The Sun.
London, England, 1825-05-25 00:00:00

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THE SUN.

sozsiv BUTS DrcEpE-r4L.sum ACIDELT

LON DON, -
WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY2S, 1921.

We yesterday promised to revert to the Bab-
ea of the Restriction the Governor-General had

,bought proper to put upon the Pre!ts. in Britiih

India.—Every body who has given himself The

rouble to reflect for amoment on the subject, riatot
'eel that the Freedom of the Press is essential to t
'ree Government; but at the same 'time it will

be obvious, that it is not in all cases desirable.
Circumstances may exist in which it would be
proper to restrain that freedom, and subject the
Press to certain regulations, that may prevent the
dreadful consequences resulting from the disse-
mination of principles at once hostile to established
authority, and to that obedience which is dee to

the Public Magistrates. In this country the pub-
lication of such sentiments can do no mischief, for
here they have a tendency to cure the evils they
produce, because publicity is an essential part of
the British Constitution, and hence false state-
ments, calculated to influence the passions of the
people, cannot be resorted to ; and moreover, the
stability of the laws and the security of property
keep down any rising spirit of insubordination
that the inflammatory articles of an unrestrained

press might otherwise engender. Even here, how-.
ever, it has been found necessary to make laws,
which, although they do not restrain the publica-
tion of opinions, yet cause them to be published
under a responsibility which • ensures the dis-
covery of their author. It is possible, how-
ever, to conceive a country (an absolute Mo-
narey, for instance), in which articles of
such a nature would produce the most lament-
able consequences ; it is possible to conceive 4
country governed by the strictest principles of
justice, where the laws are administered with the-
utmost impartiality, where life and member are.
secure, and property inviolate, and yet where the
freedom of the Press cannot with safety be Intro 4
duced. The reason is, because it is known an 4
felt-that a free press is necessarily at once cor"
rupt and licentious, uncontroulled by principles's,
and restrained olOy by its own interests ; it is felt
that facts may be distorted to meet particular
objects, and abuses laid hold of whereon to build,
the most malicious charges and the most exagge'
rated calumnies, that accusations may be made
without truth, and 'libels published which have.
no foundation ; that not only all these thine
may be, but we know them to exist. In an sir
solute Monarchy then, governed as we have before
supposed it to be, the mischiefs and . misery that
such publications would produce are incei"-
.
culable. But where an absolute Monorail
does exist) and where that form of Qolerilm