The Confederate union. (Milledgeville, Ga.) 1862-1865, April 28, 1863, Image 1

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Newspaper Page TextBOlGHTOtf, NISBET & BAMES, Publishers and Proprietors. •izsrsssiv’!™”- •l>k Canfeltratt Snion Is published. Weekly, in Milledgcville, Ga. Corner of Hancock and Wilkinson Sts. (opposite Court House.) At $3 a year in Advance. BATCH OF AOTERTHINe. Per square of twelve tines. One insertion $1 00, and fifty cents for each subsequent continuance. ... , , • 7’ho»esent without the specification of thenumberol insertions will be published till forbid and charged accordingly. Busiuessor Professional Cards, per year, where they do not exceed Six Lises ... $ 10 Oil A libera! corUract will be made with those who wish tv Advertise by the year,occupying a specified, space LEGAL ADVERTISEMENTS. Sales of Land uud Negroes, by Administrators, Ex- ecut«rs or Guardians, are required by law to be held on the first Tuesday in the month; between the hours oi 111 in the toreuoon and three in the afternoon, at the Courthouse in the county in which the property is sit uated. Notice of these sales must be given in a public ga- zeit3 40 days previous to the day ol'saie. Notices forthe sale of personal property must begiv- en in like manner ltl days previous to saie day. Notices to the debtors and creditors of an estate must al-o be published 40 days. Notice that application will be made to the Court of Ordinary for leaveto sell Laud or Negroes, must be published for two months. . Citations for letters of Administration Guardianship, fire., mustbe published 31) days—for dismission^from Administration, monthly six months for dismission trom Guardianship, 40 days. , Rules for foreclosure of Mortgage must be published monthly forfour months—f.JWWtublishiug lost papers, forthe full space of three months—for compelling titles from Executors or administrators, where bond has been given by the deceaced, the fuil space of three months. Publication? will always be continued necording to these, the legalrequirements, unless otherwise ordered at the following RATES: Citations, on letters of administration, See. “ “ dismissory from Admr’n. “ “ “ Guardianship. Leave to sell Land or Negroes Notice to debtors and creditors. Sale3 of personal property, ten days, 1 sqr. Sale of land oi negroes by Executors, See. pr sqr. 5 00 E-trays, two weeks _ 1 50 For a man advertising his wife (in advance,) $2 75 4 50 3 00 4 00 3 00 1 50 CONFEDERATE UNION. VOLUME XXXIII.] MILLEDGEVILLE, GEORGIA, TUESDAY, APRIL 28, 1863. [NUMBER 49. 5 00 BOOK-BINDING. Thf. Subscriber is now pre pared to do Book*Bind- ing", in all i ,s branches Old Books rebound, &c. MUSIC bound in the best style. Blank Books manutactured to order. Prompt attention will be given to all work entiusted to me. b 8. J. KIDD. Nonllicrn Federal I'niou Office. 43 Bindery : Milledgeville, March 10th, 1861. SPECIAL NOTICE. fTTHE undersigned having removed from Mil— ledgeville desires and intends to close up his business matters of that place speedily as possi ble. All persons indebted are notified that the not es and accounts are in the hands of J. A. Breedlove, and P. II. Lawler, who are authori zed to collect and make settlements If not ar- ranged at an early day, settlements willbe enforced by law. . 13. tf. A. 6. VAIL, Agent. Railroad. Western & Atlantic (Stale Atlanta to Chattanooga, 138 Miles, Fare $6 do JOHN S~ROWLAND, SurT. Passenger Train. Leave Atlanta at 7 3R P- Arrive at Chattanooga at 4 jj 7 A. M Leave Atlanta at...'. £ M. Arrive at Chattanooga at •> ^ A room mod at ion Passenger Trnin. Leave Atlanta Arrive at Kingston Leave Kingston . Arrive at Atlanta 8 4oA-M. This Road connects each way with the Rome Branch Railroad at Kingston, the East Tennessee Georgia Railroad at Dalton, and the Nashville Sc Chattanooga Railroad at Chattanooga. July 29,1862. 6.57 P. M. 4 30 A.M. 10 tf. New Arrangement. Change of Schedule, on and after Monday llffi inst THE Subscribers are convey- ing the C. 8. Mail from Mil- Mgeville via Sparta, Culver- ten and Powelton to Double^ — Welle,aDd would respectfully invite the attention el their friends and the travelling public, to their new and complete arrangement for travelling facilities over thisline. SCHEDULE—Leave Milledgeville after the arrtva of trains from Columbus. Macon and Savannah; Ar- rive in Snarta at 6o’clock P.M. and at Double Wells rive in Sparta game evening. . ,,- Leave Double Well* after the arrival of morning trains from Augusta. Atlanta and Athens; Arrive at Sparta 11 o’clock, A. M.; Arrive at Milledgeville same evening With good Hacks, fine Stock and careful driver*, wesolicitaliberalpatronage. MooKE F0RBS BlaeeOaite*—Milledgeville Hotel Milledgeville;Ga. Edwards' House. .Sparta. Moore's Hotel, Double Wells. July 11,1859. 8 tf. JOHN T. BOWDOIIf, ATTORNEY AT LAW, Y1XTOXTOX. OX. Eatonton, Ga., Feb. 14,1860. 