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L -•* io a speedy luwi fceacfeftil m>. posterity will hold iff remembrance tlie &u-
1 J which 1ms i hors of these outrages—tue President and
liitimi of the unnatural strife ... . . ,
■ rtui liucd our his Cabinet—iu order to execrate the pros*
(hors of these outrages-
tufD(?^ our to blocu .. ^ ^
fraternal borders with a thousand tit ution which they have made of their high
miles of grave yards—not the sweet resting ! oflices to the overthrow of the Constitu-
places of those who lie down to sleep to- tion. When they retire from their exalted
a< tlicr in peace al the close ol happy lives
but where hostile spectres will forever
haunt the dismal scenes and vex the air
with shrieks of undying hate. For these
acts of duty as a representative, and these
acts alone, sir, the honorable gentleman
from Maryland was arrested, and niaee to
feel the iron of hopeless captivity enter his
son!. The sanctuary of his home was in
vaded at midnight, that fit hour for the as
positions, and descend to the quiet walks
of private life, where the voice of partisan
applause and interested flattery will no
longer reach their cars and shut out truth
from their consciences, let them spend the
evening of their days in pondering over the
wretchedness they have so needlessly and
wantonly caused. Let them recall the
tears of bitter grief, bereavement, and
shame, which they have caused delicate
rassination of liberty, and by an unknown | and tender women to weep as they iniplor-
band of armed men, who searched every | ed their jailors in vain for re ief against out-
privacy of domestic life, a;.d then tore him j rnges which the pen blushes to record. Lot
with violence from a young and delicate them visit the madhouse, and listen to the
family,with that total indifference to agony ■ shrieks and cries of their inmates, as they
and despair which so well becomes the cal- ! pour forth their wailings from tho shattered
Ions of crime. He was thrust into prison, j domes of thought, and in that saddest sight
and leeame the recipient of all those odi- j which the earth can present—a mind in
ons indignities which it is the trade and J ruins—behold a portion ^of their liandi-
calling of jailors and turnkeys to inflict on j work, which will accompany tlicir names
noble minds and exalted natures. He lan- j into history. And if dreams come to them
guished inside of the bars of iron and the ; iu their slumbers, let them dream of the
bayonets of sentinels until the caprice of ; poor suicide, who communed in solitude
the Executive threw open the doors of his with his sad her-.rt until his room became
cell and told him to go. As lie was arrest
ed without charge, guilty of no offense,im
prisoned without authority of law, punish
ed without trial, so he was released from
confinement without an explanation and
without a hearing under the constitution.
This case, in a few brief sentences, com
prises the ultimate point of a wanton and
reckless despotism. And what 1 have said
of it applies in principle with the same force
to the case of the honorable gentleman
from lilinois, Mr. Allen. Both are repre
sentatives of the people on this floor, and
both have been subjected to punishment
filled with shadows and impalpable forms,
which mocked his agony and despair, and
who, to cscapo his imprisonment, launch
ed his naked soul into the mysterious
realms of the infinite, and appeared for
trial before a compassionate God. Let
them awaken to hear the heart-broken sobs
of the widow, and the pitiful lamentations
of the fatherless. Let them make some
atonement for the grief they have inflicted
bj’ looking into ail the detailed horrors
which their system of infernal outrage lias
brought upon unoffending men and women.
J speak not in malice. I wish evil to no
due. alone to criminals by the arbitrary and j man upon earth. 1 feel pain to know that
lawless edict of one man for the exercise of I inflict it. But if I could forbear to speak
their opinions. Sir, do wc live in a repub- j with indignant emphasis on this subject,
lie or an absolute monarchy? Is this an I would feel that the bond of sympathy
American Congress or a Roman Senate in ■ which binds me to my fellow-men had
the most abject days of tlie Roman Em- j been broken asunder. I would feel that
pire? Is this an assembly of Freemen or : my heart was an outlaw from the sacred
a French assembly in the days of Louis j precepts of the divine Nazarenc, who pro-
XIV ? How much more are we expected j nouuced the merciful blessed-because they
to bear? What deeper degradation is to j showed mercy.
he inflicted on us ? If one member of this j Bat it is said that this system of open
body can bo arrested for his opinions and . disregard of the Constitution, aiul the
made to feed on the damp xwjors of a liv- ! arrests which have been made under it,
ing tomb during the pleasure of the 1 l, a y C been necessary to the stability and
titive, so can all tlie rest of us who do not > existence- ~r p(,c Government. All the
with hated breath and words of whispered ; world knows that tm* i. r.,ls C . Neither
humbleness bow ourselves with eastern ad- j insurrections nor invasions Lave
ulatibn at the foot stool of power. If those i place in the loyal States of the Union.—
things arc to bo borne, the hourfora Crom- i The courts of justice have never for a
well has arrived, and these wails will nev-| moment been disturbed in the discharge
er again resound with the voice of liberty, of their duties by auy of the circumstances
Let the lictors advance and hind us with
cords and scourge ns in the open market
places, as the unworthy successors of a no
bler and a prouder race. Let the pilgrim
•of future times visit not this dishonored
Hall, but go and linger in the old and de
serted one, and draw inspiration from the
glorious memories which hover over it.
The voices of the mighty dead, iu behalf
of freedom ot speech, freedom of the press,
and the supremacy of the Constitution, yet
seein to echo from its venerable walls, and
its place in the history of the progress of
liberty is as secure as the battle-held of
Bunker Hill.
