The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-19

.nesis, ana listened a~pprovingly-at leasstp os 'ah
" tano silence gives consent)Eto otber Silent
1peeonS'' anu, among them. TO one dalivssoMssleh
James .. Ihayer, IN which that gentlena1Eed BY
We car, at least in a practical ,nsnu- said
basis OF a peaceable separation: we : arrive ST.
discussion, enhghten, settle and .eopcar, 80 ieass b
sentiment IN the State of New York un nn,isle pubic
ton, and save 1t from the fearful currelt = ene que.
ouslY but certainly sweeps maJlv on = eaat creuit.
row gorge OF the enforcement of tba : the nas.
shoreless ocean Of civil war. Cheers aaws to tie
under all circumstances, in overv nI.c. AyAinss this
must now and at all times opposa : ana Term, wa
faltering resistance. The public mia a5Isoan,e and IN.
avowal-and let US make it-that If ~ Dear tie
OF force IS 70 9egin, II shall be inauguratea s..0Isuson
lCheers.l And, II the incoming adninistsa g hone
attempt to carry out the line of poGcv ttIs IA shall
foreshadowed, we announce that. W. = : mas been
oack hepupncanlsm surns ~bloodred. and seoI land Of
the fragment of the Constitution 70 = seeks from
folding for coercion-another nare FCusuruct a scat.
we VIII reverse tho order of the Frorol rpaecution-
aud save the blood OF the people by maxine 1 shoau.
would inaugurate a reign of terro- IIn 'hose who
of a national g~uillotine. Enthusiastic = nrst victims
all this Mr.. Seymour silently acou;os" appiansel In
when at least one patriotic Democrat n1I od %
condemned and denounced these dislo rIlpssascany
tons. lSee press reports of the meetsnr huUinlaina-
1861 A0e1hg, Feb. /
But the confederate Constitution wa. .u,,
over the country between the lst and on,s haea
March, 1861; a constitution which fo,as u
government whose corner stone was slsva..
thus correcting the mistake of the fatha,s
made liberty the cornerstone of theirs "ao
due course OF publication, finally reachsS ~
Seymour and his friends in New York IT, MI.
after this that he said to Judoe pr.SSS
Judge. have you read the confederate Ccnsss,aS
ton? y y ] have: and il ;s nrsfosaSseta'
the federal Constitution. Now. why nnt . a 70
all trouble by ourselves adopting the confaaaa
ate Constitution" OF course, he knevs sbe az
ference, and had his grounds of preference
But more and worse, if worse be poss;bl. !
dined with DR.. William Ii. Russell, of the foa ~
don Times, at the house of August Belmont !.
New York, March 10, 1861, when no knew az.
events were Fastening rapidly toward civil ~ss
and, as well, that whatever he might say on ~,
impending crisis would go straight to the 49,
saries of our Republic and its institutions i ~
old world; and there said what he could to wopns
and destroy the government of his eountry
But let DR.. Russell himself describe the sn;,;,
and utteranees of this now dead patriot:
March 19.-In the evening, dining again with ~.
friend the banker. l had a favorable opportupitv =
hearing more of the special pleading which il broncSs
to bear on the solution of the gravest political issues
1t would seem as il O council of physicians VA.
wrangling with each other over abstgact dogmas y,
specting life and health, whilst their patient -
struggling in the agonies of death before theml In
the comfortable and well-appointed house wbsre
met several gentlemen of position, requirements and
natural sagacity, there was not the smallest evidence
OF uneasiness on account of circumstances which, to
the eye of a stranger, betokened an awful crisis. If not
the impending dissolution OF society itself. Stranger
still, the acts which are bringing about such q calam.
ity are not regarded with disfavor, or at least are not
considered unjustitable,
Among the guests were the Hon. Horatio Seyraour
a former Governor of the State of New Ysrk; Mn,
Tylden, an acute lawyer. and Mr.. Bancroft. The re-
suit LETT ON my mind by their conversation and argu.