50 Saw Cotton Gin for Sale. 38 tf. [From the Winchester (Tenn.J Bulletin. ] nr Dog. Ut all the (lespicablec wretlies that ever disgraced humanity, it is said that Haynau was meanest. He it was who warred upon wom^n and children, and to this day his name is a synonym for all that is vile. It was left to Butler, the Beast of New Orleans, to bear off the palm of ignominy which Haynau had worn and in his outrages upon all that is fair and virtuous and honor able, be outstripped Haynau. We think it impossible to find a baser wretch in human form than Butler, yet, if we are mistaken, thon indeed does the superlative belong to W. S. Rosencranz—whose legions invade the soil of Tennessee. We have some in- teresting news concerning his course in and around Murfreesboro’ and Nashville, and evely word is true. By his order fifty houses have been burn ed, as a retaliation for rebel raids up^ on the N. & C. and Louisville Kail- roads. Not brave enough to mfet our troops in fair combat, he resorts to this inhuman mode of guarding his rear. Among the houses burned vve mention the palatial residence of Mr. Scales, near Triune. Mr. S. is a broth er-in-law of Win. B. Campbell, but a strong Southern man. Our cavalry drove in the enemy’s pickets, and ena bled Mr. Scales to get away bis ne groes. On account of this the enemy laid waste his residence and out hou ses, leaving his family dependent on the charity of neighbors. It is said to have been one of the most maguifi- cent residences in Williamson coun- ty. The fine residence of Major Willis, not far from Mr. Scales’, \tas also burned, and a mill near Triune was burned. In fact Rosencranz’s order was for all residences owned or occu pied by persons who had sons or other members of the family in the Confed erate service to be burned. On account of this brutality a collision was im minent at one time between the forces of Gen. Stanley and Gen. Steidman. The latter General had his forces un der arms and artillery rea ly iu order to put down such outrageous conduct. Our intelligent informant was present, and heard Gen. Steidman tell Gen- Stanley that he (Steidman) did not come to fight in such » warfare, and that if he (Stanley) persisted in his ex ecution of such orders, be would as soon fight him as a rebel. Gen. Stan ley replied that he was acting under the orders of General Rosencranz, and intended to see the order carried out. But Steidman succeeded in saving a number of houses, among them the residence of General Battle, our State Treasurer, now in Winchester. In this connection we would men tion that a daughter of Gen. Battle and some five or six other ladies were arrested for “passing the Federal lines without authority,” and after a few days imprisonment at Nashville were sent up North to camp Chase. The or der arresting them stated that they were to be imprisoned for the war. Merciful heavens! is there no redress for such awful enormities'? The bare recital of them is heart-rending—what must the dread .reality be. We have written the above facts as we received them from the lips of one who was banished from her home by the order of Rosencranz—one who is intelligent, truthful, accomplished, and who witnessed the smouldering ruins of many of the houses burned, and in the dead of night saw the heavens lit up by the consuming element which the vandal hands of of «a Union-loving race applied to property occupied by innocent, helpless women and chil dren. It is no idle tale to work upon the feelings, but grim, ghastly truth only faintly told. God speed the day when such brutes will have to learve our de vastated State. Congressional. Passage of the Tax Bill. Richmond, April 20. The House passed the Conference Tax bill to-day previously passed by the Senate. The 1st section levies a tax of ei^lit per cent upon the value of all naval stores, salt, wines, liquors, tobacco (manufactured or unmanufactured) cotton, wool, flour, sugar, molasses, syrup, rice, and other ■ agricultural products, held or owned on the 1st of July next, not necessary for family consumption, growth or production discipline. You know that it is necessary to the efficiency, I might almost, say, to the very existence, of an army. Obedi ence, cheerful obedience, is the first duty of a soldier. Perhaps, you may, at some time, or other, have those for officers, who are fude, violent and unkind.. This, I hope, will never be the case, but if it should, still yield a ready obedience to their commands. If tliey act in such a manner, that you cannot respect them as men, yet, respect the offices which they hold and show by your conduct, that you will discharge your duties, whether they do theirs or not. What may seem to you to be harsh and unnecessary orders, may be for your benefit and the benefit of your of an} preceding year, and on all mon- , fellow soldiers. The preservation of health eys on hand or on deposit on the 1st is a duty, which you, and all other sol- of July, and on the value of all credits j diers, owe to yourselves and to your coun- not employed in business income from tr y- Diseases are, often the result of which is taxed one per cent. imprudence. Soldiers, an] particularly, The fifth section provides a specific 1 f oun » , B ?4!° r8 ' are ’ Proverbially, care- tax on each trade or business named j ^ andipd’fferent to them.health It is , . . ; much easier to ward oft disease by pru- tlierein, and an ad valorem tax on dencoand care, than it is to be restored sales not inateiially different from tlie , ( 0 health after the disease is once con- bill origina'ly passed by the House, i tracted. except that hotels, taverns and-eating I Again, habits of carelessness arc inci- houses are to be classified according ! dent to camp life, and, especially, with the very young. These should be guard ed against ; for the habits you are. no formiug, will go with you through life, GREAT SPEECH OF H0X. D. W. Y00RHEES, ON THE INDEMNITY BILL. DELIVERED IN TIIE HOUSE OF REPRESENTA TIVES, ON THE 1STH OF FEU. 1863. (CONCLUDED.) ONE of WATSON'S best 50 Saw Cotton Gins, is offered for sale. This Gin is new, and is equal to any in use. Sold for no fault, the present ow ners having no use for it. Any planter wanting a »> >d Gin,can' have a chance to get one at »re- auction on the regular price. Apply at this office, c 1 otX. Tift, or J. H. Watson, at Albany HOES K A DOZ. HOES Just received and for sale OU by W RIGHT & BROWN. Feb 2d, 1863. 