New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1850-05-11
Freedom Of speech rs. Rowdyism.

We rejoice at the all but universal repre-
hension bestowed by the Press and People
of our City on the rufhans who broke up the
late public meetings Of the ultra-Aboltlon-
list, in our midst, demonstrating their devo-
ton to the Constitution, the Church and
the Union, by robbing strangers of the use
of halls which they had duly hired and paid
for, sitting the expression Of honestly enter
tanned opinions, and driving women from
their seats by gross insults and lewd badln-
age such as none but the basest and most
deprayed miscreants indulge in
In new candidate for public favor-7he
Psoples Weekly Jovnal, just started by
MICHAEL DoHENY and JOSEPH BRENNAN as
Editors, (R Walsh, publisher, 1913 Nassau
we find other views Of the rights and immu-
mites of Speech set forth. The Editors say
of themselves and their purpose:
ave understand the principles Of Democracy
as well as any, and better than most OF those who
object 10 us. And if il wer3 otherwise we asPre
10 make no new Democracy, but to incul'ate and
maintain that which we find established TO give IT
vitality ia the hearts of our hearers 10 elevate II
above the juggiery Of a faction, 10 vndlcate IL
against the open and covert attacks OF its loes 10
make il racy of the new cOmers sentiment ana
sonl This shall be our pride; it IS our purpose and
to the task we deem ourselves fully adequate
We like Irish modesty--it is our own
sort-but Irish ideas of Liberty are not al
ways so thorough and consistent as we
could wish them. To hate and resist the
particular form Of Oppression to which we
have been exposed, by which we have sui
fered, is SO natural and easy that we see
little merit in it; to loathe and DEFY all
Tyranny eyermore is what few severe sui
ferers by Oppression ever attain to. Ages
of Slavery write their impress on the souls
of the victims-we must not blame them,
therefore, but cannot stifle our conscious
ness nor suppress our sorrow 1t is SAD
to see how readily the great mass OF our
Irish-born citizens, themselves just escaped
from a CALLING degrading bondage, lend
themselves to the iniquity of depressing and
Aouting the down-trodden African Race
among us-it was specially sad to see them
come up to the polls in squads, when our
present State Constitution was adopted and
vote in solid mass against Equal Suffrage to
all Citizens, shouting, "Down with the Ma
ours, Let them 90 back to Africa, ~here
they belong for such was the language OF
Adopted Citizens of one or two years stand
ing with regard to men born here, with
their ancestors before them for several
generations. We learn to hate Despotism
and Enslavement more intensely when we
are thus confronted by their inefiaceable
impress on the souls of too many of their
victims.
The Peoples Journal thus palhates
the crime against Freedom Of Speech the
Rynders banditti on Tuesday and Wednes-
day last;
aLiberty of Speech does not mean a license for
blaspbemy, nor 10 violence done to pubic meets
ing more miscbievous or infamous than the viola,
ton of decency, morality and religion, ana brutal
nsults 10 the presence and feelings OF womanhood,
osIs,e5 nv the orators of nti-Slsvery. These
were the first 10 outrage the conventonahty OF the
meetings called by themselves; and they were
.Dowed 10 proceed until their otfenslveness stank
in the nos,rils Of men, as to become intoleraele
.Blasphemy' has been a favorite accusa-
ton against the apostles of Reform and
EQUAL Rights from the days Of the Savior at
least and probably ever since Man enslaved
and oppressed his brethren. But mere a0-
cusation proves nothing, and he who accuses
an unpopular minority of "the violation OF
decency, morality and religion, and brutal
insults to the presence and feelings of Wom-
anhood," without adducing particle oil
evidence. seems to us to take cowardly adj
vantage of his hold on public prejudice
Some of the language used by the Abolition
sneakers did not accord with our ideas OF
Justice, policy or good tasse-indeed' part
of their time was devoted TO savage ortiz
cism on our course-but the above charges
arc not true. and if true should have been
proved so by authenticated citations; ana
;f ever so bad. the utterers were responsible
to the authorities and the laws, and not at
all to Capt. Rynders and the Empire oiuo'
He who will in any case admit the right OF a
mob to try, condemn and punish their adver-
saries as guilty of blasphemy, lmmoran'y'
irreligiOn, &c. in their public reprehensiOn
Of a great Social Wrong. is in effect an enc
nv of Human Liberty, no matter what hs
NAV fancy himself