Year: 1863

This is the darkest hour since the ont
break Of the rebellion. Congress, by the
act passed yesterday, authorizing the
President to suspend the writ Of habeas
corpus throughout the whole extent Of
the country, has consummated its series
of measures for laying the country pros
trate and helpless at the feet Of one man.
1t was not enough that Mr.. Lincoln has
been invested with the purse and the
sword that, with an immense power to
raise or manufacture money, he has unre-
stricted command Of the services Of every
able bodied man Of the country. Congress
has thought it necessary to give the fin
ishing stroke to its establishment Of a
military despotism, by removing all
checks on the abuse of the enormous
monetary and military power with which
they have clothed the President What
assurance has the country that we shall
ever have another Presidential election
None whatever, except what may be
found in the confidence, reasonable or un-
reasonable, reposed in the rectitude and
patriotism Of Mr.. Lincoln. If any per.
son, in any part Of the country, shall
think it bis duty to resist unconstitutional
encroachments on the rights Of citizens,
Mr.. Lincoln Is authorized, by what pur.
ports to be law, to snatch up that indi-
Vidual and immure him in one of the gov
ernment bastileS as long as he shall fit,
and there is no power anywhere in the
nation to call him to account He can
send one Of his countless prOvOst-mar.
shals into the house Of Governor Of
State, or any other citizen, in the dead Of
night, drag him from his bed, hustle him
away under the cover of darkness, plunge
him in a defiant and unknown dungeon,
and allow his friends to know no moro Of
the whereabouts Of his body than they
would of the habitation Of his soul, il,
instead of imprisoning, the provOst:mar.
shal had murdered him. With this tre-
mendOus power over the liberty Of every
citizen whom he may suspect, or whom
he may choose to imprisOn without sus-
pecting, the President is as absolute q
despot as the Sultan Of Turkey. All the
guarantees of liberty are broken down ;
we all lie at the feet Of one man, depend
ent on his caprice for every hours ex.
emption from q bastile. If he wills it,
the State Governments may continue iD
the discharge Of their functions; but il
be wills it, every one of them that does
not become his submissive and subservi-
ent tool can be at 0HCe suspended BY .he
imprisonment of its officers. Consider
ing the enormous power conferred on the
President by the Finance and Conscrip.
tion Bills, a reasonable Jealousy would
have erected additional safeguards against
its abuse, Instead of that, Congress has
thrown down all the old barriers and left
US absolutely without shelter in the
greatest violence of the tempest.


So far as the detestable act passed yes
terday is an act Of indemnity to shield
the President from the legal consequences
of past exertions of arbitrary power, it is
confession that he, his secretaries, pro-
vost t.marshals, and other miDiOns have
been acting in violation of law. It an
nuls ell laws passed by the State Legisla-
lures for the prote ctioD of their citizens
against kidnapping itprovEdes for taking
all suits for damages out Of the State
courts and transferring them to the Fed
eral tribunals, and before those tribunals
the fact that the injury complained ot
was done under color of executive all
thority is declared to be full and com
plets defense, It even inhicts penSltisi
on persons coming before the courts fol