Sir, 1 am to be told there was cause for
the arrest and imprisonment of these gen
tlemen ? Who dares to say so ? Why
were they not tried for their offenses, and
if guilty punished ? Who will assert that
the thousands who have been impiisor.ed
without authority of law and discharged
without trial were criminals / If they were
a double infamy awaits the Executive and
the agents cfhis usurpations, for liberating
upon society, unprosecnled and unpunish
ed, offenders against the,“laws. If they are
dangerous criminals w hich they are daily
described to be, then this Administration
lias corruptly compounded with felony,and
made itself a party to treason by refusing to
bring them to justice, even when the crim
inals themselves protested against being
liberated without a trial. But, sir, I deny
their guilt in every instance ; and in doing
so, I plant myself on the plain precepts of
the Jaws of God and man. I have but lit
tle indulgence for this constant assumption
of guilt against citizens who have courted
trials, and whom you have not dared to try.
The presumptions are all in favor of inno
cence where just laws prevail. They are
in favor of guilt before trial only in ibe
minds of tyrants. But, whether guilty or
innocent, not one single provision of the
Constitution has at any time or place been
complied with iu the treatment of citizens
arrested by Government officials.
In violation ol the Constitution, Ameri
can citizens have been arrested for using
the freedom of speech.
In violation of the Constitution, tlicir
houses have been forcibly entered.
In violation of the Constitution, their pa
pers have been searched.
attending this civil war. Every function
in the machinery of government has been
free to act. Docs this Administration
distrust the entire jndiciary of tlie country,
the clerks, the sheriffs, and the juries?—
And in what way has the whole body of
the people shown that the safety of the
Republic requires that they should have a
master ? Sir, I scoru to pursue this
thought. I spurn from me at once, and
forever, this base, false and dangerous
plea of necessity. What is there to
Americans worth preserving, if the prin
ciples of liberty, the doctrines of the Con
stitution, shall perish ? Wc hear much
stormy declamation about the life of the
nation being in peril. It is true. It is
sadly- imperilled on all sides. But does
mere land and water, mere extent of soil,
constitute the life of this nation ? Xo, sir ;
immortal liberty is its life ; the soul which
animates the body, and without which
the meie form of our Government will be
a cold and lifeless corpse. We are asked
to make war on this vital principle, and
submit to its destruction, in order to pre
serve the Union. You might as well ask
me to drive the dagger into my own heart
in order to preserve my life. I rocognise
no such monstrous folly. The Constitu
tion is my country, and I have no country
outside of its provisions. When you re
quire me to destroy it, or consent to its
destruction in order to save my country,
you require a paradox w hich is the na
tional offspring of that unreasoning fanatic
ism which shares so largely in the origin of
our melancholy national disasters.
i will not stop to denounce this argu-
queslion, It Las bosh answered more, tnaff
a thousand times already in •council Sod
in the field, by the great race to which we
belong, and tbe American people aro ready
to answer it again. Our remote ancestors
beat down the walls of Rome and hum
bled tlie pride of the w orld’s mistress into
the dust. They broke the Roman yoke
which Caesar placed on their necks, and
turned ajid trampled to death the nation
which had penetrated their misty regions,,
and awakened them to a sense of their
power and destiny. Their descendants for
two thousand years, in all the wonderful
vicissitudes of history, have chafed under
and resented and resisted the insolent
spirit of encroachment, invasion and usur
pation against their civil and their religi
ous liberties. They have met the degrad-
■ ing demands of Executive tyranny at their
thresholds, in whatever forms they have
been advanced.—Sir, this is the race of
liberty. I solemnly and earnestly com
mend the study of its glorious and exalted
history to those who are this day trifling
with the. majestic principles of personal
independence which it has secured to the
world by its wisdom and its blood. It has
stood as the iron-mailed champion of con
stitutional government: it lias borne the
banners of the cross and planted Christian
civilization on every shore and beneath
every sky; it has penned the beams of the
useful sciences into the dark and waste
places of the earth; it has carried tlie re
finements of the arts to the savage foiests.
and caused the wilderness to he transform
ed into, the abode of learning and genius;
it has thronged every ocean with com
merce; it has spoken the great emporiums
of trade into existence; it has defied every
Iranier of naltiro to resist its adventurous
spirit; it has played with ihe fiery elements
of the physical world, and used
obedient servants in tlie grand
its gigantic progress; and iy tli
aU this, and under all'eircumsti?
waited on the fortunes and espouse
cause of liberty with the unmeasured’
votion of a knight errant of chivalry,
the undaunted courage *f the Lion H#
Such a race will take r,o step backv&
It will submit to no diminution of its
Itwili surrender none of its high preroga
tives. Revolution and changes may re
tard its progress for a brief season, but
they can no more defeat its ultimate suc
cess in all that in great id conception and
sublime in execution, thau^hc st*um which
lashes the waTcs into fury can^aftnihilatg
Urn ocean. My faith, which brightens ill
future u, ,. v __ ; E rouurlod on the blood
wlucnthe American people
front this lofty race. It w ill never bend!
servile knee to Executive dictation
wears an erect port and an elevated crest.
It has defied the insolence of pov
every age of its history, and it> d
now. Yes, si/, the American perfpl
suffered the outrages of Executive usur
pations, and they have solemnly and deli
berately uttered their defiance. The voice
of the Barons, the voice of John Hampden,
and the voice of I’atrick Henry, crying,
“give me liberty or give rnc doth,” were
all concentrated in the voice of the people
of this country, as expressed at the-ballot-
box in the recent elections.
