Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1859-12-30
From the Springfield Republican.
FREEDOM OF SPEECH POSSIBLE
IN THE SOUTH.


The Boston Daily Advertiser, in an article
on freedom of speech, has the following par
agraph, from which we feel obliged to dis
sent -
"There is in the South, as we all see,
state Of things which make open discussion
of certain questions dangerous to society 1t
it is one of the vices Of the social system
which there prevails, that its foundations
cannot be openly discussed without the risk
of exciting discomfort and perhaps open IN
surrection.
/ 1t is not true in fact that slavery is not
/ discussed at the South On the contrary,
there is no other political topic half So much
discussed. In their political meetings, and
in their leading democratic newspapers IT Is
discussed with a violence with which Dr.
| Cheever and Wendell Phillips become tame.
! The English tongue is not only exhausted,
but distorted to find epithets tor use in these
| discussions his state Of things has existed
| ever since the repeal of the Missouri COM
promise. Even before that period, the sub
1 ject was discussed openly and boldly in the
! Virginia legislature bat it was in more
! elevated and civilized strain. We might
multiply instances. but these will suffice.
But the discussion is now all on one side.
The slave holders are banded together to
silence every body but themselves by lawless
violence such as not only Christianity but
| decency revolts at. There seems to be moth
! ing too outrageous for them to do or say to
shut the IN uths Of all who dissent from
! them They seem determined that their IN
| institution shall stand upon a reign Of terror
that is a disgrace to any civilized country.
1t takes away all respect for them. and holds
them uD to the world as brutal, barbarous,
and unprincipled to the last degree. The
great mass Of their quiet people are aware OF
this, but dare not speak. The leaders Keep
| them in terror. They are slaves to their own
| system.
We do not believe that this is necessary.
| Who believes that the speeches Of Cassius
| VI. Clay, fierce though they have been, and
violating good taste. are dangerous to the
peace OF Kentucky? Who believes that the
speeches of Francis P. Blair Jr., or the art
icles Of the Missouri Democrat, have any
tendency to produce insu rection? Who
believes that the professor was expelled from
a North Carolina college for fear he would
excite insurrection?
The thing feared by these fire eating demo-
Gratis its temperate, calm discussion, which
would endanger the institution, though it
would not endanger the peace of the com
munity. They are determined 10 ride rough
shod over the people. They intend to main
toin slavery by lawless violence, and to
allow no man but themselves and their
partizans to utter his thoughts. The inter
ests of the free laborer must be kept mute by
tar and feathers. And 50 long as the demo
cratic party rules the country, 50 long these
men Of violence will rule it. One of the
OBJECTS Of their outrageous language and con
duct is to preserve politicl, power in their
own hands
If we could have a change of administra-
ton, and give to the fr.e laborers Of the
South a share in public lfAirs, it would be
found that the tempera and rational dis
cussion Of slavery would be as safe as any
other discussion, and that free speech might
safely exist there.