37 tf - A DUX! A DUX !! T HE undersigned request all persons indebted to them to call and settle. HERTY & HALL. Milledgeville, Jan. 10th. 1862. 34 • am l d. iavis. GREENLEE BUTLER. IRVIN & BUTLER, ATTORNEYS AT LAW. ALBANY, Georgia. P RACTICE in the Superior Courts of the South Western Circuit,—in Terrell, Randolph, and Kar* iy counties, in the l’ataula Circuit,—in Worth and Ma son Counties, in the Macon Circuit, in the United States Cireuit Court at Savannah,—and by specie toutraet,in any County in Southern Georgia. January 1st" 1860. 34 tf - ETHERIDGE 80 SON, Factors, Commission and Forwarding MSH.OBCA3W TS, SAVANNAH, CA. *- D. ETHERIDGE. W. D. ETHERIDGE, Jr. July 15th, 1856. 8 tf Not long since we heard a yonng lady say,', that hereafter she intended to buy none, hut homespun dresses. It was a wise conclusion, -and we hope every woman in the Confederacy will follow her example, and buy no more of those goods which blockade-runners are palming off on the people as from England, when, in re ality, they are from Yankeedom, and thus save the gold in the country which, by tbis means, goes into the pockets of our enemy. This revolution has proved that the wo men of the South are not mero butterflies of fashion; they have labored cheerfully and made sacrifices unmurmuriugly. and have proved themselves worthy of their patriotic husbands who are in the field.— 'PJjp young ladies liavc learned lessons of usefulness and economy and will make model wives for our brave young soldiers when they return from the bloody battle field to peaceful pursuits. r^» Spring with bright smiles and adorn ed with sweet flowers has come again ith her gifts, to make glad the hearts of ® • < .3* ,1 crttmi-ol XT llTl. the poor, who have suffered severely un me r W!n ,„ Under to their yearly rents, when the actual or estimated rent amounts to ten thou sand dollars; the tax shall be five hun dred dollars. The smallest tax in this paragraph is the section regulating taxes on incomes, which is substantial ly the same as those passed by the Senate, except that interest in Con federate bonds or stock is iTot ex empt. The tax on incomes over $-500 and exceeding $1500 is five per cent; over $1-500 and less than $3,000, five per cent. On the first $1,500, then ten per cent; of or over $3000 and less than $5,000, ten percent: over $5,000 and under 0,000, 12A per cent. All over $10,000, a tax of fifteen per cent. Section 10 imposes a tax of ten per cent, on all profits during phe past year by the purchase of provisions, forage, shoes, cloths, etc,, except made in due course of regular retail business. The sections in the Senate bill pro scribing a tax in kind arc retained with few modifications. The iiei covers twenty-nine printed pages. From the Chattanooga Rebel. I.etlcr from n Fill tier (o lain Son in II Army. , March 31, 1863. may determine jour destiny for goo for evil. But all these things are matters of s: importance, compared, witjj what I s, compajed^ with 1 wish to call your af^pntionTo, and th r aftent >£2smardin£ against nucli a ! n f rs at'tf My Dear Son : I received, a few days ago, your last letter, and was glad to learn that your health had impioved, and that your constitution had been invigorat ed, since you went into the army ; appre hensive, as I was, that you would not be able to endure the hardships and priva tions of a soldier’s life. Many, who cn- tered«tbc army about the time you did, have perished by disease, or on the battle field. How long you may be spared, neither you or I know. In the very next battle, you may fall, or-disease may seize upon you and carry you off, as it lias doue thousands of others. This letter may be read by you, with that solemn interest, with which it is written by me. Feeling, as I have ever done, the liveliest interest as to your qualities as a soldier, 1 have made anxious inquiries of those with whom you have been associated, and who have had the best opportunities of know ing you well, in regard to your conduct in camp, and your behavior on the battle field. AH, that 1 have heard, has been exceedingly gratifying to me as a father and lias often sent a thrill of joy to my heart. I was rejoiced to learn, that amid the dangers and difficulties, trials aud hardships, of a soldier’s life, you had al ways been contented aud cheerful, obedi ent to your superior officers, and kind to the men with whom you associated.— These facts I regarded as highly compli mentary to you. A cheerful and content ed disposition, a spirit of obedience to those in authority over you, coolness and the necessity foimation of liabW^W vice aryl intern per? ance. 1 have, thus far, heard a g^^&c- count of you, in Reference to these but I know the liability of youth, to be led astray by temptation, and evil asso ciations. 