Year: 1864

OF the confederate states, or tOr giving


aid and comfort to the enemy" or
other Of the causes of arrests cnumer-


ated in the statute, and have subal-


tern to file his affidavit accordingly.
after the arrest, if writ Of habeas cor


pus Is sued out, and no court dare in


quire into the cause of the imprisonment.
The Senate makes the President and
not the courts the Judge of the sufii-
cheney Of the cause for his own acts.
Either Of YOU or any other citizen of
Georgia, may at any moment (Mr Val
landigham was in OhiO) be dragged


from your homes ut midnight by armed


force, and imprisoned at the viii Of the


President upon the pretext that YOU


have been guilty of some oiiense Of the
character above named and no court


known to our Judiciary can inquire
into the wrong or grant relief


When such bold strides towards mill


tary despOtism and absolute authority


are taken by those in whom We have


cOntided, and who have been placed in


high official position, to guard and pro-
tect constitutional and personal liberty.


it Is the duty of every patriotic citizen
to sound the alarm: and of the State


Legislature to say in thundcr-tones. TO


those who assume to govern Us by alb


solute power, that ,here is a point be
yOndwhich freemen viii not permit en-


croachments togo.


The Legislatures of the different


States are looked to as the guardians OF


the rights Of those whom they repre-
sent. and it IS their duty 10 meet such
dangerous nHrOachments on the liber-


ties Of the people promptly and ex-


press their unqualified condemnation


and 10 instruct their Senators and r.


quest their Representative to repeal


this most monstrous act or resign


a trust which, by permitting it TO re-


main on the statute book, they abuse,


to the injury Of those. who honored


them with their confidence in this try


ing period of our history. | earnestly
recommend that the Legislature OF


this State take prompt action upon this
subject, and stamp the act with the seal


of their indignant rebukc.


Can the President no longer trust the
judiciary with the exercise of the legiti-


mate power conferred upon it by the
Constitution and law? In what instance


have the grave and dignified Judges
proved disloyal or untrue 10 our cause2
When have they embarrassed the Gov
ernment by turning loose traitors skulk-
/ ers' or spies? Have they not in every


instance given the Government the
benefits Of their doubts in sustaining
its action, though they might thereby
seem TO encroach upon the rights Of
the States, and for a time deny substan-
tial justice to the people?


What justification exists now for this
most mOnsTous deed which did not
exist during the first and second year
of the war, unless il be found in the
fact that those in power have found the
people ready to submit TO every en-
I crOachment rather than make an Is
sue with the Government while we are
at war with the enemy; and have on
that account been emboldened TO take
the step which is to make the President
as absolute IN his power of arrest and
/ Imprisonment as the Gar of all the
/ Russians What reception would the
members of Congress from the differ
/ ent States have met in 1861, had they
returned TO their constituents and in


formed them that they had suspended


the babeas corpus and given the Pre7i-
/ dent power to imprisOn the people of
/ these States with no restraint upon
his sovereign Will? Why is liberty less
sacred now than it was in 1861? And
what will we have gained when we
have achieved our in dependence
of the Northern States? if in our
effort to do so, we have permit


ted our form of government to be sub
verted and have lost constitutional
liberty at home


The hope of the country now rests
in the new Congress soon to assemble.
I They must maintain our Liberties
against encroachments, and wipe this
and such stains from the statute book,


or the Sun of liberty Will soon set in
darkness and blood


Let the constituted authorities Of
each State send up to their representa-


tiyes when they assemble in Congress.


an unqualified demand for prompt re-


dress or, return of the commissions


which they hold from their respective


States