Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-09-15
INDICTMENT UNANswERABLE

Free institutions, in their very nature,
deveIope a taste for political science.
The people must exercise their judgment
or their prejudices in the management
Of their government. Hence arises a
necessity for political teachers. And if
the people do not think, their teachers
viii think for them. Hence is bred a
thirst for office, and the greatest evil Of
the times, the ofice-seeker. Labor
seekers are more important to the coun-
try than ofiice-seekers. Cincinnatus
was taken from his farm by his people.
He did not leave his independent home
on a pilgrimage for Office. The worst
enemy Of his people is an able, brilliant
man, who processes to be q teacher, and
deludes the people by his mastery tai
ents and skill and success in his selfish
ambition. The history Of the times
furnishes ample illustrations. The
- Great Ofice-Seekern of the age
seeks office as a livelihood. He
seeks the office of alderman, he
gets it; he seeks the office Of
Congressman, he gets it; he seeks
the office of Governor, he gets it; he
seeks the Office of Senator, he gets it
ne seeks the office of Vice-President,
he gets il; he gets an Office by accident
he is President. He returns to his
home. He then seeks the Office of Sen
ator, and for the first time the "Great
O~fiee-seeker" fails, He seeks again for
the Office of Congressman. He must
fail, for his destiny has forsaken him;
the curtain is lifted; his genius of vic
tory is gone. 1t was said Of Napoleon
that at the battIeof Waterloo the vision
Of Josephine haunted him. Defeat
pressed him sore, and his star set for
ever. The vision of another woman
in this last struggle of the great office
seeker haunts him, and he, too, must
set to rise no more. Now let US exam
inc him by that constitution he claims
to be the defender of. The court-mar-
tiaI convened by his order convicts the
accused. He as the head of the govern
ment approves it. No pardon issues
from his hand. There is pardon for the
man, none for the woman. She
turns, then, to the constitution; she reads
there in section nine, article me: 1.-THE
privilege of the writ of hG6eus corpus
shall not be suspended, unless when in
case of rebellion or inud8iOn the public
may require it," On the seventh
of July, 1865, nearly three months after
the opinion by the highest law officer of
the government, and long after the
civil courts assumed all their functions,
what says the great office-seeker. ''The
ghost will not down at his bidding.n
Again, did he understand the constitu-
If he does not then he ought not
be held as answerable as a political
teacher. Let us see his ideas of habeas
In his proclamation of April
,, 1856, be says: "And whereas, stand
armies, military occupation, martial
.aw, military tribunals, and the suspen-
sion of the privilege of the writ of
corpus, are in time Of peace dam
yerous to public liberty, incompatible
With the individual rights Of the citi-
ems, contrary to the genius and spirit
# III free institutions, and exhaustive
# the national resources, and
,ught not, therefore to be sanctioned
II allowed, except in case Of
,ctual~ necessity for repelling invasion or
Expressing instruction OF rebellion"
Vow let the great Z" office-seeker" an
wer what Invasion or rebellion" the
,oor woman led that must be suppressed
.uly Z, 1865? He says: al ask to be
judged by my acts" If this stab at the
constitution" can be recOnciled with
he constitution, then the great office
ecker is right. Again, see the recogni-
ion Of the great writ, and its import
nee, in his proclamation of August 20,
$50. An eminent statesman said:
And it must in fairness be confessed that the
Teat crimes which have been committed by
tateSmen in all ages have been mainly caused
~ the encouragement which the people have
iyen TO the criminals. D3zzled by success,
by the spectacle OF p force, /
Irickeu with wOnder at the new exercise OF
Teat faculties and the sight Of the events
hey have brought about, men have with
their eyes from the means used to at
those ends, and lost their natural hatred
ense Of power. The most absolute disregard
o their own interests has been coupled with
heir misplaced admiration Of the successful
,reat.
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