1 our associations, so far as I am iutormed, are as n^xce^ionabljp as any in tlie army, but t^gR clk- wliere, some who 2lre settingTiad exam ples. Do not, my dear child, be led astray by them. Have the courage, courage, to resi^ their evil and ft* “ 1 oe as valuable to you, as tliat courage oil the battle-field, so much prized by old soldiers. The prayer y our mother, (oh ! is there in word !) that mothcr3^fc>, when you brought from Coriuth/Jind lay, for weeks, on a bed of sicknessTiwatched over you with such anxious care, ascend daily to Heaven, for your preservation from the dangers of the battle-field, and from the temptations of vice. Her heart is fixed on you ; all her thoughts, feelings and af fections, are wrapped up iu her ‘‘soldier boy.” Remember her parting words, re member lier tearful eyes, and if, in the providence of God, you should never be permitted to see her any more in this world, write all her words of advice upon your youthful heart. Do you desire models of purity and ex cellence, in our own Confederacy and in your owu profession 1 They are not wanting. Our President and several of our Generals, furnish illustrious exam- Sir, the habeas corpus is the life'of liber ty. It is of ancient origin. It was born amid the opening struggles of our remote ancestors in behalf of popular freedom. It was recognized at once by a race unwilling to accept the doom of slaves to be a law of necessity. It sprang from no statute. It depends for its existence on no enactment. It is one of those high, unrepealed laws which liberty writes on tlie hearts of all her worshippers, and which, without the aid of legislation, became a part of the common law of England, simply because that rule of God’s providence which prescribes an eternal fitness of things. It is, perhaps, ol der than Magna Chart a itself. Hallam, History of the Middle Ages, referring eriod when the great charter was ,says: etLer courts of justice framed the writ of. habeas corpus iu conformity to the spirit of this clause, or found it already in IheiT register, it became from that era the rfjghtof every Subject to demand it.” And again, this great author says : “ From the earliest records of the Eng lish law no freeman could be detained in prison except upon a criminal charge or conviction, or for a civil debt. In the former case it was always in his power to demaud of the Court of King’s Bench a writ of^abe0fco>pus adfulyancndum, direc ted to tlrfi person detaining him in custody, by which he was enjoined to l- : - o -i J 1 ® .•j p., • with the warrant of body of th®/-- A . j _„«rtnumcnt, that tne court might judge •of its sufficiency, and remand the party, admit him to bail, or discharge him accor ding to the nature of the charge.” ‘his law, thus described,, the American ouies inherited and possessed from the liest period of their settlement. It took no legislation to bestow on them its bles sing, tor, as an eminent law wiiterobserves : “ Audit must now be taken as a settled axiom of American law, that the territory of the colonies was claimed by right of oc cupancy or by finding it ‘ deserted and un cultivatedand that the common law of England-first obtained in that part of the empire as a law personal to the English born colonists.” And,in the formation of our Constitution, our fathers assumed that it already existed iu all its ancient force and benevolent mis sion, and simply made the following provis ion against its suspension : “ That the privilege of the writ of luikcas corpus shall not he suspended, unless when, in case of rebellion or invasion, the public safety may require it.” pies. But, my dear boy, look not alone to men. Read and study that Bible, which your mother gave you, and draw from its sacred pages, lessons of wisdom and vir tue. Fear not man but God, aud pray that "He may ever make you mindful of the time, when you shall lie down in the dust, and grant you grace always to live in such a state, that you may never be afraid to die.” If, in the events of this painful struggle, we should never meet again in this life, may God, in His infinite mercy, grant that we may meet in that A'house, not made with hands, eternal in the Heavens.” Lalrr from tlac North and West. Enemy Repulsed on the Goldwatci.— Ty- ranical Orders.— The Monitor Fleet to be sent to the Mississippi.—Arrest of Wilkes Ordered.—Aid and Comfort from Gov. Curtin. • &c., &.,• &c. Jackson, April 20. Gen. Chalmers lias gallantly repulsed four thousand Yankees, comprising caval ry, artillery and infantry, upon the Cold- water. 'The enemy retreated in great haste and confusion, Chalmers pursuing energetically. The roads were very ance with all the rules of the camp, are one killed and six wounded among your first duties. True, you will j A special dispa ch to the Appeal, states be exposed to severe weather; you will, on-authontyof the Chicago limes of the often have to sleep on the cold ground, 14th, that there will be no immediate with nothing but your- blanket around rcsumptionofhostiht.es against Charles- you; you will, sometimes, have but little ton. .... . , ,. , Ld that of a coa.se kind. Those are ! among the trials that you have already i the effect that allI.persons within the Fed endured, and will, in all probability, have again.to endure. But, let me entreat you, my dear child, let no spirit of discontent come over you. Others liave suffered more than you, • in the same glorious cause. Although yon are not very familiar with the political causes, which have pro duced this great revolution iu which you are now an actor, yet, you