Much has been said in regard to the
meaning of these popular expressions.—
There are many issues befoic the country,
and I shall not at this time seek to inter
pret at length the public will on any oth
er than the one I have endeavored to dis
cuss to day.
It is true, however, that tins Adminis
tration stands condemned by the people
in every essential particular. It no long
er possesses the public confidence. It is
waging a war which it is no longer pre-
tendea is to restore the Union as our fath
ers made it. The constutional rights of
the States have been abolished by procla
mation, and that portion of the slaves
which are not to be liberated by the sword
are to be paid for by direct taxation. A
war thus conducted is a fraud on millions
of voters who have hitherto sustained it.
Its failure as a remedy for our national
calamities is palpable and absolute, even
if war, under any circumstances, could
have brought us a restoration of tLe Uni
on. These and kindred questions were
decided in certain and distinct tones at the
elements of popular indignation wLiek in
justice and political debauchery have a-
romed, and he crushed? '1 here is but
one pathway of escape and salety. It is
the pathway on which the light of the
Constitution is shining in all its origiual
luster. It is the pathway of tbe fathers,
in which the foot-prints of Washington
and the sages of that hallowed period are
yet plainly visible. It is the pathway of tain
justice, of tiuth, and of honor. It is the
pathway of constitutional freedom, and
leads to national life, union and peace.
Mr. Speaker, I am done. I take leave
of this subject. A greater nr more impor
taut one to every generation of men, in my
judgment, was never submitted to the
consideration
out of the clutches of tue demons wlio
have lorded it over them with a tyran
ny and cruelty worse than that of the
dark ages.-—\ Richmond K-annincr.
Capture of a IT. g. SSteamer.
Some few days since & party ot eigh
teen men under the leadership of Cap*
Andrews, an old Mississippi
steam Oout man, obtained permission
from General Buckner to go and cap
ture a boat at the entrance of Fuss a
LOutre. They left Fort Gaines in a
yawl, and proceeded on tlicir enter
prise. On Sunday they found the
legislative body. I j towboat Whittemore tied at the wharf
have confined myself to the discussion of a j 0 f the Pass, and
met
„ b gi y o pi
.•eruments arc rocked to and. fro by j the balance ot the
gov
fierce revolutions, and fall to the earth
to rise again in some new form; wo all
hast cm on in our brief journey, soon to
take up our abode in the silent Necropolis
—the city’ - of the dead ; but liberty, lib
erty—tliaf divine emanation from the bo
som of God to the soul of man—will sur
vive every mutation, every shock, every
change- But if we expect to retain the il
lumination and glory of its presence on
these shores ; if we expect to transmit to
our posterity the- exalted and priceless
blessings which it bestows ; if we expect
to escape the reproach of being false to
the great trust which our fathers reposed
in onr hands for present and for future
ages ; if we would avoid the utter and ab
solute overthrow of every principle which
has signalized this government as a Re
public, and not a despotism ; if we, stand
ing here on this narrow isthmus of time
which divides tbe living and the dead,
with tlie graves of ou>- ancestors stretching
hack into the past, and the advancing
otsteps risiaggenerations coming up
party procee
to arrest the rest of the crew, who
were calmly and unsuspectingly sleep
ing. In twenty minutes from the time
they boarded tlie boat, tlicy bad steam
lip and proceeded down the Pass. They
met transports, but were not then
discovered.
A boat appeared to chase or hover
around her next morning, but she es
caped safely until she reached the
blockaders out side of our bay.. She
ran the blockade under a heavy fire,
and was struck twiefe, but receivdB
little or no'injury. She arrived in the
stream opposite the city about 0
o’clock yesterday evening. Tlie dar
ing party captured besides the l>oat_
a large quantity of coal and twenty-
three prisoners—among whom is one
Goodrich, who is a ship carpenter,
and worked in this city for 10 or 1-3
years. The Whittemore (new the Fox)
LegLlaiiirc t« lk« Po«ph ritsu
lS*peoi»Ur*« the Plmiltra of Ibe Stair.
Xo ..'is people of Georgia
1 lia Legislature at its present session has hr. J
the subject of the further restriction of planting
cotton referred to their consideration, and after
due deliberation thereon, has passed the following
resolutions: .
He solved, That in the opinion of tue General
Assembly, the cotton planters cf this titate are
in no way behind their other patriotic brethren
in devotion to oar common cause; aud their volun
tary yirluingup the planting ot cotton.the past
year tor their country’# good, deserves our highest
cominendetion.
Believing thaitha best interests of trie country
require that a large supply cf provision# should
bo raised this year. Therefore:
He U resolved by tlie Senate and House. if Repre- ^
sentfitiers of the State of Georgia That all the plan- j j yei \ nor hesitation marked hnrT U ?
ters iu this State be. and they are hereby earnest- ‘V v ; . _ u ‘* ea ber zeal in
ly requested, to restrict the culture of cotton as j behalf of the federal government, even at
far a, practicable and employ ail their availaole ; times when party dogmas were dangeroua-
force in the raising of provision crops. j ly usurping the place of broad national nr!n
Resolved. That a committee of two from tne j cJ . an( j Executive and ConmesX i
Senate aud three from the Houss lie apppomteo i i ., , . . a o le t>Stonal
fo address the people on tbe subject of the tore- | {« tl ' ^ j »»
going resolution*.
That dnty ha# been assigned to us and w
siie to biiflg the matter immediately to your
to Ibe assistance of the Federal Govern
ment, her sons and her means.
