The Daily state register. [volume] (Carson City, Nev.) 1870-1872, 1871-05-10
HABEAS CORPUS.
From the Calavcras Chronicle.

Since the earl V days OF this Re
public. since the times even of King
John and Magma Charta, in England; ;
the writ Of Habeas Corpus has been
regarded as the foundation stone of
political and personal Liberty. In
this country it has been the palla-
dunn of freedom for eighty odd
wears; or else eighty odd ''orators of
the day" made grave mistakes in
their Fourth of July addresses.
With its surrender are sure TO perish
our rights. and our manhood, or else
every public man of four genera
tions has been in error. Onr Con
gress. which has but Just closed its
session. has uprooted this fOunda-
ton stone. and torn ont the key to
the arch. What will fall remains to
be seen. Possibly we have all been
mistaken; possibly the country will
get along as we'll without the famous
writ that the barons Of England
were foolish enough to he willing to
sacrifice their lives for; perhaps the
Italian liberty Is the best sort after
all. and Habeas Corpus a divinity
unworthy of worship, an idol with
ont power for good. and which We
can pull down with impunitv after
bowing down before II 50 long. Ger
tainlv it would have created an ex-
citement in this country twenty
wears ago. as il would create an eX-
citement in humdrum England. to
propose to suspend that writ at the
option of any officer of the Govern
ment. no matter how worthy Of
trust. Great Britain would have to
be in the greatest straits, would
have to be in danger such as She has
never known. to consent to waive
even for time this security Of her
Constitution. America has lasted
more than three quarters OF a cen
turv, has fought two wars and had
local instructions without the sus-
pension of the writ. except when
She was in ''ArticuIo Mortis. and
anv measure was justitiable. But
now in time of profound peace.
when the Courts are established and
in full operation throughout the
length and breadth of the land when
there is no war or intimatlon OF war.
no armed force threatening outside
or within our borders; at such Il
time for political effects. under pre-
tense for outrages that have never
been investigated, and in order to-
keep mp party spirit. the power of
suspending the Habeas Corpus is
placed in the hands of a military
man. who is openly announced rs a
candidate for reelection as Presi
dent of the United States. The
party that does this. it must be re-
membered. has full control of all
but two of the States in which the
crimes calling for such arbitrary
legislation are said to exist. All the
officers of ten of the Southern
States are Republicans, and if they
do not inforce the laws, having the
entire machinery of the local Gov
ernments in their hands, they alone
are to blame, unless they are OPP
posed by superior physical force. in
which case they can call on the Ma
.ional Executive in compliance with
the Constitution. and not in contra
veption of it. Only one Southern
Governor has thus asked for aid,
and he will receive it with the APP
proval of all parties. But under
the pretence that others need it, al
though they fail to say so. and with
out evidence more reliable than
newspaper report to act upon, the
rights Of the people North as we'll
as South, are placed at the disposal
of single individual-a good man
perhaps, but a candidate for the
Presidency. Possibly America can
manage without this thoroughly
Anglo-Saxon invention; perhaps the
dav of its usefulness has passed,
possibly high civilization is incom-