know that your country is invaded by an armed and per fidious foe, who is endeavoring to deprive us of all that makes life valuable. Many of our bravest and best have already fallen in this nob'le struggle. Some. of your own schoolmates have stained, with their blood, the battle-fields of N irginia, and have left their homes as houses of Plantation for Sale. OFFER for sale a well improved Plantation within three miles of Milledgeville, contain ing fourteen hundred acre* of lan WILLIAM A. JARRATT. F«U. 4, 18M. *» “»** Spool Colton 9 A DOZ. Coat* Spool Cotton for Sale by L\J *WRIGHT * BWOW1L Feb. H, IMS, W «C der the stern rule of old \\ inter, her mild influence Nature has dressed her self in her bolliday attire, and one would not think, while looking on her blooming and beautiful form, that misery, wan and war had an existence in this fair land. While we sit beneath a fragrant jesamino bower, which overarches a pebbly stream and listen to the music of th f e ^"^51 water and the happy songs of the little birds as they sport among the flowers, we are lulled^nto forgetfulness ofjast dis appointments and present sorrows B FP UI Y l T“r ~~~^ros and business be- e very body leave cares anu Let be- ds - ft day in tlie w0 ° . We recommend it hind and spend a will do them good. - - think it especially to the Extortioner w m will soften his heart, and ne -L . . come down in his prices, or possibly gave something away. mourning. Your , to whom you were so- mucli attached and who went with yon to Kenfucky, so full of health and hope and vigor, died at his post, amid the shock of battle, on th&bloody field of Perry ville.— Those things you do remember and the remembrance of them will, 1 doubt not, cause you to do your duty, your whole duty, to our country, under any and all circumstances. In life’s early spring, you are becoming familiar with scenes of carnage, Disease and death are being presented to you, in all their varied forms. Such things, will not, I hope, have a tendency to harden your feelings or blunt your sensibilities. The bravest men, that have ever lived, have been the tenderest and greatest, and if your life should be spared, until the close of tbis war, remember that, “In peace, there'* nothing so becomes a man, as modest stillness and humility.” There is nothing more complained of among soldiers, and with less reason, than | eral lines who shall be found benefiting the. Confederates, shall suffer death. Car rington, at Indianapolis, lies issued the ! same order. The Chicago Times says that the entire i Monitor fleet is to be sent ■ to the Missis sippi river. It is reported at Wilkes has been arrested, and after wards paroled, for firing into a Spanish steamer. Admiral Milne, of the British West India Squadron, lias ordered the arrest of Wilkes and those of the Vander bilt's crew engaged in the Peterhoff affair. Gov. Curtin, of Pennsylvania, offers twenty th'ousaud militia to protect Wash ington. Four thousand Yankees are near Her nando. The enemy are believed to be advanc ing upon Holly Springs from Corinth. And now, Mr. Speaker, in view of the historical grandeur of this writ; in view of the duties which belong to its nature to perform; in view of the evils which it alone can restrain, in view of the causes which produced it, and in view of the abuses against which it is leveled, I am filled with wonder and amazement that any healthy intellect has ever been found to entertain the opinion that it was in the power of the Executive department of any government to suspend its privileges and deny to the people its protection. It came into exis tence to compel English kings to obey the principles of Magna Charta, and it is the only means, this si Je of the sword,by which an American President can be made to obey the Constitution; aud yet the air is filled with a clamorous cry that these kings and this President can escape this obedi ence by nullifying, with a single word, the only peaceful means which the people pos sess to enforce it. It is the only legal means by which the American citizen can resist and antagonize the most infamous outrages against personal rights; and yet the doctrine is daily proclaimed here and elsewhere that it is wholly left to the Ex ecutive to determine whether lie will be re sisted at all, or whether he will enjoy the spectacle of a people devoted to liberty im ploring, not the law, but liis clemency, through the iron grates of prisons, with less legal redress for their wrongs than tho* dusky slaves of the Carolinas. The writ of habeas corpus was originated for the sole purpose of controlling one man aud his sub ordinates ; and yet it is claimed, in this en lightened age, that that very man can con trol it. It has 4 been the master of every Executive since it was known among men ; but in these modern days the majority of the American Congress assert that the President of the United States has become its master. You might as well lock the convict iu his cell and give him tb.e key, and expect to find him there when you rc- GEORGIA. Baldwin County. W HEREAS, James C. Shea, administrator de bonis nan on the estate of Henry W. S. Tracy, deceased, has tiled his final account, and petilions for letters of dismissiffn from said trust. These are therefore to cite all persons adverse ly concerned to file their objections on or before the first Monday in November next. Given under my official signature tbis 14th April, 1863. 