner Of the late proclama-
| ton, equally with its matter, displays q
| reckless contempt Of public opinion, the
organic law, and popular liberty; and we
| Gcprrcato and denounce the act rs un-
worthy Of patriot and revolutionary i'll a
! PRESIDENT.
RcsoIrcd, That the. principles assailed
| by the outrage upon South Carolina con
stituto the yitals, tic li;o--pring ot rcpub-
| ican institutions that a wound inflicted
upon them through the most distant State
| or humblrSt citizen j. Il dcalh-bllw at our
whole political fabric, and that their
prompt reasScrtion and vigorous yindic1-
ton is the first grave aud solemn duty of
the American people.
HeSo'ced, That the impunity of past
uSurpati"ns has encouraged the arbitrary
assumption which has produced the pre-
sent momcItouS crisis; that popular
patience has been perverted and abused hy
pcrtldlouS partiSan$. and miSconStiucd into
Il Submission that would brook subsection !;
and that, taking advantage Of such mis-.
placed faith and confidence, they have ven.
illrcd upon the monstrous crime which
wounds the Republic in its most vital part
and arms President with dc>poCs
sword.
" RtSU'ccd, That the Constitution pro-
viyeS that Congress alone shHll have power
To sl,spcut, til" wrii Of hGbedS corpus, and
hen Gully in lh@ presence of Il grave ard
serious national emergency and by Solemn
and formal act that Congress has no right
or authority TO delegate SiIch power ard
to invest the discretion of a President With
its most important and solemn function !;
ha; the assumption of such power by the
President dSplacCs and destroys the tuuda-
mental system of our Government, and, in
The language of President Pierce, leaves it
a republic IL name, but monarchy in
! fact; and that Congress, having no right
| to conttr, nor the Pre- ,idcnt to receive, such
power, the recent pTecipitatc and arDitra!y
exercise of it tends rather to show the dam
glrouS greed of IN ambitious mind than the
Jealous patriotism OF a duitul officer.
ReSolCed, That we perceive in the re-
cent conduct Of the President mlnifeSta-
F.! tions of that weakness which yields readily
to the temptations Of power, ard symp-
toms Of an ambition most dangerous IN 4
man entrusted wi authority. That as the
wisdom OF our fathers Strovc To guard
against the very conduct OF which tee Pre-
Si,ient has been gully, by erecting the
safeguards of late overthrown, We demand
their immediate and thorough restoration,
| and aIrairn their aSSailant ut the bar Of an
outraged country.
"KeSoIccd, That tue blow which strikes
down nine counties OF South Carolina
wounds American liberty and dlSgraceS
and d4graues American intelligence, and
that We appeal tn every patriotic citizen OF
the land, no matter what his past political
predictions may have been, to unite with
ls in our solemn protest and TO make com
mon cause with us in cur efforts at the BAL
lot.boX TO restore the ConstitGtlon-our
only ark of satety-and the institutions
which alone guarantee the blessings oil
liberty"