Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1861-12-24

Wsmust, however, do Mr.. PHILLPs the just
ice 20 cay that, aside from his hobby shel has
painted theefecIs and consequences Of the war
in strong and vivid coiOrs.a Such language as
we quote below, if 1t had come from the mouth
or pen of g Democrat, might have subjected
him 70 Imprisonment in Fort Lafayette or some
other Government. Bas!iIe. After remsrking
that he had no time to speak Of the war in it.
self,"Mr. PH.LLIrs said: ~ t.'i4 ls3
Neither will remind you that debt is. the
fatal disease of Republics, the fret thing and
the mightIest to undermine Government and
corrupt the people, The great debt Of England
has kept her back in all progress at least hun
dred years. ] will not touch, neither will re.
mind you that when we go out of this war we
20 out with an immense disbanded army, an i'm
mense military spirit embodied In two thirds of
million OF soldiers, the fruitful, the inevitable
source of fresh debts and new wars; pass BY
all that and lying within these causes are things
enough TO make the most sanguine friends of
free institutions tremble for our future Bat l
pass those by. But let me remind you Of an
other tendency Of the time. You know, for
instance, that the writ of habeas corpus, by
which Government is bound TO render reason
to the Judiciary before IL lays its hands upon a
citizen, has been called the high-Water mark of
English liberty. The present Napoleon, In his
treatise on the English Constitution, calls It the
germ Of English institutions. Leber says that
that, with free meetngs like this, and free
press, are the three elements which distinguish |
liberty from despohsm, and all that Saxon blood
has gained In the battles and tolls Of two
hundred years are these three things. Now
to-day, Mr.. Chairman, every one Of them
habeas corpus, the right Of free meeting, and
free press--is annihisted in every square mile
of the Republic. We live to-day, every one of
us, under martial law or mob law. The Secre-
tary Of State puts into his Bastile, with war
Tant az irresponsible as thai of Louis, any man |
whom be pleases, and you know that neither |
press nor lips may venture to arraign the Gov.
eminent without being silenced. Mark me,
n not complaining; do not say 1t is not ne
cessary. IL Is necessary to do anything 70 save
the ship. Loud applause Il Is necessary to
throw everything overheard that we may float.
II is mere question whether you prefer the
despotism Of Washington or that of Richmond, j
and prefer that OF Washington. [Lsughter
and applause But nevertheless, point out to
YOU this tendency, because It Is momentous in
its significance. We are tending with rapid
slrides-you may say inevitable; don't deny
il, necessarily; don't question it--Wea are tend
ing to that strong government which frightened
Jefferson; toward .hs. Gnl!nited debt, that end
lees army; we have already those alien and se-
dition laws which, in 1898, wrecked the Federal
5arty, and summoned the Democratic into ex-
Istence. For the first time on the continent we |
have passports, which even Louis Bonaparte |
pronounces useless and odious; for the first time
in our history Government spies frequent our
great cities. N seAl