47 6m JOHN HAMMOND, Ord’y. turn, as to expect the Executive ruler of a . J nation to abide within the limits of consti- Havana that Admiral r t u ti 0 nal restraint, when the people have surrendered to him the only engine of pow er which they hold over the question. You might as well expect an enemy who had liberty, laid siege to a city to refrain from entrance when the gates were thrown open and the sword delivered up, as to expect official sta tion to respect at all times popular rights wlieu all their safeguards are abandoned to tbeir ancient enemy. Sir, the very pur pose, the single object for which the writ of | habeas corpus has survived the lapse of j er my brethren of the law have forgotten centuries and rocked the world with revo- j the examples of the past; whether the ex- 1 ut ion s would be utterly defeated if the alted chivalry of the profession is dead ? President of tlie United States can suspend Do you stand by power with its robes of its operations and paralyze it by r its touch, i purple, or do you stand by the oppressed It might as well never have adorned the pa- i in destitution ? Is your motto the. scepter ges of jurisprudence, it becomes a useless, , of exaggerated and bloated authority, or is an idle thing by such a construction. It is j it the farmer at his plow-handle, in grand only needed wheifthe Executive attempts though humble demand for his rights as a to deprive the citizen of his liberty contra- free .man under the Constitution ? I he ry to law j ;uh1 according to tbc construe* 1 mission of the law f as the chosen apostle of assembled in vain. John Hampden, on the plains of Chalgrave, will have died in vain. Our own martyred host, robed in glwy, who fell for freedom on the battle fields of the Revolution, will have tasted the bitterness of death in vain. The lights which have been hung up over our heads by the wisdom and the sufferings of the past will all bo stricken down. Magna Charta will fall from its exalted sphere like a falling star, and our own Constitution, like tlie eagle towering in his pride of pla ces will be by a mousing owl hawked at and killed. The gloom of absolutism will once more fill the sky, and it will only be left to American citizens to creep around in its shadows as secret and stealthy mourn ers at the tomb of liberty. One man’s su premacy, the everlasting foe to free insti tutions, will be complete In the place of written constitutions and laws we will en joy the government of one mind and one will, embittered and swayed by the passions and prejudices which make their home in every frail mortal breast. No, sir ; this dailing writ of the people, which has caus ed the venerable statesman to abound iu warm and swelling periods of culogium, and the cool lips of the judge to indulge in unwonted judicial eloquence ; this guardian of every home,this saint in every freeman’s calendar, this friend of every fireside ; this key to every dungeon ; this Messiah of law, which comes to redeem the lost and to vis it those that are sick and in prison, was not born to be suspended and crucified at the command of some ruling Cresar. The people who made it, and who own it by the title of a hundred battles fought for its prin ciples, can alone, through tbeir represen tatives, say when they are willing to waive for a season its protection and enact its temporary suspension. Not only is this the law, as decided by every court in the history of English and American dence, but it is also th® «■ decided by everv »®-—— ot reason, by every principle ot political philosophy. If I err, Mr. Speaker, in asserting that the Parliament alone in England, and the Congress alone in the United States, can judge of the necessity and exercise the power of suspending the writ of habeas cor pus, I err in most noble company. I am but following at an humble distance in the footsteps of those whose illustrious names have long since become proverb.s of wisdom and justice. If I am lost and going astray in the doctrines I have enunciated to-day, I am consoled with the reflection that 1 am wandering with Blackstone, with Hale, with Mansfield, with Coke; that I share my delusion with Kent, with Story, and with John Marshall. If I am insensible at this time to the claims of modern political lawyers, it is because my mind is absorbed in tbc contemplation of the teachings of those whose names are of the immortal few not born to die. If I turn a deaf ear on this occasion to the arrogant pretensions of provost marshals and police officials, the representative or executive usurpations, it is because I prefer to fix my attention up on a lofty and virtuous class, the latchets of whose shoes they are not worthy to un loose. If I am to be denounced for my ut terances here in behalf of liberty and jus tice by the eager servility of the hour, the storm will spend its furv in vain on my head, sustained and protected as I am by the unanimous voice of those whom man kind has been taught to revere as benefac tors of the human race. My eye shall not be withdrawn from the Constitution as the guardian of liberty. I will not turn away from the written law, judicially expound ed, for any consideration of earthly impor tance. It ia to me the star that hovered over the cradle of liberty in its infancy,the spirit which upheld and strengthened it when tempted in the wilderness, and the power which will roll away the stone