2. AtuI be it further Resolved, That
this State, having waited for the redonm
tion of the pledges of tbe President and
Congress with a patience and forbearance
only equaled in degree by the utifalterino-
aud unswerving bravery and fidelity „f J, e °
sons, conceives it to be her solemn duty '
it is her unquestioned right, to urge unon
the President and Congress, the most
respcdful l»ut decided manner, the re
demption of the pledges under which tlm
troops of this State entered upon and to
tliis moment have continued in the co
test; and inasmuch as no conditions Lave
, the sacred cause of perpetuating the Uni
e <3a ’ on and maintaining the Constitution has
our con b(jen untainted in any degree by infideP-
ty, bigotry, sectionalism, or partisanship*
she now, in view of the faith originally
plighted, of the disasters and disgrace that
have marked the steps of a changed an,l
sidtration. ,,
The question of a nation'# supply of fool, is at,<.u
times an important one. In lime cf war it becomes
greatly augmented, and t»us. cut off as we are,
from any external resources, it vises to toe great
est magnitude- This ia more eapeeia ly the case . ,. 1 e ., . . o— -»u
since the enemy, determined on cur destruction, | changing po,icy, and of the imminent dan-
and liudi.ig himself unable to accomplish his pur- gers that threaten our national existence
pose by the valor of bis arms, now resolves to I ur g e8 upon the President and Congress a
gain bis end by starvation. , . | return and adherence to the original un'i™
To the mind of the patriot and the pbilanthro- .1 °, P ul *cy
pist. this is appalling. Where on enemy, feeling j of the administration, as .he only means,
he has a just cause of quarrel, seeks to redress ! under the blessing or uod, by which the
in’mnoifrirmKn. nunlv combat, we may confi-. nrUiorincr States can be rc mritPtl in
t„ g boat, wm. 1^1
.awful condemnaA^f both, we must re- machinery and sound, and is altogeth-
turn—return without delay—to the plain,
safe, and tlie immutable precepts of
Constitution. L«t those who control
tho Administration no.w in power give
over their wanderings into dangerous lat
itudes. Let them hastily retrace their
ops.adtTta^p their stand within the lini-
of latw*- i/et them abandon their i
pious claim of power outside of the pro
of tlie Constitution. Let them
heir minds of^i lat madness which
o tic.« morican citizens as slaves,
t.et this to done, anu ju.Su. -unfidence
will once more brighten the face of the
ountry, and a new strength will spring up
ora a souse o^flkdic security. Let this
e done, raid tJJwgh deep and dark calam
ities may overtake us, yet tlie primary
and fundamental object for which this
Government was founded—the establish
ment of liberty—cannot be defeated. If,
however, the present policy is to be pur
sued ; if there is to be no change in the
destructive career which now usurps and
supplants the Constitution and the laws,
then I declare my solemn belief that a
scene of ruin is near at hand in this once
favored country, more mournful than that
over w-liicli Marius wept ou the plains of
Carthage, and more terrible than the pic
ture of desolation which marked the de
struction of the holy city of David.
era superb prize.—So much for eigh
teen of our horse marines.
This daring and successful expedi
tion was litted out by -Mr. Julius
Buttner, an enterprising merchant of
this city.—[Mobile Adv. tj'Rrg 15ih.
ment of necessity as the uniform plea of j ballot box iu October and November ; but
tyrants who have sought to destroy liberty I can do no more than give them allusion
in all ages of the world. The children in j on this occasion.
our schools are familiar with this truth. It j pj ut ou t ] ic question of the integrity of
has passed into a proverb, and has tlie I t4xe Constitution and the protection which
sanction of universal human experience. | it affords to the citizen, the voice of the
But in close connection with this familiar
household word of Star Chamber oppres
Our Srisoaars at Camp Douglas
Among the prisoners brought up by
tlie ihtg of truce bout, ou lust Monday,
were some from the West, who have
been confined at Camp Douglas, at
Chicago The very sight of tlie poor
fellows is enough to strike pity to the
heart. We wish the Government,
could hear their tales of suffering and
distress, and we hope that they will
take some step to lay their griev
ances before the authorities here.
Camp Douglas is worse than the
Hole of Calcutta. Not satisfied with
putting our men to death by suffer
ing and torture, the Yankee demons
have taken to poisoning them! The
little things such as peas and cakes,
that our poor prisoners would buy
out of their few remaining cents, had
killed a number of our men, and on
an investigation being ordered and
V,J bile V.UU uve, a «..wo u. V.«»J MU, ,..u V. — . ... — t tamin’
will be enforced, and that tbe ’^‘‘crliood alike prompt this course, for they are the public safety docs not require it;”
■s"-* ti,e k r
dered doubly dear iu day of our distress. ail} peison to suspend such wut, except
Tlia effort* of our people to a graiu crop the under the express authority of Congress;
past year were crowued with aD aounJaut harvest Against the creation of new States bv
in the southern, south-western and middle poniona , q. . . c . . .
of the State, but was a failure in the upper and dnmou ot existing ones, or in any
northern sections owing; to the great drought; and ether manner not clearly authorized by
ah alarming fear was felt, particularly iu the latter the Constitution, and,against the right of
sections, that we should come to want because the secession as practically admitted by tU
planters of tho State might cultivate too large a • i ... J
portion of their lands iu cotton. Congress in admitting ns a new
A diligent inquiry has satisfied 11s that there is *-tute a portion ot toe Btafe or \ lrgmia,
in our State a plentiful supply of corn, and that Against the power assumed i:i the pvoc-
the scarcity where itexistsis owing to the want of Jamation of the President made January
sioti, another and kindred maxim of un
limited monarchy lias been thrust upon
the country by the supporters of the Ad
ministration noiv iu power. Loyalty lias
received a new definition. The doctrine
of the Tudors and the Stuarts has been
revived, and now onco more struts forth
in tlie habiliments of royalty on the stage
In violation of the Constitution, their j of men. A prominent citizen of my own
persons have been seized with armed vio
lence.