ments was that, according to the Constitution, ta
government could not employ force to prevent secas
sion, or to compel States, which had seeded by the
will OF the people, to acknowledge the federal power
In fact, according to them, the federal governmoul
was q mere machine, put forward by asociety of soy
ereignS States as a common instrument for certain
ministerial acts. more particularly those which affect
ed the external relations of the confederation. Id
not think that any one of the guests sought to turn
the channel of talk upon politics: but the occasion
offered itself to Mr.. Horatio Seymour to give me his
views of the Constitution of the United States, and
by degrees the theme spread over the whole table. |
had bought the Constitution" for 3 cents fitB
worth more now IN Broadway, in the afternoon, aad
had read it carefully; but / could not find that it was
self expounding; it referred itself to the Supreme
Court; but what was to support the Supreme Court
with armed power, either of the government or of the
people? There was not a man who maintained The
government had any power to coerce the people ola
State, or force a State to remain IN the Union or in
der the action of the federal government; IN Other
words, the symbol Of power at Washington ia not
at all analogous to that which Represents
an established government in other countries
Quid prosunt legis sine arms. Although thsy
admitted the Southern leaders had meditated the
treason against the Union years ago, they could nd
bring themselves to allow their old opponents, the
Republicans, now in power. to dispose of the armed
forceof the Union against their brother Democrats Ia
III OOuE1efn DVdBcS.
Mr.. Seymour is a man of compromise; but bis
views go further than those which were entertained
by his party ten years ago. Although secession
would produce revolution, it was, nevertheless, Alright
founded on abstract principles. which could scarseg
be ~abrogated consistently with q due regard to TIE
original compacts.
And he adds:
The Democrats behold with silent satisfaction the
troubles in which the Republican triumph hes
plunged the country, and are not. at all disposed Ia ex
fpicafa than. The m OSt nDfabl1 wav of impedfng
their progress is to knock them down with the Con.
s~titution' every time they rise GO the surface and BE-
gin to swim. my Diary North and South, p. a5l
While he was thus striking his country before
all the world. and making it easy for Great
Britain and France to proclaim neutrality when
the conflict should begin, and accord b~eiligerent
rights to the South, his coadiutors and partisans
were using all their power to assure the South
and the world that the Democratic party would
aid the enemies of the administration in the con.
test. Thus JohnsO 'SuAivan, formerly editord
the Democratic Review, one of the ahlest mn
of the party, in a letter. published broadcas'
over the country, said:
The South is not less than nine million strong
united and exasperated, and on their own soil, wniA
you at the North have a very large population OF yopf
own people Q think you will find us a large maJorag
before you get through, utterly opposed to susns
war.
With all these promises of assistance by tns
Northern leaders of the Democratic party, It .
naturally to have been expected that the oouw
would make war; and accordingly the war vas
begun. From the first, the confederate govern
ment assumed and exercised the most absolute
power over individual rights throughout ms
South. Within four months of its ommenc
ment President Davis issued a p~roclamatlonB
curing every male citizen of the United Stase
of the age of fourteen years and upward, WIN
the Confederate States, adhering to the goVels
ment of the United States and Acknowledging
authority, and not being citizens of the ConleE
crate States. to depart from the Confeds[s~
States within forty days; and warning sDsn
thar, should they remain in che Conieaers~
States after the expiration of that period, M \:
would be treated as alien enemies. ny ~
proclamation it was made the duty OF the olcess
of the Confederate States to make conpsas.
against such alien enemies, to the end taas :
several courts of the Confederate States, hasss
jurisdiction. might order their removal oeyeas
the territory of such Confederate o'aas,i
or their restraint and confinement nut 4
the final order of the court; anu
was made the duty of the marshals TO eAs.r~ =
the order of the court in such manner as va
vent the alien so removed from obtaining any
formation that could ha used to the preJuuWo~