Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1861-12-07

NSo 'ci Pl"OS ~ III my PoHS w Nio
charge these obligations, / will do il
most certainly. But if [ am denied
the liberty of doing SO, they must re.
gard their small losses as SO many con
tributors to the cause in which | have
fallen. | feel that I can, with conf
dence, rely upon the magnanimity and
forbcarance of my patrons, under this
state of things. They will bear me
witEcss that have held out as long rs
| am allowed to, and that have yield
ed to military despotism that / could
not avert the horrors of, or successful
ly oppose.
The real object of my arrest and
contemplated imprisonment is, to dry
up, break down, silence, and destroy
the last and only Union paper left iii
the eleven seeded States, and there
by to keep from the people of East
transporting in the country. After the
Hon. Jeff Davis had stated in Rich
mond, in q conversation relative to my
paper, that he would not live in GOV
crnmcnt that did not tolerate freedom
of the press; after the judges, at:or-
ncys, jurors and all others filling posi-
tions of honor and trust, under the
Permanent Constitution which guar
antees freedom of the press and after
the entire press Of the south had come
down in their thunder tones upon the
Federal Government for suppresSing
the Louisville Courier, and the New
Y Yorl Day Book, and other secession
journalist did expect the utmost lib
crty to be allowed to one small sheet,
whose errors could be comlatted by
the entire Southern press. 1t is not
enough that my paper has been denied
a circulation through the ordinary chan
nels of conveyance III the country, but
it must be discontinued altogether, or
its editor must write and Sc lect only
such articles as meet the approval Of q
pack of scouudrels in Knoxville, when
their supcriors in all the qnalilics that
adorn human nature are in the peniten-
tiary of orr State! And this is the
boasted liberty Of the press in the
Southern Contcdcracy!
| shall in no degree feel humtled by
being cast into prison, whenever it is
the will and pleasure of this august
Government to put me there, but, on
the contrary, | shall feel proud Of ny
confinement. | shall go to jail as john
Rogers went to the stake-foF myp"i/1-
cipzcs. | shall go, because l have fail
ed to recognize the hand of God in the
work of breaking up the American gov
ernmcnt, and the Inauguration of the
most wicked, cruel, unnatural and un-
called for war ever recorded in history.
| 60, because | have refused to laud to
the skies the acts Of tyranny, uSurpa-
ton and oppression inflicted upon the
people of East Tennessee, because of
their devotion to the constitution and
laws of the Government, handed down
to them by their fathers, and the liber-
ties secured to them by 4 war Of seven
long years of gloom, poverty and trial
| repeat, [ am proud OF my position,
and of my principles, and shall leave to
my children as legacy. far more val
liable than princcly fortune, had the
latter to bestow!
| will only say, in co2clu>ion-for
am not allowed the privilege to write
chat the people of this country have not
been accustomed to such wrongs; they
can vet scarcely realize them. They
are astounded for tile time being, with
the quick succession of outrages that
have come upon them, and they stand
horror stricken, like men expecting I'll
in aud annihilation. | may not live to
see the day, but thousands Of my read.
crs will, when the people of this once
prosperous country will see that they
are marching by double quick time
from freedom to bondage. They will
then look these wanton olatrages full in
the face, and my prediction is, that they
will stir the stones Of Rome to rise and
mutinv.' Wrongs less wanton and out
rageous precipitated the French revo
luton. Citizens cast into dungeons
without charges Of crime against them
and without the formalities of tria
10y jury, private property contiscated Al
the beck of those In power, the pres:
humbled, muzzled and suppressed, OIL
prostituted to serve the ends Of tyran
nv, The crimes Of Louis XVI fel
short of all this, and yet he lost hi:
head. The people of this country
down-trodden and oppressed, still have
the resolution of their illustrious fore
fathers, who asserted their rights a
| Lexington and Bunker Hill!
| Exchanging, with proud satisfaction
the editorial chair and the sweet en-
/ dearmenis of home for s cell in pris
on or the lot of an exile, | have the
honor to be, &c,
WIIIJAN r. Brown