I11 violation of tlie Constitution, they
have been deprived of liberty without due
process of law.
In violation of tlie Constitution, they
have been held to answer infamous accusa
tions, without presentment or indictment of
a grandjury.
In violation of the Constitution, they
have bet'ii denied tlie right to a speedy
and public trial by an impartial jury.
In violation of the Constitution, they
have been carried out of the State and dis
trict in which tlicir offenses, if any, were
committed.
In violation of the Constitution, they
have been kept iu ignorance of the nature
and cause of tbe accusations against them.
In violation of the Constitution, they
have not been confronted with tlie witness
es against them.
And, in most supreme and wicked viola
tion of the Constitution, they have been
denied counsel for their defense, and in
formed, in ali the insolence of a fanatical
disregard of every principle of humanity as
well as law—
State, occupying temporarily a high posi
tion, lias announced tliay loyalty to ihe
Government no longer consists in obedi-
euce to tlie laws, in support of tlie Con
stitution, and in devotion to tlie flag Lut
in a blind, abject, unquestioning, and un
reasoning obedience to the measures of
those who arc in power. He fails to per
ceive how an American citizen can bo faith-
ful to his allegiance unless he concedes
the principle that tbe king can do no
wrong, lie has studied this heresy, doubt
less, in European courts, and desires to
transplant it to these shores. And if it
should bloom here, it would be as the
deadly upas tree, under whose blighting
shadow every green and beautiful tiring
dies. All civil rights would perish. The
courts would stand adjourned to meet no
more. The scales of justice would be bro
ken and thrown away. The temple of
Janus would 6tand wide open, and war,
the sport of kings and the ruin of the peo
ple, would waste the country forever,
Tbe sovereign voice of the masses would
be silent and stifled in their throats. It
would be dangerous to think, and children
would he no longer educated to enlighten
people comes to our ears with a sound the food analyzed, poistan was plaiu-
equally plain and clear. It rang out from -|y detected, and its presence admitted
the cities and plains, tue mountains a,| d by the Yankee surgeons! The authori
se prairies, m stern denunciation of every ! t £ g tried to exculpate themselves by
That the General Government will not j tlicir minds, hut simply to develop their
recognize any one as an attorney for po- muscles, with which, as slaves, to work for
litical prisoners, and will look with distiust ; the tax gatherer, or as gladiators to enter
upon all applications for release through the arena of ambitious wars. Tlie prison-
such channels ; and that such applications ! houses would overflow with all who dared
will be regarded as additional reasons for
declining to release such persons.”
Sir, I challenge the worst ages of the
most profligate and corrupt despots for a
more intolerable picture of personal outrage
than is here presented. In prisons, in dun
geons, in cells, in solitude and desolation of
lieart, citizens of this free country are
threatened with increased puuisLment if
they resort to the only possible mode of
approaching those in power to obtain infor
mation or trial with a view to liberty.
Many new offenses, unknown to the Con
stitution and the laws, have been created
by the proclamation of the Executive, and
to these must be added that it is a crime
for an innocent man, overpowered by un
lawful force, and wearing away bis life iu
prison, to employ counsel to secure for him
the benefit of the,laws of tbe land. Sir,
to remember that they were once free, and
death, in its most appalling aspects, would
bold liigh carnival ou the gibbet. And
over all, and supreme above all check,
restraint, or responsibility, would reign the
sovereignty of one man.
Sir, need I ask whether tho public mind
of tho country is ready to receive calmly
and submit to the plain and inevitable
consequences of such astounding princi
ples? Are American citizens ready to sur
render all, absolutely all that renders life
a blessing and redeems their citizenship
from being a byword and a reproacL? I
will not insult the proud ancestry from
which we sprung; I will not mock the
memory of the dead who have died for
liberty on both hemispheres; I will not
impeach the purity of the blood which
flows in American veins by reiterating this
infringement which this Administration
lias made of that holy instrument, and in
favor rf the preservation of civil liberty,
whatever else might perish. It demand
ed not only that tbe prison doors should
roll back and the victims of despotism be
yielded up to the guardianship of the law,
but it demanded also, in the sovereign
and imperious tone of a free people, that
the audacious and dangerous principle on
which arbitrary arrests have been made,
and speedy and public trials denied, shall
be at once and forever abandoned in the
most open and explicit manner. Nor,
sir, will the people give any second warn
ing on this subject. They intend to be
obeyed. They know themselves to be.
masters and not slaves. Jf (he pcrurjul
admonition of the ballot box goes unheed
ed ; if tho reasonable and earnest remon
strance of an enlightened and patriotic
people is lost on those who seem drunken
and mad with power; if the insane icjxl -
edness which has ruled this Congress and
launched the present Administration on its
schemes of ruin cannot be reached, end re
strained in its dc-st 1 active career b;/ the pop
ular voice coming up here in all its im-
ptcssivc grhndeur; the sword, tlie sword,
sir, must once more iu the annals of the
world determine the ancient issue so often
baptised ia blood, between tbe absolute
power of one man, and the inalienable, in
destructible rights of the masses. 1 speak
plainly. The time for words without mean
ing has gone by. You may pass this bill
to protect tho Executive and iris agents in
the exercise of arbitrary power from tbe
consequences of their owu acts. You may
place them above ali responsibility. You
may elevate them above the law, and say
that it shall havo no claims on them for
the violations it has suffered. You may
say that the victims of their barbarous op
pression shall be dumb in their presence :
You may say that the citizen shall have
no legal redress for his wrong. You may
sanctify power and outlive liberty. fcjir
wc must look the reality in the face, though
we shudder at its terrible features. We
are treading on the thin crust of a flaqjing
volcano. There is coming woe and disas
ter in the very air around us. '1 he tremor
of the approaching earthquake is visible in
the ground on which wc tread. Tbe signs
ofthe devastating whirlwind are gathering
in the angry sky over our heads. Already
the deep mutterings of its wrath can be
heard in the distance. Will you stand
still in stubborn mutiny against the raging
laying it to an old Irish woman who
was permitted to peddle cakes among
the prisoners.
