Year: 1861

suspension of the privilege of the writ,


which was authorized to be made. Now
it is insisted that Congress and not the exc
cutives is vested with this power. But tho
Constitution itself is silent as to which or
who is to exercise the power, and as the
provision was plainly made for dangerous
emergency, it cannot be believed that the
trainers of the instrument intended that in
every case the danger should run its course


until Congress should be called together,
the very assembling of which might be pre-


vented, as was intended 10 this case by the
rebellion No more extended argument is
now afforded, as an opinion at some length


VIII probably be presented by the Attor,
ney General, whether there shall be any


legislation on the subject, and if so, what,
is submitted entirely to the better Judgment
Of Congress. aatl
The forbearanoe of this government has
= been SO extraordinary and so long contin-
: ued, as to lead some foreign nations to
shape their actions as il they supposed the
early destruction of our national union was


probable. While this, on discovery, gave


the Executive some concern, he is happy


to say that the rights Of the y States are


now practically respected by foreign pow
ers, and a general sympathy with the gov.
ernment is manifested throughout the
world. a'lt-.aa1


The reports of the Secretaries Of Treas.
ury, War and Navy, viii give the informa-
tion in detail, deemed necessary and convos
uient for your action, while the execu'ise
and departments will stand ready to supply
omissions, or to communicat3 new facts cofs
sidered important for you to know It is


now recommended that you give the legal


means for making this contest short and


decisive one that you place at the control


of the government, for the work, at least


100000 men and 100000, ,00o That
number of men is about one-tenth Of those
OF proper ages within the regions where,
! apparently, all are willing to engage, aud
the sum is less than twenty-third part of
the money value owned by the men who
seem ready to devote the whole. A debt
of 5000, 100000 now is less sum per
head thau was the debt Of our revolution
when we came out of that struggle and
the money value in the country bears even
q greater proportion. Surely each man
has as strong a motive now to preserve our
liberties as each had then to establish them.
A right result at this time will be worth
/
ey. The evidence reaching US from the
country leaves no doubt that the material


for the work is abundant, and that it needs


only the hand of legislation to give it sane


ton, and the hand of the executive to give


it practical shape and efficiency. One Of


the greatest peTpIexities of the government
is to avoid receiving troops faster than is
can provide for them. In word, the peo.
| pie will save their government if the gov
ernment will do its part only indifferently
well. 1t might seem at FIRST thought to be
Of little difference whether the present
movement at the south be called secession
or rebellion. The movers, however, well
understand the difference. They knew at
the beginning that they could never raise
their treason to any responsible magnitude
by any name which implies violation OF law.
They knew their people possessed as much
devotion to law and order, as much pride
and reverence to the history and govern
ment Of their common country as any 9TH
er civilized and patriotic people They
knew they could make no advancement di-
rectly in the teeth of these strong and no.
BILE sentiments. They accordingly commence
ed by an insiduous debauchng of the pub
! lie mind they invented an ingenious soph.
ism, which, if conceded, was followed by
perfectly logical steps through all the incl
dents Of the complete destruction of the
union. The sophiSm itself is that any
state of the union may consistently with
the nations constitution and therefore law
fully and peacefully withdraw from the
union without the consent of the union OF
of any other state.


A little disguise that the supposed right
is to be exercised only for Just cause, them
selves to be the sole judges Of its justice, is
too thin to merit any notice. With rebellion
thus sugar coated, they have been dragging
the minds of their section for more than
twenty years, until at length they have
brought many good men to q willingness to
take up arms against the Government tie
day after some assemblage Of men had en-
acted the farcial sentence of taking their
state out of the Union, who could have
been brought to no such thing the day be-
fore this sophiSm derives much perhaps all
cf its currency from the assumption that
there is some omnipotent aud sacred suprem-
acy pretaining to each STATE of our Federal
Union. Our States have neither more or
| less power than that reserved to them IN
| the Union by the Constitution, no one of
them ever having been State Of the Up-
ion. The original ones passes into the Uu-
ion even before they cast off their British


Colonial dependence, aud the new ones


came into the Union directly from condl-


tion of dependence, excepting Texas, aud


even Texas in its temporary Independence


was never designated as a State. The new
ones only were designated States on com


ug into the Union, while that name was or
ly first adopted for the old ones in and by
the Declaration Of Independence. Therein
the united colonies were declared free and
Independent of one another OF the Union,
but directly the contrary, as their mutual
pledge and their mutual action before, az
the Time aud afterward, abundantly shows.
The express plightihg of faith by each and
all of the original I3 States, in the articles
of confederation two years latter. that the
Union shall be perpetual, is most concI cIlsiye,
having never been States either In substance
or name out side the Union Whence this
magical omnipotence Of States rights, as.
serting claim of power to destroy the Ua-
| ion itself Much ia said abOut the gov.