Year: 1862

Hc SuDStEAutC hBChaF


in Fort Lafayette.


From the New York World, (rep)


The Secretary Of War, with the ia.
tality attending all that the puts his hand
marrow. The ten citizens whom lie
last week threw into the station.houses
by e1 post facto rescript, he now con.
signs to Fort Lafayette. lie thus es.
tablishes that the original arrest was
not inadvertent, b 1T deliberate and pre-
pense. Charity is silenced. The out
rage stands out consummate and un-
mistakable. The Secretary hattcrs him
self that this loyal city has neither the
sense to feel nor the spirit to resent
He is mistaken. His provocation is
answered with dctestation and defiance.


The peoples concession of the power
of arbitrary arrest was meant solely for
those extreme cases where the regular
course of the law would have imperied
the public safety 1t was a dreadful
expedient, penetrating the very heart of
the constitution, but was intended only
for dreadful exigencies. The undue
frequency with which it was used long
ago disquieted the thoughtful. Yet
little public comment was made, for
there was trust it would soon regulate
itself. That trust has been disappoint.
ed. The evil has only gathered strength
from forbearance. What was at first
inconsiderateness has become spiteful
wantonness. What was at first simply
a terror to traitors has at last become
an intolerable and accursed despotism
to loyal men. Here are citizens whose
patriotism is unquestioned, who have
substantiated it by contributing of their
money and by sending their sons to the
battle field, al rested for action which,
at the time it was committed, both they
and the public at large deemed perfect
ly legitimate and proper. The first
public notification that the War Depart
lnent interdicted the business of pro
curing substitutes for the approaching
draft was given on Thursday, the 2sth
ult., aud yet these arrests for contrav
ening that interdict were made on the
morning of the day previous. Grant.
ing that the prohibition was cxpedient
when it came-.though of that there
may be reasonable doubt-the retroac
tive enforcement of it was an absurdlty
that confounds reason and a barbarity
that shocks justice. 1t is impossible to
pretend that any public advantage re
quired it. These citizens would all have
cheerfully complied with the regulation
from the moment it had been brought
to their knowledge. Had their simple
promise to that effect not been enough
they would have been ready to furnish
bonds guaranteeing its faithful observ'
ance. Therefore it cannot be said that
.heir arrest and incarceration were
prompted by the spirit of precaution.
Their case cannot he made one Of tha.
extreme sort in which it is necessary
that innocent and true men should be
sacrificed for the public safety. 1t is
oppression, pure aud simple -oppres-
sion without cause, without benefit,
without excuse. AS such we Jenounce
it without qualification.


Does Secretary Stanton seriously be
lieve that New York city is going tame
ly to submit to this outrage? Is il
really his idea that, because he has put
Provost Marshal over Us, he can dc
with us as he pleases? If he has the
glimmer of such notion, we charge
him, for his own sake, to get clear of II
as soon as may be. Its lure is destruc
fion. This community is loyal--none
in the land more SO. Our people have
poured out their treas ure like dust and
their blood like water to vindicate the
rightful authority of the government
They intend to do so to the end. Blu,
will Secretary Stanton please to un
derstand--they do it not as Spartan
helots, nor as Russian scrfs, nor as Au
strian subjects, but as American free
men. They do it not to meet any mans
behests, but To meet their own sense o
duty; not because they are driven to i
by power, but because they arc draw
to it by liberty. 1t is an atrocious in
suit for Secretary Stanton to ASSUME
that New York city cannot he trustec
with the regulation of its own patriotism
that he has got to intrude upon US al
experience of what he dares to DO u
the way OF tyranny, in order that W.
may be the more heedful and submis,
sive. We can tell him that his hardl
hood will not serve him. Our people
will stand no such domineding. The,
have gone into this contest for the soil
purpose Of preserving their civil rights
and they no more mean to surrende
them to usurpation in Washington thar
to usurpation in Richmond. They arr
not TO be deceived by any pretext o
State necessity. They thoroughly un
dcrstand that tyrant's plea. There il
no such necessity. In the very nature
of the case there can be none, inasmuct
as the very first necessity of this repib
lican government is the preservation o
its essential principle--wilich Is Freedom
regulated by law. When that Is lest