Year: 1862

example of treason, not one; no attemp
to take the life, nay, even the property
Eofthe hellish traitor that has caused tn
sacrifice of our dearest and mos


precious blood.


Sir, the man who invokes the Consti


tuition in forbearance of the law to pun
fIsh traitors, is himself sympathizer.-
tThere never was a man who stood UP il
this Senate, from the time when Mr.


Breekinridge preached daily in favor o
Iof constitutional guarantees until now
and get up constitutional barriers agains
i punishment for treason, but what is il
.hh islnnermost heart of hearts traitor
Ass - fl5tgwant to hear any more of /;
| man than that he is invoking the for
i bearance of the Constitution and the


great barriers in favor of American lib


erty to protect an internal traitor in hi.


course, to know that he is sympa


thizer. Our Administration is assailed


because, not having the technical evi


denee in their possession to bring 6


nan to trial and judgment of death


they do not let him go at large to plot


against the life of the Government.


Mr.. President, I have said a great


deal more than I intended; but the


theme is a very fruitful one. A tyr
amy exists here, it is said Sir, is il


not manifest to everybody that from the


time when this treason broke out, when


we had traitors in this Senate proclaim
ing their treason on this floor, when
they oonspired to take the life of your


President on his way to the capital


when they beset your regiments coming
here for no other purpose than to de-
fend your capital, until now every scin-
tilla Of information that your Executive
has is communicated to traitors on the
other side of the river as seou as it is
to people Oh this side. The Administra-
ton have attempted to put that down;
they have not succeeded; and yet the
Senator stands there and says you should
not arrest SEQ undrel when you know
his heart is with the enemy, but who
meanly skulks from overt acts in their
favor; you should not imprison him,
you should not restrain him; but you
must let it all go, and permit the enemy
to lie perfectly cognizant Of every expe-
dition and of every move you make.s l
am sorry that the Senator does not re-
main on this floor and meet the conse
qnences of his insinuations against the
Administration and against the COM
mittee.


Sir, it is perfectly manifest that if
oh, ri
restrained of their liberty, it is that the
Constitution may live. l know it is
not in accordance with the principles of
our Constitutioa. In ordinary times it
co lid not for moment be tolerated; but
when, with all your caution, and with
all this pretended tyranny, you have
sssisie, sosaeasll.s "A
knowledge Of the most important expee
ditions of your armies and your intended
movements from the enemy as soon as
your own people possess it, the man
who stands up for rigid execution Of
the htbe"s corpus and the law, as in
times Of peace, is but a sympathizer
with them. " Whlle l am up, let me say
that IN times of revolution and rebellion
like this, when whole States have come
out ana proclaimed their Intention to
destroy the life Of our glorious Govern
ment, when they have their martial
hosts in the field, bent on its destruc-
ton, | understand them to be entirely
absolved from protecting agis of the
Constitution, They have renounced it
utterly. They have struck at your life.
'bny nj f.1- III
They proclaim themselves ready to do
it. Aud yet, sir, you are to treat them
with lenity! Your Constitution pre-
scribes that no man shall be deprived
of his life, or despoiled of his goods,
without due process Of law. 1t guar
antees to every man the right of life,
liberty, and property; but are you not
compelled to advance into his country
with your armies, to plant your cannon,
and destroy him by whole armies to-
gelher? Is that constitutional? My
Secession frien |, if there is any such
here, why do you not invoke the Con
stitutioa in opposition to our cannon
and our musketry against these rebels?
The Constitution protects their rights.
You do not invoke it on the field of
battle. You do not summon a jury
You do not try him there by jury, as
the Constitution says you shall. Why
do you not carry your doctrines to their
legitimate end? Why stop sh ort?-
Does the Senator from California pre-
tend that when our hosts march in bat
tie array, and meet those of the enemy,
and it is life against life, We should
summon jury before we begin to shoot,
and see whether they had committed
actual rebellion? Your Constitution
says their lives shall not be taken with
out due process of law. ask you, cav
iler about the Constitution, where is
the law for it?


Sir, no jurist yet has had the folly to
attempt to Limit the powers that man
may use in defense of his own life when
assailed; and so no statesman will at
tempt to limit the power that nation
may use when the life Of the nation is
assailed. There is no limit to it. You
have right to 60 forward in an indi-
vidual case in your might, and if your
life is sought, any force, any power, any
thing that you may do honestly in de-
fence of your own life, the law pro
neunces a justitable act. SO, when the
life of the nation is assailed by vile
traitors embodied in military array for
its destruction, they are beyond all law,
they have repudiated all law, and the
nation, in defense of its Constitution,
its Union. and its flag, may resort to


Il i L
into their hands honestly to maintain
l.. l.. L,