The south-western. [volume] (Shreveport, La.) 1852-1870, 1855-05-23
Nrw TRsrs.-our attention has been called

Il beng vacant Dy tilt ucaoii = -
liz election Of his successor devolyed by law
nn,n board composed of the United States
district Judge the supervising inspector, and the
J collector of the port. very competent ON
Ger and good citizen was elected, in captain }
P. Stiles After the appointment, captain Stiles
was excepted to on several grounds-hrst., ina.
bility, secondly, whiggery, thirdly, know 9,
Enothingism.' The inability charge was fully
refuted, the others were not acted upon BY the
members Of the board, but colonel Porter ap-
pears to have had special instruction to inquire
Into the alleged political heresles OF the ap-
pointee.
colonel Porter, he is informed that one of his
sponsors, distinguished democrat, is suspected
Of know nothingism- that the recommendation
which procured his appointment, is thus done
away with, and hence it would be necessary
for him captain Stiles to sign certain docu-
ment certifying that he was not opposed to the
present administration and knew nothing of the
society called .sknow nothings." This. it was
stated by the collector, was required Of all APP
plicants for Office, as the present crisis in politi
cal affairs demanded such caution.
Such are the facts, as communicated to us by
good authority We sincerely hope that they
may prove untrue. Nothing would afford us
greater pleasure than to publish contradiction
Of them. As they now stand, they reflect
most seriously upon the honesty, the republl-
can profession, and the manlness of the present
administration. For the reputation OF our
republic abroad, we hope that such refutation
may appear. The attempt to introduce new
tests Of office, to regulate, shape, and control
the sentiments of free American citizens, On the
part of mere officials, to require of persons ap-
pointed to office, oaths and certificates of their
freedom from certain political ideas, unaccep-
table to certain officials, is one OF those bold
invasions of the liberty of speech and of opin
ion, which, if unresisted, would be a burning
reproach and shame to our republic.
Such conduct would be mockery of all our
pretensions to freedom. There is not a gov
eminent in Europe which would be unblushing
enough to exact such oaths from its appointees.
The, American people, under the influence of
the base and degrading partyism, which has
prevailed 10 such frightful extentn our coun-
- will exhibit themselves as utterly unworthy
q the institutions transmitted to them-as I'M
worthy of the age in which they live-if they
do not meet, with their most emphatic denun
citation, this attempt to influence and control the
freedom of opinion.
The idea that even political heresy is to be
thus suppressed and extirpated, is SO absurd that
onlhe ground alone men of all parties, know
nothings and anti-know nothings, wings and
democrats, ought to unite in its condemnation.
IN. o. Delta.
No LIBERTY WITHOUT LAw-An American
who was travelling in Germany, happening to
say that, by municipal law of Philadelphia,
To oil no
from his pavement, was answered by hearer:
"Do you call that lberty?" But this miscon-
ception of freedom is not confined to Europe
ans Thousands, even in this country, ap-
pear to think that license and liberty are syno-
nymous. Nearly every mail brings intelli-
gence of some violation of law, the conse-
hension. Now mob in Chicago, resisted the
Of the press is assailed, by the destruction, in {
office, whose owner had published opinions {
Kansas, or a portion of them, set the federal
constitution at defiance, by refusing to receive q
he governor appointed according to long estab-
ished rules, by the executive at Washington.
n word, license as contradistinguished from
1t requires no prophet to foretell that, if this
ice should extend ITSELF the institutions of the i
country must suffer. Government here is the t
ehex of the will of the people, and u.s. there
ore, never tyrannical. even when imperative 7
law, in republic, is the voice of the MAORI !
y. Society cannot exist without a controlling | |
'ower somewhere, and that power, when fixed '
y the people, is never usurpation. A free r
is only vast partnership, in which =
ach man, the better to secure the common !
nd, binds himself to certain conditions. In e
ii associations, the members defer their indi- o
ldual opinions, so far forth as the purposes of b
he association are involved, to the decision of
he whole. republic is nothing but an asso- !;
iatlon. In an unorganized state of society, b
be weak would be at the mercy of the strong, o
property would be insecure, limb, character n
nd life would be continually in peril. Hence :
is that governments are indispensable, for s
hus safety is secured to all; first, by deciding t
he terms of association, that is, by enacting ?
AVIS, and second, by enforcing those laws. I
10 resist law in republic is different thing
rom resisting it under despotism. In the il
ne case, law is made without consulting those
7hom it is to control. In the other, law is the re
rec will choice of the majority. In the form :
+, there is often no chance of repeating law, Il
Mess by resistance, if not revolution. In the S.
after, the ballot-box is provided, where the J
epeal may be peacefully effected. In the for Il
Ter, one man only governs-in the latter, all "
Whenever law is resisted in republic, it is D
lrtually an attempt to apply the despotic prin- Il
lple, for each rioter seeks to substitute his sin
lie will for the will of all. Every man who e.
ssists mob, who secretly countenances a
hob or who defends, under any circumstances, OF
he action of a mob, is therefore, an enemy to
berty. Vs.. Philadelphia Ledger. il
DEPRECIATION OF GoLD.--The United States n
economist estimates the amount of gold fur p p
lshed to the commercial world during the SIX t,
ears, since the new mines were discovered, at W
400, 100000. The influence of these vast 81
old supplies proved to be very different from f
ne antcipations of many fnanciers, who pre-
icted a great immediate depreciation. The P
elatve value of gold to silver by the English f. f.
aw of 1916 was l to 1876, and the actual fe
alue has been as follows: Tn 1851 I to 1909 II