The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1848-06-28
From the North Americana
BRITISH FREEDOM,

Is, the convicted rtpu6llcan-o Of Inc united
Irishmen, we rise up confirmed, and saddened,
Ia our first impression, that his case affords an
example Of governmental tyranny and cruelty |
may, of monarchical notwithstanding to
every sense Of right and justice. an insult TO
the age, a dishonor and humiliation TO the Bril- |
fish name. British freedom, indeed! British
freedom of speech! British freedom of the |
press! We can now understand what this
sort of freedom means in Ireland at least. We
have only to follow Mitchell to the prison
hulks of Bermuda,-t see him balled and |
chained among felons, in the dress, and endur- |
ing the treatment OF a felon-a galley slave
condemned TO fourteen years of this horrible |
punishment for words, spoken in a speech and
printed in a newspaper. TO understand what
that ''inestimable privilege of British freedom"
really means.
We have always been of the opinion. and
never hesjtated to express it, that revolution
was impending over the British monarchy, as
we'll as over all other monarchies which are
destined to fall, or TO be liberalized down 10
that point in which the popular sovereignty
shall assume ITS proper position, and be recog-
nized as paramount 10 all royal sovereignty;
and royalty. if spared, be continued merely in
an ancillary or subjective capacity, as the SER
want of the people; but we have always depre-
Gated revolution of blood, believing that En-
lglish reform and Irish reform could be always
best; most safely, and most expeditiously ac-
complished by energetic political agitation,
instead of brute force and civil war. For with
all the resisting instincts and strength Of the
British aristocncy-which is the real ruling
power of England, the ROYALTY being mere
pageant, and Victoria herself diademed pup
pet in the hands of the aristocracy-there IS
that in its position, as we'll as in the general
character of British institutions, which ZEN
ders both equally incapable of resisting the
systematic efforts OF popular progress. We
have always believed that the aristocracy would
yield, step BY step, all the reform demanded
by Ireland; and that it was the interest and
true policy of Ireland, considering the instnc-
tive national jealousy Of the two sister king
doms, which, at the first false step, would be
SO readily invoked against her, to avoid all i'm
prudencies, all violent ultraisms of whatever
character, adventuring only on such sgitations
and for such objects as should secure her the
popular sympathies in England and Scotland.
And not Notwithstanding the number OF over
boiling. and, perhaps. over-violent spirits, who
would have instigated to another course, we
believe that this was the kind Of policy to
which the great majority of Irishmen wished
to adhere, and would have adhered, had the
British ministry not departed from what was
its original scheme OF aniagonislc moderation
| OF resisting, indeed, as far and as long as ii
could, but resisting with cautious eschewal
OF all exasperating acts ofintimidation, and re-
fusing the experiment Of the old French ty-
ranny Of coups detat, The treatment Of Nit
chell is Departure most gross, and violent
and infatuated departure from the moderate
policy, and, in our opinion, it cannot fail to
produce total change in the feelings of all
Ireland, inhamng the people to new thoughts
of war and vengeance. II Irishmen really
wi hat the world believes them to be, il is i'm
possible that they can read over the proceed
| ings in the case of Mitchell, and reflect upon
his fate. whom The ministers have chosen to
make victim martyr-the martyr, too, of
Irish liberty-without deep, an intense, a
grievous feeling Of humiliation. OF wrong and
brutal tyranny, all which they now suffer
through him, from which il seems most natural
to expect an outburst Of national indignation,
ending in universal rebellion.
i The case of Mitchell is just as simple-only
a great deal worse in its iniquity than we de
picted it on Thursday. There is no doubt that
Mitchell was one of the most ultra, daring aud
hot headed Of all the leaders Of Irish reform
He was even a republican, and open and out
land-out republican; and there was the gist Of
his offence. He delivered fierce republican
, speech, and he reported it in his journal, the
United Irishmdn; and il was the delivery and
the publication w ich, technically, formed the
body Of the felony,--on made so by a recent
act of Parliament, framed almost avowedly for
the purpose Of siencing lMitchel's press, or
furnishing him for his audacity in expressing re-
publican sentiment.
, Now We are not writing to defend Mitchell;
we are only demonstrating from his example,
(, the nature of the new and internal tyranny,
which, in this reforming age of the world, in
the British emf ire, or, in Ireland at least, moi
merely strikesdown all the supposed constitu-
ltional privileges of British freedom, but pun
ishes the exercise Of them with the wages Of
larson and the penalty of assassination. Every
: British freemen has right to talk and write
republicanism as much as he pieases; republi-
canism, in the abstract, is no crime; treason
only begins when resistance is made to, or war
n waged upon the existing institutions. II was
4 the act of Parliament of the 22d Of April--an
act more UNANIMOUSLY and audaciously subser-
q sive of freedom than any adven,dred on by
? Parliament for fifty years--which made. it a
crime 10 talk and write as every subject has a
4 right to talk and write. The passage OF the
r law was a usurpation by Parliament 'of an
!. authority incompatible with the liberty Of the
n subject; and Mitchell ,--bravely, we do not hes
e itate 10 say--however daringly and imprudent.
) lily, vet bravely and heroically-stood forward
. to set an example TO all Ireland, England and
!, Scotland, by disregardng it, There were 9th
. er Irish reformers who did the same,-as o.
Brien and Meagher, who were also indicted
n and acquitted, acquitted, too. as is openly
!. charged, because they had powerful family re
: lations connected with the aristocracy, so tina
the Ministry burst not convict them; while al
!. its vengeance and tyranny fell upon poor Nit
/ chel; who though highly respectable man, o
n unspotted character, was without family ALI
3 ances. and therefore helpless victim, free e
be made a sacrifice, a felon-exile Of the Bermu
Ida hulks for fourteen wears What knavcs ant