The death of onr rnen at Camp
Douglas has been appalling. Obc of
our prisoners estimates that, in the
short space of three months there were
over seven hundred and fifty deaths.—
Tliis was caused by a combination of
causes—the low, wet and marshy sit
uation of the camp, being half in water
the filth and vermin of tlie place, and
the long and desolate confinement of
our men. In fact, some of the prison
ers who came up by the last flag of
truce had languished there for nearly
two years, and their dejected, sorrow
stricken and emaciated faces bore tes
timony of more than all they told of
their suffering.
The suflerings to which our brave
men have been subjected by the de
mons is enough to melt the heart to
tears. Even in the cold winter, when
our prisoners were taken there from
the West—in mid winter—they were
thrown into prison, with nothiug more
than a pallet of wet stratv as a bed k
and without a particle of clothing to
protect them from the cold and pierc
ing blast—and one who knows any
thing of Western life knows how fear
fully they sweep over the prairies. In
all the cold our men laj r exposed to
the storm, cold and shivering and be
numbed. A cold snow storm came,
and the result was that twenty-five
or thirty *f our men actually froze to
death. We have this on reliable au
thority. and the story is substantially
confirmed in every particular by an
account which we published some time
since from the Chicago Times.
On their way from the West, our
prisoners were still objects of perse
cution and malignity-of the Yankees,
and were made to travel two live-long
days without a morsel of food! They
left at Camp Douglas about two thou
sand prisoners, who were to be ex
changed, and were leaving in bodies
of four and five hundred. It was hoped
by our men that they would soon be
Abnul P^art.
A gentleman of intelligence who has
bad good opportunities for observing North
ern sentiment, lias recently arrived in
Jackson, Mississippi, from Memphis, «nid
gives me Blississlppian tho following in
regard* to tlie peace feeling among the
Yankees:
'There is a peace party at the North—a
strong and active party, nearly equal—
may be quite equal, or even numerically
superior to the war party—and tlie bitter
ness betVton these parties is very intense,
and the feud irrccoueileable. But our in
formant does not believe tU a t such a feud
will ever provoke any weapons n»ure dan
gerous than words. Ho believes the con
script law
malcontents will yield, like those in Noble
county, Ohio, did yield, by flight, before
the appearance of an armed and organized
soldiery.
He does not believe the Democrats will
make fight, and regards the Chicago Times
and the organ of Ex-Governor Medary, as
already preparing to back squarely down
“in obedience to the laws, and subject to
the Constitution !” This is onl» an opin
ion but our informant extertains it with
great confidence
The Northern Democrats, in*"favor of
peace, and against Lincoln and the abo
litionists. and in favor tho South, self-
styled Si utliern rights men, are not, as a
mass, in favor of our separate nationality
—it is peace, and political equality* guar
anteed rights, and re-union, that they
want ; and if in power to-day, these are
all that would be offered us. What we
most need of all things on earth to stop the
war and bring peace, is—to roll back this
tide of invasion to the Ohio river — to a-
chieve some great, crushing and telling
victories, aud so remove the theatre of war
as to bring its horrid realities home to the.
Yankees. If the South • would put forth
its strength and drive tlie foe out of our
cities and cotton fields, and hurl him back
on his own land, there would be a cry for
peace .at tlie North.
But while their armies can live and
grow rich in tho heart of the South, and
the whole country of the foe realize an
unprecedented prosperity in business,
which they have done, and are now doing,
and speak of the war against the rebels
with the same unconcern as we used to
speak of the Semirfole war in Florida, the
masses have no motive to peace.
Little do they care for dead Yankees;
they have plenty and can afford to lose
them. It is living interests, and not dead
soldiers about which they interest them
selves. They must be whipped, backed
out of tlie country, and their military
strength greatly shattered, before the true
cry for peace’on the ground of Southern
independence will even be heard. These
results might be greatly hastened by for
eign recognition, and tlie presence of a con
quering Confederate fleet.
Thr ICiiforccuirnt of tbe Vanbrc C'oia*rri|>f
Act.
