Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-09-11
WARRINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP

wAsHMarON NKWs AND GOSSIP.
Free Speech We took occasion, few days
ago, promptly to point out the inconsistency
between the professions of the new party at
the North, and their practice. Subsequ ent re-
Election, snd the further light which the new.
papers have thrown on the Chicago affair,
have not served, to change our opinion with
reference to the enofmity Of the outrage in
volved in it against the fundamental principle
Of our Government.
30 necessary to the preservation of the lib
critics Of this country did our revolutionary
fatAsfs regard the right of " free speech" on
public Affairs especially, that in the formation
Of the Constitution they carefully threw all
possible guards around it; providing in the
nrst article thereof that " Congress shall make
no law respecting An establishment of religion.
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, or
a6r'dg1ng the liberty of speech or of the
press" The right to speak openly on public
affairs, which these heretofore apparent furious
devotess Of " free speech" violently abrogated
In Chicago, thus essayed in the Constitution
to be carefully guarded, involves the right to
hear also. 30 great is the veneraticn Of our
laws for II, as to protect, in its full and free
exercise, every rascally foreign McSwish who
chooses, under the pretence of preaching, /"
to utter in our public streets insults, ibels,
blackguardism, TO-, without stint against those
to whom our Constitution and laws, and the
principles Of our Government guarantee
equal rights with Us. All such violent infringe.
ments of American popular rights, as we'll as
| the doctrines in the cause of which they are
esssyed, are of foreign origin; the parties in
this country, resorting to the former and advo-
eating the latter, looking to Exeter Hall" for
approval, rather than bowling to public opinion
| in the United States. Political aboltionism
In this country, it will be remembered, owes
its origin to the labors Of the notorious Eng
lish charletan, George Thompson, who laid
the foundation for 1t in the course of his
never to-be- forgotten tour throughout the
American non-slaveholding States, wherein
he was the first to preach that it was just
and proper for one portion of the American
people to wage . crusade against the other.
Indeed, all the isms which now 80 extensive
ly pervade the North, are of like origin, hav-
ing been preached on the other side of the
Atlantic-some of them for nearly half cen
tury-before being imported into the United
States. Those Of sufficient reading to know
the details of the history Of the women s
rights, and Founerite movements &c, will
at once realize the truth of what we here
write. The leaders Of this party of free speech
professions (but not prsotioe) have, unfortu-
nately for the peace of the country, obtained
virtual control of the lower order of q portion
Of the American clergy; using them to influ-
ence the ignorant fanatical, and bigoted
They are the principal advocates Of the Maine
law, which is destined to do more harm to the
holy cause Of temperance, that was 50 hap
PLY fourishing beyond measure before being
dragged into the arena of politics, than the
influence which all the anti-temperance men
in the land exerted against it before it was
taken up by politicians as hobby on which
! to ride temporarily into place. This same
law, by the BY, Is more despotic in its ten
dency and character than any existing ukase
of the emperor of Russia, whose government,
We are all accustomed to regard as the vc' y
personifcstion Of despotism itself The rece"t
Massachusetts, "Republioan' convention, in
| the course of their proceedings, capitally H.
Illustrated the true value of the devotion of
this party to civil liberty. Thus, they gloried
over the forcible sbrogstion of the right OF
free speech in Chicago-one Of the great bull
\ warks Of American freedom, for which on,
| fathers shed their blood in the war of the Rev
olution-proclaimed that they were ready and
anxious, by force of arms, if necessary, to So
cure for the ignorant and otherwise unqu ali
fed negro slaves Of TIE South, full civil anc
political equality with the whites of the land
and in the same breath they pledged them
selves to war hereafter on the rights Of ciyi
and political equality guaranteed by the Con
stitution to those among us who prefer to wor
ship God according to the Catholic faith. The,
actually did this thing: They proclaimed tina
their future efforts should be directed to tn,
two ends, Of procuring for the slaves f'th
South the right to vote, and deprivi92 thei
Catholic fellow-citisens of that right = Th,
! 49,. destruction of the Catholic church a
Neva,k N wss simply carrying into prac
toe the doctrine, Of TIM. free.speesh'' party
We are thankful, indeed, as ever >'''''a'
must be whose breast still entertains sing,
| spark of tho sentiment Of devotion to civil
liberty and true equality which nerved on,
fathers to the achievement of their liberties
that that dastardly act was the work of for
eigners-not Americans. The " associations
psrpetrating it were Irish, German and English
anti Catholics, who left New York nomin ally
for an excursion, but nearly all carrying con
oealed weapons, which were used to kill and
wound unarmed people, and to keep off the
crowd while they Quilted church that wa
defended by one old woman, armed with thai
weapon Of the sex, broom stick. The testi
mony taken over the body Of the man MIR
dered in this shameful riot in heretofore
peaceful American eity, shows that it is very
questionable whether single stone was thrown
at the procession before or after the attack