from its tomb if it should ever again be betray ed aud put to death. I belong, sir, to a profession which is glorious iu history. I rejoice that I have spent some of the days of my manhood in the study of a science in the adornment of which Erskine and Curran, Webster and Grimke 6pent their lives. The legal pro fession has had much to bear in the hostile criticism provoked by an unworthy class who inhabit the vestibule of her temple, and allure to their meshes the unwary pil grims who seek her shrine for substantial relief. The artful trickery of ignoble minds lias been assigned as an attribute of the profession of the law, and its lower walks; that pestilential brood which swarms around the base of the pedestal of honora ble fame, has, to tbe casual observer, sanc tioned such a view. But this is all unjust. There is an atmosphere near the sun in which the great jurists of twenty genera tions dwell, They have been the forerun ners of legal liberty. They have never hung upon the skirts of governmental pro gress. Other professions have formed tech- ®ical'barricades against the advance ofpop- ular freedom, and questioned the divinity of the people ; but those who have drunk deep from the fountains of that “ perfection of reason,” Euglish and American law, re cognize tlie voice of the people as the voice of God*. It is a matter ot record that the legal profession has been the patient, the toiling, and the inspired handmaiden of I might dwell upon its services, and recall the circumstances, in historical order, which will forever commend its fame to the lovers of free institutions, if the fleet ing hour assigned to me would dllow. But these things will all suggest themselves to the student of the law and the student of history. I pause, however,to inquire whctli* tion of the supporters of this Admiuistra* j freedom, has always been to succor the op- rr , o *i I ...IT ! J al GEORGIA, Twiggs county. W HEREAS, Dr. Thomas Gibson liss made ap plication to mein due form of law, for letters of administration upon the estate of Calvin J." Mixon, late of said county, deceased. These are therefore to cite and admonish all and singular the kiu ired and creditors of said de ceased. to be and appear at ray office on or by the first Monday in June next, then and thereto show cause, if any, why said letters may not be granted. Given under my hand officially at Marion, April 9,1863. 47 5t. LEWIS SOLOMON, Ord’y. tion, that attempt need never fail, for it is ! pressed, the feeble, the suffering, and the within the power of the President to remove I poor, and to minister, in the spirit of the every obstacle which stands in his way by ! great Master, to those whom Christ blessed the suspension of this writ. ' . j upon the mountains of Olives. Sir, for me, Let this construction be maintained, and j m y ”*7™ cbosen. I shall turn my back tbe cause of liberty recedes back into tbe j on the blandishments of executtve power, twilight dawn from, which it emerged near- aRd > t R °ugh pnson, though death assail me ly a thousand years ago. Then there was m the pathway of duty, I shall fallow the no law for the king except his arbitrary examples and the precepts of old, and vin- will; and there will be no other law here d , lca , te alike the dignity of my birth and now for the President. Every effort made tRe ho . n °F of my _ profession by defending in behalf of free governments will have been made in vain, Tbe Barons will have the privileges of the people. To me tbis is a labor of love. My whole natnre re sponds to its burning appeal. Wherevct the spirit of unlawful aggression.has been repelled ; wherever tyranny has been de fied and resisted ; wherever honest upright manhood, in whatcveriaosYiilion found, has asserted its rights to agloxious sovereign equality, there my heart has paid a devout pilgrimage, and prayed for the success of every effort which tends to enlarge the lib erty of the citizen. But. sir, the blow has fallen, and I turn to survey for a few moments its ghastly • m- sequeuces. In defiance of law, in con tempt of the judiciary, in derision of the teachings of history, and in scorn and mockery of the holy principles of person al liberty, the writ of habeas corpus stands suspended. The will of the Executive has for more than a year been the sole law of the land to which the outraged citizen has been permitted to appeal. The Con stitution with its harmonious machinery of justice has been set aside, and the exact principle of a supreme and irresponsible despotism lias reigned in its stead. Nor has this been the mere uaked assertion of an Unwarranted and dangerous power on the part of the Executive, unaccompanied by those revolting scenes which always dis tinguish an arbitrary from a free Govern ment. It has borne to the lips of the Amer- ' ican people a fruit, in horrible abundance, more biiter and deadly than the Dead Sea apples of Sodom and Gomorrah. Sir, how shall I dwell upon the deep humiliation, the open shame which this Republic haa suffered in the imprisonment cf its loyal and faithful citizens ? . How shall 1 fash ion my tongue to speak in the hearing of a free people, in the presence of their Repre sentatives, surrounded on all hands in this Hall by the symbols of liberty, and look ing on the benignant face of the Father of his Country, of deeds enacted in our midst which recall (otlio mind in all their fright ful detail the mournful