The King of the Yankees is getting
frightened at the .demonstrations against
tho conscription act, and has determined
to let it go by tbe board. A Washington
dispatch dated the 13th says:
There is reason to believe that the ex
ecution of tho conscription act will be in
definitely postponed. It was adopted as
a measure of precaution to meet emergen
cies. The opinion lias been -openly ex
pressed, by the highest authorities of the
Government that tlie armies already in the
field are amply sufficient, and all that will
be necessary will be to fill up the depleted
regiments by recruiting.
himself oy op«n, mmly combat, we may conn- ■ adhering States can be ro united in action
de.utly rely on hi* magnanimity for kind treat ' the Union restored, and the nation sivod’
meet in case of defeat or capture; but when In* j resolved That it ! '
mean and malignant heart conceives tho belasli ; -■ fmt Ol U rescue , 1 Hat it is the de
purpose of subjugating, not only the warrior# of liberate sense of the people of this State
a nation, but the old men, the women and ff elr j t hat the war power within the limits of
little ones by the #l*w and torturing pain 0, an- j Constitution is ample for anv ami -,11
per then we cannot hope for mercy if perchance 1 ““J atm all
we should fall into his hand#. 1 emergencies, and ti at al assumption# of
That this is the plan of our enemy is fully prev- : power, under whatever plea, beyond that
ed, not only by their threats, but by their aa, “;.! conferred by tlie Constitution, arc without
by the occupation of much of tbe ’« rtl ‘ a J an * C A warrant or authority, and, if permitted tn
and the prevention of tfc# agricultural pursuits of • encompass the dost ruction of the liberties
our people. 1 of the people and the death of the Ilepub
It had been hoped from the Beginning that this Uc . auc l therefore, to the end that in anv
would7oonexpen V d ar its V rflg e e, ud that a* returning : event the matured and deliberate sense of
sense of r.-asou and of right on the part cf our in- the people ot Aew Jersey may be known
vaders, would soon force them to acknowledge ; a]K | declared, we, their representatives in
the justness of our cause and leave us to. the en- g te an d General Assembly convened
iovment o! tho great blessings of human happines.-, . . , . , . { L,lea ’
and liberty which the God of our fathers had do, tu their name ana in their behalf, make
vouchsafed to u*. But in this we have been dm- unto the bederal Government this our sol-
appointed, and wo now see a settled purpose on pjuu
the part of our enemies te persist iu this devast*- - PROTEST
ting war, so long as they may be able. It then be- .
comes us to guard with the greatest care against Against a war waged With the insur-
the threatened calamity: and the Legislature at gent States for the accomplishment of un
its last session out of abundant caution, passed an constitutional or partisan purposes;
act J i,n « i \T, tha , pla *” t i ntr 0 !a m0 Zl°. aCrtS Against a war which has for its object
to the field hand, which is still in forte. o . a oujeu
But to the praise of our people be it spoken that the subjugation ot any ot the btates, with
in this?as ir. every patriotic movement for our de a view to their reduction to a territorial
■liversnee, they had taken the lead iu this matter; C outlttlon-
.,' ***« F<>A.»„iion, w r «
should exceed, the planters ot the State had aliva- 1>V which, under the piftrl ol ‘ military
dy voluntarily imposed upon themselves a greater necessity,” perso«5 in States and Territo-
restriction. This praiseworthy conduct so fully
illustrates the intelligence and virtue of that class
of our people,, and justifies the proud bei.st of onr
cla m to self government, that we d*em it inexpedi
ent to impose any further restriolion by law.
But we desire earnestly to appeal to you iu be
half of our common cause—the cause of our sol- • -1 rp .
dieis in camp an-1 of their families at home; and J' el | Je ll "( h" in hiafes, I erntories tr
while it is our duty to feed and clothe aud sustain Districts not m a state of insurrection;
the soldier in the battle field and thus give him: Against all arrests without warrant;
the strong arm, it is equally_our duty to support a g a i ns t the suspension of the writ of ha-
and maintain his family at home to give ii;m the _ A. . , .
stout heart to defend his country’s causs. Not only beas cot pus m States and lerritorh
ries sustaining tiie Federal Government,
and beyond necessary military line?, are
held liable to the rigor and severity of
military law ;
Against the domination of tho military
y’s causs. .Rot only
does a sense of duty but the feelings of a common
les SU3-
tbe .Federal Government, “where
transportation brought about by the itsa of our
railroads for military purposes ; and we are grati
fied to state that proper attention is being given to
that subject which we trust will remedy this.etii
in the future.
We exhort our whole people to use tie greatest
industry, and practice the strictest economy, in or
der to raise the most abundant supply of provis
ions which may be necessary under any emergen
cy.
The ever varying fortunes of war, warn us to
prepare for the worst; the wasteful expenditure of
an army, very often unavoidable, bids us prepare
a double ration for it; aud the dependent ones, the
wives and children of our gallant soldiers who to
day faco tho foo, and tlie widows and orphans of
those brave men who have fallen in this war, call
on us to lay up in our store-hous>-s and barns a
portion for them
To the planters of the Slate we confidently look
for ail the help :hat it is their power to give. Their
patriotic course, in the past fully justifies that ex-
By a proper arrangement o.f crops you •
The New York Herald of the 14th says
of the defeat at Charleston :
“The repulse of iron clads from, the
grate way of Charleston, though almost
bloodless in its results, may be.classcd
among our most discouraging military dis
asters.”
r I he Baltimore American is indignant
over what it calls the “shameful abandon
ment of the seige.”
lliere has been a serious riot between
the white and negro laborers iu New York
city.. The whites undertook to drive the
negroes from a ship which they were load-
ing.
