Raftsman's journal. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1854-1948, 1861-09-11
FREEDOM OF THE PRESS.

Attempts will no doubt be made to confuse
the public mind in view of the recent activity
IN New York and Philadelphia in suppressing
reasonable presses. 1t will be said that the
freedom OF the press is the palladium of liber-
ty; that If arbitrary despotism is to destroy
the watch-dogs of freedom, are on the
nigh road to the ruin of the republic, &c., &c.
We wish to put our readers on their guard
against the insidious attempts of rebels in
disguise. The principle in the case of the
grand jury of New York and of Marshal Mill
ward is perfectly plain, and all the sophistry
in the world cannot confuse it to right think
ing men.
The case is briefly this: In question Of
sovereignty there are no degrees or limits. The
question of sovereignty is like that of prlvl-
ege in a deiberative body it overrides every
thing. The reason is plain. Sovereignty is
essentially alone and supreme if it be sub
dued, everything is in ruins anarchy reigns.
In time of peace, the liberty of speech and
of the press carefully guarded. So is the
liberty OF the citizens in the shape of the hG-
beas corpus. Yet Mr.. Dicki inson, the Senator
from New Y ork, rightly said int recent speech:
SIN such a time as this, il there were no other
way of suppressing treason, would suspend
the ho6eas corpus and the traitor too.''
In looking at the laws, We must look at
their reason. When law is supreme and the
public peace undiSturbed, the liberty of the
citizen, the freedom of the press and of speech
cannot be too carefully guarded. But when
the sovereignty of the nation is attacked, the
first thing is to protect that; for everything
depends upon it, everything centres in it. If
the flag be down, there is protection for
life, property, religion or anything else. The
country is in the hands of rebels and land pi-
rates. The first thing is to save your Govern
ment.
Now if newspapers are issuing daily or
weekly treason against the supreme authority
fhny
war against it; if they are doing their utmost
to trail our flag in the dust-it is perfectly
idle to talk of the freedom of the press in
their case. I'LL the rights of citizens pIesup-
posed loyalty; q traitor has rights. He is
an outlaw in the very nature OF the case.
6 The thanks of every loyal citizen due
to the New York grand jury and to Marshal
Millward. These are precisely the stern pre-
cedents that are needed. Let them be follow
ed up by similar action everywhere. Let
every Secession journal be swept from the land.
The case Of the Christian Observer, for
which there may be an attempt to create some
sympathy, is perfectly clear one. Its editor
was earnestly demonstrated with by almost
every prominent minister of the Church to
which he belongs, resident in the city and vi
cinity and SO anxious were they at one time
to be freed from the scandal of the Obseruer's
pro-saveryi ism, that they offered SO ,OOC for
the paper, far more than it was worth, but ex-
pressive of their desire to be rid of it. Find
ing the editor incorrigible, they one by one
repudiated that journal, and were only of
late waiting the regular meeting of their
Church Court to take public and combined
action against it. The articles and communi-
cations became more offensive every week.
The North was sneered at irritating state
ments were made and reiterated, until no one
that read the paper had the least doubt that
its whole bearing was in favor OF the rebel
government as against the United States. If
such papers are allowed to be published, gov
ernment is a mockery. The fact that the Ob-
scrrer was called a religious journal, that it
published church news, &C.. did not in the
least alter the case. Treason is no better for
coming in a religious garb it is worse, indeed,
because more concealed, and, therefore, more
dannernns -PhiIadeInhin RuUnfip