stories of the dun geon which have been wafted to us across the oceau, and which come dow’n to us from ages of chaos, night, and cruelty ? Shall I stop to count over in a melancholy array the names of those who, without crime, criminal charge, with no law but hideous violence, have been seized by tbe rapaci ty, the felonious rapacity of this Adminis tration. and buried out of sight of home, friends and justice ? The list would be a long one. «nd would' start tears afresh ...mind a thousand firesides. This task, however, must be assigned to tbe impartial pen of history. A book will some day take its place upon the shelves of our li braries commemorating the wounds which liberty has received in this enligbteumA age, in the wrongs and outrages inflicted on American citizens. I am to-day dealing with the principle which is involved, and a few instances of tbe licentious abuse of power will illustrate the bold attempt which has been made to subvert the liberties of this Government. No age, no sex, r.o condition in life has been exempt from invasion, unlawful ar rest, and imprisonment. I speak simply what every man in the hearing of my voice knows to be true. I have .seen the minis ters of the gospel of a peaceful Savior on their way to prison, leaving wife, children and congregation a thousand miles behind, for preaching peace on earth and good will towards men. One, the Rev. Mr. .Rundy, as I am informed by my friend from Illi nois, (Mr. Allen,) living in his district,was dragged away from the open grave of his child, over .whose remains the burial ser vices had not yet been closed; denied the privilege of returning to his house to take a final leave of his family then dying, and hurried like an atrocious and dangerous criminal to the safe keeping of a cell. I have seen the upright and conscientious lawyer seized by the loathsome instru ments of oppression, forbidden to console a sick wife, the mother of his children,with a single word at parting, and convey ed by furtive and rapid movements to a distant and arbitrary military tribunal, because he had dared, as became a freeman, to declare what he conceived the law to be. I have seen men who had been trusted and honor ed iu public life by those who had known them most intimately in every relation, ar rested in my own State for no offenses known to any law, and without warrant, without commitment, made to “ eat the bread which captives’ tears have watered” in every age of despotism. In the month of October last 1 met three friends, distin guished citizens of Indiana, who, six years ago, served, as Senators together in her Legislature. I met them, sir, serving to gether in the same prison a term of impris onment which had no ether duration or limit, no beginning or end, no other cause or conclusion, no other condition or circum stance to support it than the mere arbitra ry, unlawful, unenlightened, will of the man here in Washington city. Sir, as I heard of their wrongs, andMooked out upon the sunshine and the air—hnd the flag of the white man’s freedom floating in the dis tance—strange thoughts possessed my mind, and strange visions arose before me. A new sensation penetrated my heart. I seemed to dwell for awhile beneath the shadows of the Bastilc, and hear the cries and groans which finally rent its walls. The dungeons of Austria opened ftrouud me, and the prayers of their victims for lib erty seemed to fiil all space and all time, The damp vaults of Venice and the fearful caverns of the Spanish Inquisition yielded up their horrible secrets. The Tower of London, that melancholy tomb of genius and of beauty, the imperious form of Hen ry VIII, the headsman’s ax, the reeking block, all became distinct to my view; and I looked, as it were face to face into the frightful, appalling countenance of tyran ny. I studied its ferocious and revolting features in the light oi historical associa tions. But when I came to reflect on all this, and reason from cause to effect, I found that precisely the same terrible prin ciple of oppression which has disgraced the past, and filled other countries with tears and blood, was triumphing in my very presence. I turned away, and took my “ appeal from tyranny to God.” But, sir, the people of this whole country and of the civi ized world have beheld worse scenes than even all these enacted in our midst. This house has been inva ded. l he principle of popular representa tion, on which the theory of this govern ment is based, has been assailed in the ille gal and brutal arrest of two members ot the American Congress. The honorable gen tleman from Maryland (Mr. May) early fell a victim to the spirit of executive usurpa tion, which has since spread like an evil shadow over the entire land. He had dar ed, in an hour of envemoned popular freA- zy, to raise his voice in this hall and assert, in no suppliant tones, his right as a repre sentative. He had dared to assert that the constitution of the country was binding iu all its provisions, in time of peace as well as in time ot war. and that his allegiance was due to it and not to the party which has attended into power by trampling it under their feet. In the exercise ot his un doubted prerogative as a legislator, and in accordance with his sense of duty a3 a cit izen, he had brought forward measur*#

Georgia Historic Newspapers

The Confederate union. (Milledgeville, Ga.) 1862-1865, April 28, 1863, Image 1