Richmond, April 24.—R. E. Dixon,
Clerk ol the House of Representatives,
was killed to-day by one of his assis
tants, R. E. Forde, of Kentucky, The
shooting occurred on Bank street, corner
of 10th, and caused great excitement.
pectalion ... „ ... - - -
may greatly aid in the distribution of provisions, has responded to every call made bv the
and we advise that the more newssary and bulky President and Congress for men and means
article of corn he planted in larger quantities it. b occasioned by no lurking aminos-
those sections more convenient to transportation; . . 0 J ^ t n . .
thus whole farms even in the best cotton regions By to tlie States 01 the South or the rights
may be devoted exclusively to grain and provis- , ot' her people ; 110 disposition to wrest front
ions, embracing under the latter term, not only them any of their rights, privileges or
meat of all kind3, but the various articles of vege- . * 1 ... • , *.° ’• ! - „ ‘7, . •
table food useful and agreeable to the soldier in the ! P ro P ert J > but slm P*y t( ? a;,slst m ma.ut in-
camp or hospital, and which are eagerly sought af- 1!, o’ a:i s hs has ever believed and now bc-
ter in the market. j lieves it to be her duty to do, the suprem-
Wftiile we would not underestimate tho prime acy Q f jl ie Federal Constitution ; anil,
importance of cotton to us ass people and recognize ; whil bat j nauKhtio her devotion to
that staple as the basis of our commercial prosper- . TT p . » . . ..
ify, yet in view of the circumstances surrounding k ‘)C L moil ot tlie fetatos and the dignity
us, wo advise that not exceeding one and a half and power of the Federal Government, at
acres to tho lull baud be cultivated the present sea- no time siuco the commencement of the
son on an average ; this will give on a fair yield, ! ... , ,1 • c . . 1 ,tion
sixty thousand bales, one-half of which may be for , P r .^. ent far has tb.s State been Other than
home consumption, and one-half for commercial willing to terminate peacefully and honor-
purposes. I ably to all a war unnecessary in its origin,
lo all we say be of good cheer. A kind Provi- fraught with horror and suffering in its pros-
dence crowns our arms with success; and with ecntion and ncce s S arily dangerous to tho
smiiinjr verdure over all onr fields,4*1 vei us promise ... . c .. . J . 0
of an abundant harvest. Our trust is in Him, that liberties of all in Its continuance.
“ the barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall 3. And be it Resolved, That the Legis-
the cruse of oil,” until the day-that lie send u* de- lature of the State of New Jersey believe
■ that the appointment of Commissioners np-
on the part of the Federal government to
meet Commissioners similarly appointed
! by the insurgent states, to convene in
some suitable place, for the purpose of con-
'< sidcring whether- any, and if any, what
J plan may be adopted, consistent with the
j honor and dignity ot the national govern-
i ment, by which the present civil war may
be brought to a close, is not inconsistent
with the integrity, honor aud diguity ot tbe
Federal government, but, as an indication
of the spirit which animates the adhering
Stites, would, iu any event, tend to
strengthen us in the opinion of other na
tions ; and hoping, as we sincerely do, that
the Southern States would reciprocate the
peaceful indications thus evinced and, be
lieving, as we do, that under the blessing
of God, great benefits would arise from such
liveranco from onr enemies
T. M. FURLOW,
A. J. E1ANSELL,
Senate Committee.
LINTON STEPHENS,
ROBERT HESTER,
T. M. NORWOOD,
House Committee.
The Voice of New Jersey.
Protest against tlie war policy—Restora
tion of the Union by peaceful means—
Protest against Lincoln's Acts, !pc.
New Jersey has again declared against
the war. Her voice is plain and earuest,
and it cannot bt> mistaken. Her legisla
ture has just, by a vote of3S to 13, passed
the following resolutions. Read them and
her manly protest against the acts of Lin
coln :
“1. Be it further resolved by the Senate
and General Assembly of the State of New
Jersey, That this State, m promptly an
swering the calls made by the President
of the United States, at aud since the in
auguration of the war, for troops and means
to assist in maintaining the power and dig
nity of the Federal Government, believed
and confided in the prolessions and declara
tions of the President ofthe United States,
in his inaugural address, and in the reso-'
lotions passed by Congress on the 23th
day of July, 1S61, in which, among other
thiugs, it was declared “that the war is
not waged for conquest or subjugation, or
interfering with the rights or established
institutions of the States, but to maintain
and defend the supremacy of the Constitu
tion, with the rights and equality under it
unimpaired, and that, as soon as these ob
jects shall be accomplished, the war ought
to ceaser;” and that, relying upon these
assurances, given under the sanctity of
official oaths, this State freely, fully, and
without delay or conditions, eontribnted
a conference, we most earnestly recotnmeix
the subject to the consideration ofthe go'-
ernment of the Uuited States, and request
its co-operation therein. .
6. And be it Resolved, That Ilis Excel
lency the Governor be requested to for«ai
copies of these resolutions to the Govern
ment of the United States, our Senators
and Representatives in Congress, and to
the Governors and Legislatures ot our s 13
ter States, with the request that they ' 1 '®
the subject proposed their serious ana t®
mediate attention. „ .
7. And be it Resolved, That the o 8
of New Jersey pledges itself to
prompt action upon the subject of
resolutions as will give them practica ^
feet, in mediately upon the concurrent®
co-operation of the Governors aud J-te’- 1
tures of sister States.
The Baltimore Snn says that Coh^'
vona has been exchanged, and, wit i
prisoners, is now on his way South.
one, eighteen hundred and sixty-three, by
which all the slaves in certain States and
parts of States are forever set free ; and a-
gainst the expenditure of the public mon
eys for the emancipation of slaves or their
support at any time, under any pretence
whatever ;
Against any and every eyercise of pow
er upon the part of the Federal Govern
ment that is not clearly given and express
ed in the Federal Constitution—re-assert
ing that “the powers not delegated to the
United States by the Constitution, nor
prohibited by it to the States, are reserved
to the States respectively, or to the peo
ple.”
4. And be it Resolved, That the une
qualed promptness with which New Jersey