The weekly north Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1857-1867, 1859-12-21
Common Sense.

stops = Lon. ROCK. M.:on:ni:, Madison ON Milton
Jsnssvills, and Points East.
Common Sense.
This is probably one of the rarest articles
now used in political discussions. Many
men have large stock Of the uncommon
kind, which they set out for people to look
at and admire, but when we want little
plain, sober reasoning, about matter that
is susceptible Of the easiest demonstration,
away goes your politician, hcels-ovcr-head,
to dish you up nostrum, which, like that of
the druggists, is reputed to be efficacious
precisely in proportion to its nausea. The
nasticr the dose, the stronger it is said to be;
and thus modern discussion, either oral or
written, has degencrated into sort of rival
ry in dirt-throwing.
Just now some Of the heavy Abolition
journals,-we do not say Republican, be-
cause many men and presses of that per-
suasion arc not identified, either profession
ally or at heart, with the late outrage upon
the rights Of Virginia,-in view of the au-
thority claimed by the Postmaster General
to exclude from the mails what may be es-
tecmed inccndiary documents, are endeav-
oring to impress their readers with the idea
that this is one of the most dreadful depart
ures from the practice Of the General Gov
ernmcnt which our history has ever exhibit
cd. No language has sufficient amplitude
of coarseness to carry to the ''insulted
North the indignation of these injured ed
itors Of reasonable newspapers. The Post
master General and all his ''tools," as the
deputies are politely dcnominated, arc be-
labored with all the charges known to the
classic purlieus of the fsh-markct. The
country, it is said, should no longer be SUBJ
ject to so ''damning an exercise of power:'
and yet there are hundreds of cases, which
it twill not strain the imagination to get at,
where the same men will not only excuse
this surveillance, but they will demand its
exercise as essential to public safety.
Governments, like individuals, are pos
sessed OF the power Of seEpreservation,
or they arc not governments, in the proper
sense of the term. That power is suscep-
tible of abuse, the same as individual Ac-
quisitivencss Ito speak phrcnologically) may
degenerate to Avarice, and farther down the
grade to Theft. The proper exercise of the
faculties in man, and the reasonable indul-
scnce of authority by the government, are
the limitations we expect in the mortal and
in the corporate bodies when either tray
els beyond these limits, the results are bad,
and society condemns them. That the Post
Office Department, by law has the right to
say what shall, and what shall not go in the
mails of the United States, is denied by nc
one; the only question is, shall the treasure
Of the people be expended in doing s'work'
that is destructive of the interests and peace
Of society? If there are documents, adj
mittedly melting rebellion, leading to civil
war and all its horrors, those having charge
of the Post Office Department will best con-
serve our national security and individual
happiness, by promptly stopping the dis
semination of such firc-brands. If gang
Of robbers and assassins were holding cor.
respondence with a similar band located in
our own city, and the Postmaster here lneu
that to be the case, the letters passing
through his hands would, under the cir.
cumstances, become public property, and
they should be promptly handed, not to thu
villains to whom they were addressed, bu
70 police detectives; in this way, public
safety can alone be subscrved, and without
public safety our private rights would bt
of little value.
There are many things which luty to so
ciety requires us to do, where private right
in the abstract are completely ignored. Per
sons infectiously diseased, however wealthy
may be removed beyond city limits; ship
are obliged to perform quarantine-and, il
innumerablc instances, the citizen must sui
fer inconvenience and incur danger for tn
public good. No man will contend that tn
Postmaster at McGregor should deliver
letter to his friend, Gen. BIGELow, when h
(the Postmaster) had the best evidence 70
believing that the tearing of the envelop
would cause an explosion that would destro
the receiver, or exhale an infection tina
would sicken his family. In the City {
New York, on a late occasion, the Email
were rifed," to discover class of money
thieves, who were receiving thousands (
dollars from those who could be duped b
highly colored pledges of returning pr
mail some recipe or valuable information
The country approved the course taken b
the Mayor Of New York to ferret out thcs
villains, and large amounts were returned
the victims Of this deception. And yet TIL
was strictly private transaction, and di
not Especially endanger public safety; it woul
have cured itself in time, because one e,
pertinent would be likely to effect a cure
country credulity.
In the matter Of slave-insurrection
should be considered, - unless negro-symp
thy, IS in the case of BRowS, banishes fro
the mind all consideration,-that the SoutI
ern States have great reason to be terribl
apprehensive. It may be fun, to some
the North, to gil the non-slayeholders at 4
South with hate towards their unfortunu
slsveholding neighbors; it is equally fun
to reflect that the negroes may be operat
upon in such way that poison and Il
knife will cut the bonds that tie them
their masters, and on signal, concerted
the ed of incendiary publications and ira
cling emissaries of treason, the whole Sou